A Beautiful Journey
by Aragorn II Elessar
Summary: Watch-it fic. In 2035, members of the Avengers, X-Men and Fantastic Four bring forth the Avengers, Scott Lang, Hope van Dyne, T'Challa, Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Pepper Potts, Aunt May and Loki from the past to watch the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**This is something I have wanted to do for a while but didn't get around to it until now. But now that "The Devil and The Arrow Trilogy" is complete, I think I can start this story without further ado.**

**The format of this story is like "Whatever it takes" by Stand with Ward and Queen and "The Journey of a Hero" by Bl4ckHunter, both of which are great reads. I'm using that format because I don't like transcribing word for word, though I highly respect those who can do it.**

**I also recently discovered an old but beloved watch-it fic of Arrow Seasons 1 and 2 which is called "Past is Prologue" by Naitch03 and that is also a bit of inspiration for this story, along with Stand with Ward and Queen's now deleted "Changing Tides."**

**Let it begin.**

* * *

**A Beautiful Journey**

**Starring**

**Future Avengers-**

**Tom Holland as Peter Benjamin Parker/Spider-Man**

**Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson**

**Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Professor Hulk**

**Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch**

**Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America **

**Katherine Langford as Morgan Stark/Ironheart**

**Bex Taylor-Klaus as Lila Barton/Hawkeye**

**Emma Fuhrmann as Cassie Lang/Stinger**

**Adrianne Palicki as Bobbi Morse/Mockingbird**

**Chloe Bennett as Daisy Johnson/Quake**

**Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil**

**Elodie Yung as Elektra Natchios Murdock/Black Sky **

**Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/Punisher**

**Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones Cage/Knightress**

**Mike Colter as Luke Cage/Power Man **

**Rachael Taylor as Trish Walker/Hellcat **

**Future X-Men-**

**Hugh Jackman as Logan Howlett/Wolverine**

**Sir Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier/Professor X**

**Famke Janssen as Jean Grey/Phoenix**

**Halle Berry as Ororo Munroe/Storm**

**James Marsden as Scott Summers/Cyclops**

**Future Fantastic Four-**

**Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic**

**Charlize Theron as Susan Storm Richards/Invisible Woman**

**Zac Efron as Johnny Storm/Human Torch**

**David Harbour as Ben Grimm/The Thing**

**Viewing Party-**

**Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man**

**Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America**

**Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson**

**Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk**

**Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow**

**Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye **

**Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man**

**Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch**

**Paul Bettany as Vision**

**Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/White Wolf**

**Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon**

**Don Cheadle as James Rhodes/War Machine **

**Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man**

**Evangeline Lilly as Hope van Dyne/Wasp**

**Tom Hiddleston as Loki**

**Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther **

**Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts**

**Marisa Tomei as Aunt May**

**Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury**

**Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill**

* * *

Avengers Tower, 2035

"So the decision is final?" Morgan Stark asked Peter Parker.

"Yes. I think this is the best we can do, Morgan." Peter said with a sigh, "I just hope it works."

"What if it doesn't?" Cassie Lang asked him.

"Then I don't know what I'm going to do." Peter said with a sigh.

"Let's not dwell over that right now." Thor Odinson said, "We need to try it."

"Thor's right guys." Bruce Banner or as he was now called due to his appearance, Professor Hulk, told them, "This is the only way now."

"So we're decided on who to bring?" Reed Richards asked.

"Yes." Sam Wilson said, "The decision is final."

"I hope watching all of this makes them get their heads out of their asses." Logan Howlett commented.

"Good thing you're saying it now and not later." Peter said, "Cap would hate it."

"Yup." Logan said, "I know."

"I don't feel like I can face him right now." Morgan said with a sad sigh, "I need time."

"Same." Cassie said, "I need to compose myself."

"Even I do." Lila Barton said.

"It's all right." Peter assured them, "Go right now. You can come whenever you want."

The three nodded at him gratefully and walked away.

"If you need anything, I'll be around." Bobbi Morse said as she nodded at them and walked off.

"Let us bring your comrades from the past." Charles Xavier said with a smile.

* * *

May 2018

Stark Tower

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts were arguing about something, with James Rhodes watching them from a corner when they disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Queens

Peter Parker had just returned home from school and a bit of superheroing as Spider-Man. As Aunt May asked him how his day was, the two disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Hope van Dyne was adding the final touches to the Quantum Tunnel with Scott Lang watching her when the two disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Wakanda

Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff and Sam Wilson were visiting Bucky Barnes when all of them disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

T'Challa was about to head to his court when he disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Edinburgh

Wanda Maximoff and Vision, who was in his human form, were having lunch together, when both of them disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Clint's farm

Clint was about to teach Lila Barton some archery when he disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Unknown location

Nick Fury and Maria Hill were about to get into their car when they disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Space

Thor was telling Loki why they should take the Asgardians to Norway, with Hulk lingering at the doorway, when all three of them disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Avengers Tower, 2035

All of them crashed onto the floor at the same time.

"What the hell?" Tony groaned as he got up.

"Mr. Stark?" Peter asked in shock.

"Kid?"

"Tony?"

Tony turned to see Steve standing there.

"Cap?"

"What's happening?" Bucky asked.

"Barnes?" Tony asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

"Tic-tac?" Sam asked in shock as he saw Scott and Hope.

"Hey man." Scott greeted cheerfully.

"Clint?"

"Nat?"

"Never would have seen this coming." Fury muttered.

"Sir?" Natasha and Clint said at the same time before noticing Hill, "Maria?"

"Where are we?" Wanda asked.

"Wanda?" Sam asked in shock before turning to see who was next to her, "Vision?"

"You were with her the whole time?" Tony asked Vision incredulously.

"I HATE FALLING!"

Everyone turned in shock to see the owner of the voice.

"Loki?"

Tony, Steve, Natasha, Clint, Fury and Hill looked at him with glares that made the phrase 'if looks could kill' come to mind.

"My friends!" Thor greeted happily as they turned to him in shock.

"Thor?"

"It's so great to see you guys!" Thor said happily, "And great news, Loki is a good guy now."

"How can you forgive him after everything he did?" Tony asked angrily.

"What if he is fooling you?" Steve asked, getting into business mode.

"Puny God good." Hulk commented as everyone turned to him in shock.

"Bruce?" Natasha asked.

"Not Bruce. Only Hulk." Hulk said.

"You can speak full sentences? Congratulations pal." Tony said with a smirk.

Suddenly, Hulk grabbed his head as everyone looked at him in concern. He fell to his knees, holding his head, and eventually fell to the ground, and to everyone's shock, his skin started getting normal again as his size reduced.

Hulk wasn't there now. It was Bruce Banner.

"Hey guys!" Bruce groaned as he rubbed his head and got up, "What's going on?"

"Uhhhh, Dr. Banner?" Aunt May said politely as she gestured below him for a second.

Bruce looked down and gasped in shock as he realized he was naked, "Oh God!"

"Do not worry, Dr. Banner. We were prepared for the event that you would need clothes."

Everyone turned to see a bald man in a wheelchair with a kind smile on his face.

"Who are you?" Tony asked him, "Wheels?"

"My name is Professor Charles Xavier." Charles introduced himself as Reed Richards walked up next to him.

"Dr. Banner." He said as he handed Bruce a spare set of clothes, "Let's get you changed. Come on."

Banner nodded thankfully as Reed let him out.

"Professor Charles Xavier?" Tony asked in shock, "As in the one who wrote the thesis in genetic mutation."

"Yes, Mr. Stark, that'd be me." Charles said with a kind smile.

"Where are we?" Steve asked him.

"Look out of the window. You will realize you know this place like your own name. It's the situation which makes you not realize where you are." Charles told them.

Everyone looked out of the window and the Avengers realized they recognized the view.

"This is my tower?" Tony asked in shock, "So we disappeared and reappeared in my tower?"

"Now that's a coincidence." Pepper muttered.

"How did that happen?" Rhodes asked, "And how did we get here again?"

"Because I brought you here."

Everyone turned to see the older Peter Parker walking in.

"Peter?" Aunt May asked in shock as she looked between him and her Peter, "How can there be two Peters?"

"Genetic cloning?" Tony tried to joke but no one laughed.

"You're-you're me?" Peter said in shock.

"I am you." The older Peter Parker said, "From the future."

Everyone's jaws dropped at that.

"The future?" Tony asked incredulously, "Are you kidding me?"

"It's true."

This time, an older Thor Odinson walked into the room.

"You're me?" Young Thor asked in shock.

"Yes. I am you." Older Thor said, "This is the future."

"And if you still don't believe us, you can take a look at me."

Everyone turned to see Professor Hulk walk in.

"B-Bruce?" Tony asked in shock.

"What happened to you?" Steve asked.

"I stopped looking at Hulk as some kind of disease and started looking at him as a cure." Professor Hulk said.

"Whoa!"

Everyone turned as Bruce walked in, dressed in clothes, "So you're me from the future?"

"Looks like Dr. Richards has told you of the matter." Older Peter said.

"Oh! And Loki is a good guy now." Professor Hulk told them, "So no need for hostility."

"No need for hostility my ass." Tony said angrily.

"Language!" Steve said out of habit.

"Yeah, of course! Language! I'm pretty sure you curse when you're alone too." Tony said as he whirled on him.

"Tony-"

"What? Angry things are not going the way you want to?"

"Now I know why the two of you need to get your heads out of your asses."

Everyone turned to see Logan walking in.

Steve's and Bucky's eyes widened in disbelief.

"James?" Steve asked, still in disbelief.

"Yes Cap. It's me." Logan said with a smirk.

"You two know this guy?" Natasha asked Steve and Bucky.

"Yes." Bucky confirmed, "We fought with him. In World War II."

"Okay, what?" Tony asked in total disbelief, "You gotta be kidding me. Unless he was on ice too."

"I have a healing factor." Logan told them, "It prevents me from ageing."

"Where were you this whole time?" Steve asked him.

"I was drinking to remember." Logan said cryptically.

"Now I believe we are in the future." Hope commented, "But why did you bring us here?"

"To prevent a catastrophe." Older Peter said, "And for that, we need all of you to trust each other again."

"And how're you gonna do that? Because I don't see myself trusting these liars right now." Tony said as he pointed at Steve, Natasha, Bucky, Wanda, Vision and Sam.

"Tony." Pepper smacked him on the arm, "Be nice."

"You all need to understand each other." Older Thor said, "All of you know each other well. Some of you do understand each other pretty nicely."

"Like Cap and Bucky. Mr. Stark and Rhodey. Natasha and Clint." Older Peter said, giving examples, "But for all of you to trust each other again, all of you need to understand each other. What makes you tick. What made you into the kind of person you are."

"And how are you going to do that, Mr. Parker?" T'Challa asked him.

"Please don't tell me we're doing therapy." Tony said with a scared expression.

"No. That won't be necessary." Professor Hulk said, "In the future, a device has been constructed that allows people to record their memories in a visual medium, enhanced with eye witness reports, written articles, diary entries, what others said about them, CCTV footage, Internet pages, and a lot more."

"Wait a second?" Peter asked, "You're telling me our lives are a TV show?"

"TV show. Movie. Whatever works for you." Older Peter said.

"This technology does sound fascinating." Vision said, "Humans can do a lot of things if they put their minds to it."

"Well, you've finally convinced me this is the future." Fury said with a sigh.

"So you want us to watch the entire life of every single person in this room?" Hill asked incredulously.

"No. Not the entire life." Older Thor said, "Only the important events that made you into who we are."

"So I'm guessing it will include the time I was a bad guy." Loki said dryly as everyone from the past except Thor and Bruce shot him dirty looks.

"Look, I know you don't trust him. And I know you two do not trust each other." Older Thor said as he looked at Steve and Tony, "But right now, you need to be civil to each other. Can you do that?"

Steve and Tony glared at each other for half a minute before looking at Older Thor and nodding.

"And him too." Older Peter said as he pointed at Loki.

"All right." Tony groaned.

"So we're getting started?" Wanda asked.

"Yes." Older Peter said as he pointed to a four huge couches, "Make yourselves comfortable."

All of them started taking their seats. At the leftmost couch sat Tony and Pepper, Peter and Aunt May and Rhodes.

On the next couch sat Steve, Bucky and Natasha, Wanda and Vision, Sam, Scott and Hope.

On the next couch sat Thor and Loki, T'Challa, Bruce, Clint, Fury and Hill.

"Wait a second!" Clint suddenly asked, "If we're going to stay here for a long time, wouldn't the others back in our time wonder where we have gone?"

"That is not something I am comfortable with!" T'Challa said, remembering his duties as king.

"Don't worry. We got that handled." Logan said.

"After all of this is finished, we will drop you back to the exact time from where we picked you up." Professor Hulk said.

Everyone instantly calmed down.

"Smart, buddy." Tony commented.

"Is it just me or did I look better either of the other ways?" Bruce asked as he looked at Professor Hulk.

"You did." Everyone commented at the same time.

"Yeah, I can understand why you feel that way." Professor Hulk said, "But I feel the best I have in this form."

Everyone simply nodded, deciding that Bruce knew best about what he preferred to look like.

"All right everybody. It's starting." Older Peter said.

"One more thing." Tony asked, "How am I supposed to differentiate between the older and younger versions of you lot if I have to call you?"

"Call me Benjamin." Older Peter said.

"My middle name." Younger Peter commented.

"Odinson." Older Thor said.

"Good." Younger Thor commented.

"Professor Hulk." Professor Hulk said.

"Professor Hulk. I like it." Banner commented.

With that, Benjamin, Odinson, Professor Hulk and Logan sat on the last couch as Professor Xavier wheeled his chair next to them.

The screen was turned on.

* * *

**The characters from the past are from 2 weeks before Avengers: Infinity War.**

**Hulk was turned to normal by Xavier.**

**The viewing will start in the next chapter. I'm going to have them view every single MCU movie up till Endgame. I know it will take ages but most watch-it fics usually do.**

**All the movies will be viewed in the order in which they were released, with the exception of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, which will be viewed right after the first Guardians of the Galaxy.**

**Also, in this, imagine that after Daredevil Season 3, Elektra was revealed to be alive and returned to Matt because Matt/Elektra is my second favorite couple in the MCU right after Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons.**

**And while I have not finished Season 3 of Jessica Jones, I found out what they did to Trish Walker and I am majorly pissed. I loved her in Season 1. She was my third favorite character right after Jessica and Kilgrave. Then in Season 2, they made her horrible. I thought they would redeem her in Season 3, but no, they had to make it a tragedy. What the hell writers?! All right, I admit I am partly pissed because I have a crush on Rachael Taylor, but seriously, did they have to do that to her character? She deserved better. A lot better. She is Hellcat! How she is still around in this as part of Avengers after Jessica Jones Season 3 will be explained later some time.**

**And you might have noticed some fan casting from me. Katherine Langford actually was going to appear as an adult Morgan Stark in Avengers: Endgame but they deleted the scene.**

**Emma Fuhrmann is Cassie right now but I think they will definitely have her play the role in the future as well.**

**I went through some fan castings for Kate Bishop, Reed Richards and Sue Storm. Bex Taylor-Klaus, who played Sin in Seasons 2 and 3 of Arrow, ended up being my choice.**

**I admit I'm a bit biased towards Joseph-Gordon Levitt but I feel like he can pull Reed off. And Charlize Theron was my favorite choice for Sue Storm.**

**As for the X-Men, I like the actors from the original trilogy a lot, so I put them in. In the new movies with the younger X-Men, I like James McAvoy as Charles Xavier, Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, Nicholas Hoult as Beast and Evans Peter as Quicksilver. I liked Jennifer Lawrence in First Class and Days of Future Past but then they made her blue Katniss. The rest of the young actors for the X-Men in those movies just felt dull to me.**

**I hope everyone is in character.**

**And next chapter, everyone will start with the movie that began it all- Iron Man. **


	2. Genius, billionaire, philanthropist

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Wow! Blown away by the response to this! Like blown out of my frickin' mind! Thank you all.**

**So some people have asked me if Doctor Strange, Wong or the Guardians of the Galaxy will also join in the viewing. The answer is- no, they will not. And that is because the audience is already very big and they will make it too big for me to handle.**

**But their movies will still be viewed to get the characters from the past acquainted with them.**

**And like I said before, I won't be transcribing word for word but if an iconic or much loved scene comes by, or there is a line I really love, I will describe some of it because I love those scenes or lines too much.**

**And with that, our characters will view the movie that started it all- Iron Man.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thank you for all the recent reviews on my stories and one-shots. I can't reply to everything because it would make this too long. Glad to hear you're excited for all the sequels to "The Devil and The Archer" series so I hope you read the two stories you haven't read. Yeah, Iron Man is one of the most influential superhero movies. I did like John Krasinski and Emily Blunt as Reed and Sue, but while going through fan castings, I realized I preferred Gordon-Levitt and Theron a bit more. Now Krasinski and Blunt are my second preferences. I don't feel like the author's word is always law. If I contradict something I did previously in my story, everyone should feel free to use the "Death of the author" trope on me. And yeah, what they did to Thor in the comics is infuriating. Adult Peter with Wanda in the MCU. I like it actually. We'll see about it. Yeah, both the actors for Xavier and Magneto were awesome in the roles. I will work on both stories at the same time, because this one will go on for ages. I just finished Season 3 of Jessica Jones, so now I will start my Supergirl Season 1 rewatch. Enjoy.**

**GIJose: Thank you for the review. I love these types of stories too. Glad you liked Tony saying the same line as Logan in the first X-Men movie. I do like Blunt and Krasinski as Sue and Reed, but they are my second preference for some reason. I liked Gordon-Levitt and Theron a bit more. Enjoy.**

Chapter 2- Genius, billionaire, philanthropist

"So, who are we starting with in this?" Tony asked.

"It's actually you we are starting with, bub." Logan said to his shock.

"Me?" Tony asked, "Wow! I must be popular!"

"You ARE popular." Pepper pointed out to him.

"He knows that. He just likes saying it." Rhodes told her.

"Classic Tony." Natasha commented.

"While there were some superheroes who came before you", Benjamin started, "It all began with you, Mr. Stark."

"You are the man responsible for many things in this universe, Mr. Stark." Xavier told him, "It all began with you."

"Uhhhh, thanks." Tony commented.

"He is going to let that get to his head, isn't he?" Sam asked no one in particular.

"Won't be Stark if he doesn't." Fury said, "But it won't be Stark if he lets it get to his head too much either."

**The scene opened at the Kunar Province, Afghanistan, as a military convoy was passing through the mostly empty road. "Back in Black" by AC/DC was playing at full volume.**

"I like this tune." Thor commented.

"Really?" Loki asked, "It sounds like noise to my ears."

"So not only are you a murderer but you also have terrible taste in music." Tony said to him, "Why am I not surprised?"

"It's actually pretty good." Steve commented.

"That's my man." Tony said and everyone was a bit surprised that Steve and Tony agreed on something.

**Inside the humvee, Tony Stark was sitting with his whiskey as the soldiers looked at him awkwardly. Tony commented on their awkward silence and asked if they were not allowed to talk, until one of the young soldiers said they could talk.**

"It's like people are intimidated by your very presence." Hill commented.

"Well, I definitely was." Peter said, "When I met him for the first time."

"Really?" Aunt May asked, "I wasn't."

"I think he has that effect on many." Benjamin said.

"Well, I am considered larger than life." Tony commented as everyone rolled their eyes.

**Tony commented that it must be personal, until the driver, who was a woman to Tony's surprise, said that he intimidated them.**

"She just hit the mark." Clint said.

"Wow! You're making archery jokes of all things? Do something unexpected." Tony told him.

"I would but no one would like it." Clint said darkly.

**Tony commented on the female airman's bone structure, making her blush.**

"Back when you could never keep it in your pants." Rhodes commented.

"Hey!" Tony said, "I am a changed man now."

"I know." Pepper said as she held his hand.

"Awww." Scott said, making Hope smack him in the arm, much to his embarrassment.

**The young soldier asked to take a picture with him and he accepted, though he joked about not wanting to see the picture on his MySpace page. Tony also told him not to throw a gang sign, making him put it down, until he told the soldier he was joking, making him put it back up.**

"The sarcasm is strong with this one." Sam said.

"It really is." Natasha said.

"I wish I could be like that." Peter said.

"Nope." Aunt May told him sternly, "You try to act like him and I will-"

Peter immediately shut up.

"I told you to be better than me kid." Tony told him.

"Don't worry, Peter. Our brand of humor is annoying enough." Benjamin told him as Odinson, Professor Hulk, Logan, Xavier and Aunt May chuckled.

**As the soldier put up his gang sign, Tony said, "Yeah, peace! I love peace. I'd be outta job with peace."**

Tony looked down guiltily, ashamed of that sentence he had said. Pepper held his hand to offer support and comfort.

**Just before the picture could be taken, the car in front of them was blown up, startling them and trapping their vehicle.**

"Oh no!" Pepper said in horror. Tony had told her about this moment many times, but it was still not easy at all to see it happen.

**The woman and the other soldier in the front ran out to fire at the insurgents, only to be gunned down in quick succession. The one who wanted to take a picture also got out, telling Stark to stay inside, only to be killed by an explosion which startled Tony.**

"He was a good man." Tony sighed sadly as Pepper held his hand to offer comfort.

Steve sighed sadly, realizing why Tony had snapped when he had asked him if it was the first time he had lost a soldier after Coulson's death. [1]

"I'm sorry." Steve said to him and he simply nodded, not caring where his source of comfort came from at the moment.

**His ears ringing from the explosions, Tony ran out of the humvee, avoiding two explosions, as the soldiers of the other humvee were also gunned down. He found cover and attempted to call Rhodes on his phone for help, only for a bomb to land close to him. He realized it was made by Stark Industries.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"There is a bit of irony there." Hope commented.

**The bomb exploded, throwing Tony away by a few feet. He was still conscious though. He realized he was bleeding badly from various points of his body. He opened his shirt to see that shrapnel had penetrated his bullet proof vest, before losing consciousness.**

"The shrapnel." Pepper said, "The thing you were trying to keep at bay."

"The arc reactor did that." Tony said, "For a time."

"Good thing you're free of it now, Mr. Stark." T'Challa said and Tony nodded at him.

**The scene changed to an unknown location. Tony woke up, tied to a chair, as several people surrounded him, one of them reading a ransom note in Hindi to an unseen person.**

"It is Obadiah Stane they are reading the note to." Vision said.

"Yup." Tony snarled, "That traitor!"

The Avengers who were fugitives from the law decided not to say anything, as he considered them traitors too at the moment.

**Tony looked on in dismay at the various guns pointed at him, before losing consciousness again.**

"This is where it started, didn't it?" Hope asked, "Your journey to be Iron Man?"

"Yes. This is where it began." Tony said.

"This was your crucible." Pepper told him and he nodded.

"Every hero has an origin story." Peter said and everyone except Benjamin rolled their eyes in annoyance, embarrassing him.

"Everyone still finds that annoying." Benjamin told him and both chuckled.

**The scene changed to Las Vegas, 36 hours earlier, where a presentation of Tony's successful life was going on, as several of his achievements were shown- building a circuit board at age 4, a steam engine at age 7, and graduating Summa Cum Laude from MIT at age 17.**

"You built a circuit board when you were 4 years old?" Scott asked incredulously.

"Yup." Tony said, "Was pretty basic compared to what I did later."

"And graduating Summa Cum Laude from MIT at 17?" Hope asked, "Really?"

"That's Tony for you." Pepper said.

"Larger than life." Rhodes added.

"I can see why people are intimidated by you." Aunt May told him.

"I wasn't." Thor said suddenly.

"Neither was I." Loki said.

"You are both Gods." Odinson told them, "Or at least considered Gods."

"Good point." Thor conceded.

**A headline of Howard's and Maria's deaths was shown, as the narrator adopted a slightly sad tone.**

Bucky looked down and sighed in guilt, not able to look anyone in the eye due to shame, as Natasha grasped his hand tightly to offer comfort and support.

Steve put a hand on his shoulder. He looked at his girlfriend and his best friend and nodded in thanks.

Tony decided not to look at him for the moment, not trusting himself.

**Obadiah Stane was then shown, as the narrator said how he filled the gap until Tony took charge at age 21 and became CEO. The narrator also talked about the several weapons they had built to ensure freedom and protect America and its interests around the globe.**

"Weapons of mass destruction." Fury said, "Back when they made you money."

"While I have moved on from that, it still causes me a lot of guilt." Tony said.

"I know it does." Wanda told him and everyone was surprised that she was the one offering him comfort.

**Colonel James Rhodes walked up to the podium and praised Tony, calling him his friend and great mentor.**

"You looked so different back then, buddy." Tony commented.

"Yeah." Rhodes agreed, "I looked very different."

"I know right!" Pepper said, "What happened to you?"

Rhodes shrugged, "No idea." [2]

**Rhodes presented the Apogee Award to Tony but he was nowhere to be seen. Stane shook his head when Rhodes looked at him and walked up to the stage, taking the award in Tony's place and saying how honored Tony felt to receive this prestigious award.**

"I bet you wanted it for yourself!" Pepper snarled angrily.

"He must be jealous of the attention I got." Tony said.

"I can't believe I never saw that coming." Rhodes said.

"Really?" Hill asked, "Because he is already setting off warning bells in my head even here."

"You are a SHIELD agent. You are trained, so you can sense when something's off." Tony told her.

"I know." Loki said as he shot a glare at Natasha, remembering the time she had outwitted him.

**Stane said how the best thing about Tony was also the worst thing- that he was always working.**

"Can't argue with that." Pepper said.

"Even I can't." Tony said.

"So you're making another suit already, Mr. Stark?" Peter asked in excitement.

"Oh, I made it already." Tony said before turning to Bruce, "You're gonna love it, pal."

"I would love to see it sometime, Tony." Bruce said with a smile.

"It was pretty awesome seeing it for the first time." Professor Hulk said as he remembered the fight with Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian in New York.

"I haven't seen it yet." Rhodes said.

"Oh you're gonna love it." Tony told him.

**The scene changed to Caesar's Palace, where Tony was playing craps. The crowd all erupted as they all won big, especially the two hot women by Tony's side. Tony bumped his head into Happy Hogan's shoulder who smiled.**

"That doesn't look like work." Natasha said.

"Hey!" Tony said, "Gambling takes brains."

"Or lack of it." Pepper said, earning her a glare.

"And that, Peter, is why you shouldn't try to act like Tony Stark." Aunt May told her nephew as everyone chuckled.

**As Tony flirted with the woman on his right using his intelligence, Rhodes arrived, angry at Tony for not attending the event while the billionaire did another roll. Tony was surprised that Rhodes was in on this. Rhodes simply said they wanted him to present it to make him feel honored.**

"I am honored, Colonel." Tony said as everyone snickered.

"Very funny." Rhodes groaned.

**Rhodes handed Tony the award. He took it and handed it to the woman on his right before picking up the dice again. He had the woman blow on his hand in a flirty manner as a good luck charm. He tried to make Rhodes do it too but he pushed his hand off, making the dice fall. But he crapped out. Tony glared at Rhodes who simply shrugged.**

Tony glared at Rhodes and he just shrugged.

**A few minutes later, Tony and Rhodes walked out along with the former's entourage, which also included Happy. Tony promised Rhodes he wouldn't be late the other day. He handed the award to a man cosplaying as Julius Caesar.**

Everyone snickered as Natasha commented, "Caesar must be feeling very honored."

"He should." Tony said as everyone rolled their eyes.

**Tony walked towards his car. As Happy opened the door, someone called out to him. Tony turned around to see an attractive reporter holding a recorder. The security tried to stop her as she introduced herself as Christine Everhart.**

"Great." Scott groaned, "Her."

"You know Christine?" Tony asked him in surprise.

"Yuh-huh." Scott groaned, "She interviewed me one day before my release. She was being very unfair to me because Vistacorp, from whom I had stolen, was one of the financial bankers of WHiH World News. My animosity towards her remarks resulted in me getting tazed." [3]

"The woman really is an opportunity grabber." Hope commented.

"Typical of her." Tony said.

"I remember meeting her." Pepper said in disgust.

**Tony agreed to an interview as she asked him several questions about his nicknames like the "Da Vinci of our time" and the "Merchant of Death." He dismissed the first one but accepted the second. She said she was a graduate of Brown University as Tony assured her that when weapons were no longer needed, he would start making bricks and beams for baby hospitals.**

"So much for that statement." Tony groaned.

**As the interview continued, Tony told her Howard's philosophy- "Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy."**

"Sad but true." Steve said sadly.

**Tony told her how his father was a hero due to his breakthroughs and also said all the recent breakthroughs he himself had made in science were due to military funding. Christine asked if he had ever lost an hour of sleep in his entire life, to which he replied he would be prepared to lose a few with her.**

"Don't tell me….." Aunt May started.

"Really dude?" Scott asked in disgust.

"Did you just call me dude?" Tony said.

"I don't want to see that." Pepper groaned.

"Well…." Benjamin started and everyone from the past groaned.

**Sometime later, Tony and Christine have sex on his bed in his mansion, with her already in her panties. As the two continued kissing and groping each other, they fell off the bed.**

"Peter Parker, you need to look away right now." Aunt May said firmly, but the young boy was already gawking with wide eyes.

"You do not need to protect him from everything forever." Wanda told Aunt May sadly, remembering how much bad stuff she had been exposed to at a young age.

Vision held her hand in comfort.

"Well, to be fair, I have already seen it Aunt May." Benjamin told Aunt May and she groaned.

"Wow! You must be really charming." Scott told Tony.

"Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." Tony boasted. He then noticed Pepper giving him a glare.

"Genius, billionaire, philanthropist." Tony corrected and she smiled.

"Hey Viz, could you see when you were JARVIS?" Natasha asked him randomly.

"I couldn't exactly look away." Vision said defensively.

"You got a dirty AI there, man." Sam joked to Vision's embarrassment.

"You are moving pretty fast in the relationship." Thor commented.

"Excuse me, relationship?" Tony asked as everyone looked at Thor incredulously.

"You were consummating so I thought you were-"

"Brother." Loki said as Thor turned to him, "You were on Earth for 2 years and you never heard of casual sex?"

"Casual sex?" Thor questioned.

"I do know about it now." Odinson popped up.

"Good to know." Loki said.

"What is casual sex?" Thor asked.

"I will explain later." Loki said.

"He did get calls from angry exes while working with me." Bruce revealed to everyone's shock.

"You still get calls?" Natasha asked.

"He does actually." Pepper revealed as everyone snickered.

"Never change man, never change." Professor Hulk said.

"Good thing I never gave my number to women I slept with." Logan muttered, "Not that I had a number."

* * *

In the nearby room, Matt Murdock and his wife Elektra Natchios Murdock, Jessica Jones Cage and her husband Luke Cage, Frank Castle and Trish Walker were having lunch.

Hearing Aunt May telling Peter to look away from the screen, Matt said, "Looks like they have seen what Tony and Christine were up to."

"That man used to bring a lot of women home." Elektra said with a smirk.

"One of the many reasons I found his personality repulsive, until I found out what he did to save the universe." Frank said.

"You remember what Tony said about your show once?" Jessica asked Trish and the other woman looked away in embarrassment.

"What?" Elektra asked out of curiosity, "What did he say?"

"I think I haven't heard that one." Luke said.

"I want to know." Matt said.

"Yes please. Tell us." Elektra insisted.

"Even I am curious now." Frank said.

"Uh, well…" Trish started, "Tony was once asked if he would ever visit "Trish Talk" by an interviewer."

"And what did he say?" Elektra asked.

"He, uhhh, he said that…." Trish trailed off for a few seconds before continuing, "He said that if he visited "Trish Talk", it would change its name to "Trish Screaming.""

Everyone burst out in laughter at Tony's comment.

"That sounds like him." Matt said, struggling to control his laughter.

"Sweet Christmas." Luke commented.

* * *

Back in the viewing room, everyone continued watching.

**Christine, who was wearing nothing but the bed sheets, woke up on hearing JARVIS greeting her. ****She pulled the sheet around her and stared in amazement as the big window by the bed lit up with electronic icons showing the time, the temperature, and the weather forecast for the day as JARVIS continued telling her about the day.**

"The Malibu house." Tony remembered.

**Christine walked around, wearing Tony's shirt to cover her bra and panties, calling out to him.**

"You're already on a first name basis." Sam joked.

"And you're already exchanging clothes." Rhodes added.

Everyone snickered as Tony blushed in embarrassment.

**Christine tried to touch a small blue screen next to a door but JARVIS' voice told her she was not allowed to access the area.**

"And you never will be." Tony said.

**The voice of Pepper Potts said that it was JARVIS who ran the house as Christine turned to face her. Pepper told Christine her clothes had been dry cleaned and pressed and a car outside would take her anywhere. Christine mocked Pepper than even after all these years, Tony had her picking up dry cleaning. Pepper said she did everything Mr. Stark required, including occasionally taking out the trash.**

"Burn!" Sam said.

"My God, you are badass, good woman." Scott complimented Pepper who blushed.

"You have a lot of sass in you." Hope complimented.

"She sure does." Natasha agreed.

"Yup." Clint agreed.

"Your wit sure is sharp, Miss Potts." T'Challa said.

"I'm so glad I never argued with her." Thor said.

"That was the best comeback I have ever seen." Aunt May said too.

"Where do you think she gets that from?" Tony said.

"You get that from me actually." Pepper said with a glare and he shut up as everyone chuckled.

"Who has the better girlfriend now, huh, Point Break?" Tony asked Thor in a mocking tone as everyone chuckled.

**Tony was working in his workshop with JARVIS as "Institutionalized" by Suicidal Tendencies played at full volume. Pepper entered, getting off her phone and told Tony he needed to be halfway around the world while his flight was supposed to leave half an hour ago. The two then talked about some appointments as she made Tony sign a document. Tony asked if she had plans. She said she did, because it was her birthday.**

"You forgot her birthday!" Maria said in amusement.

"Classic Stark." Fury added.

**Tony told her to get something nice from him, sounding unusually sincere. She said she had and it was very tasteful. Tony drank from his cup and putting it in her hands, walked off.**

"Awww." Peter said but shut up on seeing Tony's glare.

**Tony arrived at the airport in a sleek sports car, with Happy pulling up behind him in a black sedan. The two exchanged some banter before he walked up to Rhodes, who was pissed that Tony made him stand for three hours.**

"Three hours dude!" Rhodes said.

"You still salty about that?" Tony asked.

"Yup."

**Inside the plane, Rhodes was obviously still pissed over Tony being late, feeling that the man didn't respect him. Tony tried to get Rhodes to drink hot sake as the blonde stewardess poured him a glass. Rhodes protested but eventually Tony convinced him.**

"I knew you'd like it." Tony said as Rhodes buried his head in his hands.

**Later, "Slept on Tony" by Ghostface Killah was playing as a drunk Rhodes ranted about how every person who had the uniform had his back, though Tony didn't pay attention as he watched the three stewardesses dancing for their entertainment, with their shirts tied above their stomach and their short skirts showing plenty of leg.**

Rhodes buried his head in his hands as everyone laughed at him.

**The flight descended to Bagram Base in Afghanistan as Tony walked out and greeted the army men.**

"Uh-oh." Steve said as Tony looked at the place with wide eyes.

**Tony then started giving a speech about weapons. "They say the best weapon is one you never have to fire. I respectfully disagree. I prefer the weapon you only have to fire once. That's how dad did it, that's how America does it….. and it's worked out pretty well so far." Tony said.**

"The hell?!" Steve muttered.

**Tony gestured with his hand, and the rocket began to move, cameras facing up, tips pointing toward the sky. First one, then the next, and then the third of the rockets zoomed into the air. In mid flight, smaller rockets burst out of the large ones, followed by yet another stream of even smaller rockets, all of which went flying a safe, far distance away. As they fell far behind him, Tony called it the Jericho.**

"What will they do to the good guys?" Clint muttered.

**Tony spread his hands as the explosives lit up the desert with fire before darkening it with smoke. An explosion that must indeed have echoed the force of the crumbling walls of Jericho shook the ground, and a cloud of dust nearly engulfed Tony and his audience, making some of their caps fly off.**

Wanda shivered, the explosion making her relive the trauma of her parents' death from the Stark Industries bomb in Sokovia. Vision held her hand to provide comfort.

"Freedom line?" Steve asked.

"I knew the word 'Freedom' would get to you Rogers!" Tony grumbled

**Tony then took a glass for himself and poured the wine before pulling out his phone. He accepted the video chat from Stane, who asked him how it had gone, to which Tony replied it was like early Christmas. Obadiah said he would see Tony the next day and cut the call.**

"With a bunch of guns pointed at my face." Tony grumbled as everyone glared at Stane.

**Tony then got into his humvee, making comments about it, as Rhodes complimented his performance. The humvee was started up by the lady driver as Rhodes walked off. As the convoy went through the desert, the explosion happened, trapping Tony's humvee, like in the first scene.**

"This is where it began, Mr. Stark." Xavier said.

"Yup." Tony said, "Fun's over."

**Tony faded in an out of consciousness as he was operated on, with a bright light shining down on him. He screamed in pain as his shrapnel was removed and something round was placed inside him.**

"That was the operation?!" Bruce exclaimed, outraged.

"Terrorists didn't care about his pain." Professor Hulk said sadly.

"Because they're a bunch of gits." Logan added.

"They operated on him without anesthesia." Sam said, horrified, as Tony shuddered at the memory and Pepper held his hand to offer comfort.

Bucky held his head, Tony's scream reminding him of the screams of his victims. Natasha touched his face to offer comfort.

**After a few more torturous seconds, the surgery was over.**

* * *

**And that ends this chapter of viewing. Hope everyone is enjoying so far and hope I have got the characters right.**

**I must say, Tony and I have almost the same taste in music.**

**[1] I feel like Tony snapped when Steve asked him if Coulson was the first time he had lost a soldier because he was reminded of the young, well behaved soldier dying in the first Iron Man. That, combined with his grief over Coulson's death, made him snap.**

**[2] Just a funny reference to the time Terrence Howard played Rhodes in the first Iron Man.**

**[3] "WHiH Newsfront" was an MCU web series that was used to promote Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War. Christine Everhart appeared in it and interviewed Scott Lang one day before his release. **

**Hope you enjoyed.**


	3. Iron is forged in fire

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Also, FUCK YOU EMMYS! You're telling me the epic, badass prison fight sequence from Daredevil Season 3 isn't eligible for a nomination because it's too long? Seriously?! That is the most ridiculous and pathetic reason I've ever heard!**

**The amount of effort these Emmys and Oscars put into not recognizing superhero stuff, even if they are more than just superhero stuff and works of art (Logan, all 3 seasons of Daredevil, Season 1 of Jessica Jones, Season 1 of The Punisher, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Iron Man, Arrow Seasons 1, 2 and 5, Watchmen) is astonishing! And all the elitists who classify this entire genre as 'bad' or 'childish' are a bunch of ignorant traditionalists who can't open their eyes.**

**No genre is totally bad or totally good. All genres have some great movies and some horrible movies, including the superhero genre. And genres like superhero, action and horror all deserve more recognition in such awards.**

**I still hope superhero stuff gets the recognition it deserves in the near future.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thank you for the review. Glad you're enjoying. Glad you loved the dialogue and found everyone in character. Yup on RDJ. I knew "Trish Screaming" would get everyone. Yeah, they couldn't. Agreed on Young Thor and Loki. I think I made it pretty clear it was Bucky/Natasha in the previous chapter. I got Wolverine saying "git" from another fanfiction. I haven't seen WHiH Newsfront but I know about it, including Scott and Daren appearing. Enjoy.**

**Jason Hunter: Thank you for the review. Glad you enjoyed. I will bring that up.**

Chapter 3- Iron is forged in fire

"You sure you can watch this, Mr. Stark?" Benjamin asked him.

"Yeah." Tony said with a nod and a confident smile, "I can."

**Tony woke up to realize a tube attached to his nose with a bandage. He carefully removed it before ripping out the bandage. **

"Ew!" Peter groaned at the sight.

"You had to remove it." Fury said as Tony shrugged.

**Tony turned to see a cup and tried to reach it, only to knock it to the floor accidentally. He heard a cough and looked up to see an elderly man shaving in front of a small mirror, humming to himself. Tony tried to move but an electrical cord attached to his chest prevented him, as the man advised him not to do it.**

"Who is that?" Scott asked.

"Name's Yinsen." Tony said with a sad sigh.

Wanda and Xavier could sense some of Tony's pain on seeing Yinsen. While they did not always read minds actively, the thoughts and feelings of people around them could still be heard by them in their heads as a very light background hum. This was the origin of Iron Man, written in blood and fire.

**Tony turned to see he was hooked to a car battery of all things! He ripped off some of his bandages to see the other end of the cord was attached to a round rusty metal disc just larger than a man's palm, sitting right over his heart, held in place with five large screws.**

"Jesus!" Scott said, "A car battery?!"

"The man hooked you to a car battery?" Aunt May asked.

"He saved my life with that." Tony said.

"That is your arc reactor." Hope said in realization.

"It is." Pepper said.

"Stark had a pretty rough start." Fury said.

"I can see." Hill agreed.

"Saving your life in a cave in the middle of a desert. The man is very impressive." T'Challa said, his eyes full of respect for Yinsen.

"He sure is." Steve agreed.

"Good thing there wasn't any rust on it." Bruce noted.

"Yeah, good thing." Professor Hulk agreed.

**Later, Tony sat quietly as the man cooked. Tony asked him what he had done, to which he replied he had saved his life. He had removed some shrapnel but the remainder was headed to his atrial septum, with the electromagnet stopping it. He tossed Tony a container which showed the shrapnel that had been removed.**

"Looks like he tried his best." Pepper said.

"He did." Tony agreed.

"That was the best that could be done in those circumstances." Vision agreed.

**The man said that people in his village with those kinds of wounds were called the Walking Dead due to the fact that the shrapnel would reach their vital organs in a week.**

"I loved that show." Scott said, referring to the Walking Dead.

"It has gone to crap." Hope said.

"Yup." Peter agreed.

"You watch the Walking Dead?" Aunt May asked with a glare.

"Ooops!" Peter said.

"Shut your mouth from now on." Benjamin told him and he nodded as everyone chuckled.

**The man told him the electromagnet stopped the shrapnel from entering his heart. Tony zipped up his sweater without a word before noticing a camera. The man commented on it before telling Tony the two had met years ago at a technical conference at Bern, not that Tony remembered.**

"I do now." Tony said, "A lot's happened since then."

"I know right!" Pepper said.

"I still don't know the exact details of what happened after that." Bruce said.

"Because you fell asleep!" Tony said.

"I do know the exact details now." Professor Hulk said.

**The man chuckled and said how Tony had been drunk and still managed to give a lecture on Integrated Circuits.**

"Wow!" Scott said, impressed.

"I have not met many people on Earth who can hold their liquor like you can, buddy." Thor told Tony who smirked.

"It holds true even now." Odinson added.

"I know you guys hate me, but I am going to agree with my brother- or brothers from different time periods on this." Loki said.

**When Tony asked where they were, someone unbolted the door from outside and voices started shouting at them to get up.**

"What now?" Bucky sighed.

"The terrorists." Steve said simply.

"The Ten Rings." Natasha realized.

"They were all sons of guns based on what I have heard." Clint said.

**The man pulled Tony to his feet and told him to do as he did while a small crowd of armed men entered, with Tony realizing in horror those were his guns they were using. **

"Lot of irony there." Hope commented.

"Bought them from you, used them on you." Fury said.

""Merchant of Death", remember?" Tony shrugged.

**One of the men stepped forward and spoke in tones of welcome as Tony's fellow prisoner translated it for him- "Welcome, Tony Stark, the most famous mass murderer in the history of America."**

Wanda was surprised someone else called Tony the same name she had for most of her life.

**Tony's fellow prisoner told him their captor wanted him to build the Jericho for him.**

"That's what they wanted!" Thor realized.

"To cause mass destruction." Steve sighed.

"Why am I not surprised?" Sam muttered.

"Pretty unpleasant lot they were." Rhodes said.

**The captor passed him the photograph which he passed to Tony. After looking at it, Tony refused.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"Bad idea, bub." Logan agreed.

"Oh Tony!" Pepper exclaimed in horror.

**Tony's head was shoved and removed from the water again and again until his electromagnet sparked and his body spasmed.**

"Not every billionaire with no experience with reality can endure what you did, Mr. Stark." T'Challa said with some respect in his eyes.

While Sam and Clint still held grudges against Tony, they could still feel sympathy for him.

**Tony suddenly heard the faint voice of Pepper in his head- "Tony!"**

Pepper looked at Tony with wide eyes, touched by how much he felt for her even back then, "You were thinking of me the whole time?"

"You were what kept me going." Tony said and to everyone's shock, Pepper kissed him passionately, not caring about the others present in the room. Peter, Aunt May and Rhodes shifted away a bit uncomfortably.

After one full minute, the kiss stopped and the two didn't look at anyone else as Benjamin continued the recording.

**Later, Tony's captors put a sack over his head and hauled him out of the cave into the open before removing the sack, making him adjust his eyes to the brightness. Tony saw several of his weapons there. The bearded man talked to Tony, with his fellow prisoner translating, saying they would set him free if he made the Jericho for them in a week. Tony shook hands with him, though he said the man wouldn't free him, with his fellow prisoner agreeing. From a distance, a bald man watched him.**

"Free you from this world he means." Fury said dryly.

"Good thing I did that instead." Tony said darkly.

"The bald guy is the leader I guess." Peter said.

"Yup." Tony confirmed.

**In the cave, Tony sat in grim silence as his fellow prisoner told him no one would find him in these mountains. He told Stark his legacy was in the hands of murderers. "****Is that how you want to go out? Is this the last act of defiance of the great Tony Stark? Or are you going to do something about it?" The man asked with a raised voice.**

"The speech." Steve commented.

"I think he can give you a run for your money, Cap." Sam told him.

"Not going to argue with that." Natasha agreed.

**Tony was hopeless, saying they would kill both of them anyway, to which the prisoner responded that it was an important week then. **

"It sure was." Tony said.

"And so it begins." Thor said.

"So it begins indeed." Odinson agreed.

**Later, the place was in bustle as Tony gave instructions for the equipment he needed at his work station as his fellow prisoner translated.**

"It was then, was it not?" T'Challa asked.

"It was then, Your Highness." Tony confirmed.

**As the two unscrewed an explosive, Tony asked him how many languages he spoke, to which he gave his answer and also said these people were called "The Ten Rings." He suggested to Tony to include him in the planning process. Tony extracted a tiny piece of metal from inside a rocket, revealing it to be Palladium, saying it was point one-five grams, and one-point six more was needed. He told his fellow to break it down to another eleven.**

"Palladium huh?" Peter said with wide eyes.

**Two terrorists watched them and concluded Tony was working.**

"Well, he is working." Rhodes said.

"Just not on what you want." Fury added.

"Shows how dumb you are, bub." Logan said to the terrorists.

**Tony gathered stuff of deep, metallic red into a bowl and put a smelting cup into it before giving it a tap. His fellow lifted it with a pair of smelting tongs as Tony said they only got one shot at this, to which he said he had steady hands which kept Tony alive.**

"He is a pretty good surgeon." Bruce said, impressed.

"Couldn't agree more." Professor Hulk agreed.

**Tony put the car battery down as his fellow poured the melted Palladium into it. At Tony's request, he introduced himself as Yinsen. **

"Hello, Yinsen." Natasha said.

"Nice to meet you." Clint said too.

"He was a good man." Tony said sadly.

**Tony lifted a slender ring of the palladium, now cooled and hardened, from the red sand-like stuff with a pair of tweezers. He looked it over, and placed it inside a protective frame. He began welding pieces of copper wire to the frame, bit by bit.** **And then, there it was, sitting on the table, a small, circular object that glowed brightly. The lights around Tony flickered and the battery to which he was connected began to sputter. **

"The Arc Reactor." Bruce breathed in awe.

"The first one." Tony said, "In all its glory."

**As Yinsen commented it didn't look like a Jericho, Tony told him it was a miniaturized Arc Reactor which would keep the shrapnel out of his heart. It would generate 3 gigajoules per second, enough to run his heart for 50 lifetimes and something huge for 15 minutes.**

"But how did you shrink it?" Scott asked.

"You are the shrink-dude. You tell me." Tony joked as everyone snickered.

**Later, Tony showed Yinsen crumpled pieces of paper and joined them, revealing an image through multiple layers of paper. **

"There it is!" Thor said in awe.

"The first Iron Man suit." Steve said.

"Can't wait to see it!" An excited Peter said.

"It was a pretty good basic model." Benjamin said.

"Sure was." Tony agreed.

"They have come a long way from there, haven't they?" Natasha asked.

"Yup. Very long." Tony said.

"Like you wouldn't believe." Professor Hulk said as he remembered the first time he had seen the Bleeding Edge armor again.

**Later, while under surveillance, the two talked as Yinsen said he was from Gulmira, with a family he would see again after escaping. He asked Stark if he would to, to which he replied in the negative.**

"You sure did see them again." Tony sighed sadly as Wanda saw an image of Yinsen lying on his back, trapped under a large sack, flashing across his mind, while Pepper held his hand in comfort.

"**So you're a man who has everything. And nothing." Yinsen noted.**

"Well, not exactly nothing." Tony said as him and Pepper exchanged a smile.

**Later that night, as they worked, the big man looked at them through a small sliding tab in the door and walked away, satisfied. Tony continued working for some time with a powerful wood cutting machine and safety goggles over his eyes as pieces of the would be Suit were seen scattered around. He attached a normal tube to small green can. The watchers were uneasy as it didn't look like the picture. **

"Not completely dumb." Thor noted.

"The guy who hired them must have seen something in them." Loki pointed out.

**Sometime later, the bald leader barged inside with his men as the two stopped working.**

"Oh no!" Pepper gasped, "This can't be good!"

**The man looked at the Arc Reactor and said how the bow and arrow used to be the pinnacle of weapons technology.**

"Still packs a punch if used right." Clint said and everyone nodded in agreement.

**Talking about the history of empires and weapons, he said how the latest Stark weapons helped in making empires nowadays. He then turned to Yinsen and demanded an explanation. Yinsen tried to convince him they were making the Jericho but he had none of it and made his men force him to the ground. Using a pair of tongs, he picked up a piece of coal and tried to put it in his mouth. After few tense moments, Tony stopped him, saying Yinsen was a good assistant. Dropping the coal, the man said they had till the next day.**

"That was close." Aunt May sighed in relief.

"Too close." Sam noted.

"But they do not have much time now." Vision noted.

"They have to work fast." T'Challa agreed.

"They will." Fury told them.

"It is about to be finished." Steve realized, "The first suit."

"Yup." Tony said.

**Tony was working. With one hand, he held the piece of metal steady, with the other, he was forging- **_**clang, clang, clang**_**, went the hammer.**

"That looks so epic." Peter said.

"It sure does, no matter how many times I watch it." Benjamin agreed.

"You're a very good smith." Thor complimented.

"The Dwarves at Nidavellir would be proud." Loki agreed.

"Uh, thanks." Tony said, not understanding the second compliment but grateful for them both, even if the second one came from Loki of all people.

No one noticed the sad expression on Odinson's face at the mention of Nidavellir from Loki.

**Then a large breastplate was fitted to an equally large back piece. Tony put his jacket back on, a pair of protective gloves went on his hands. Yinsen helped Tony put the breastplate on as he told him the layout of the place.**

"Yes!" Thor, Bruce and Peter cheered at the same time.

"You learnt the layout of the place in spite of a bag on your head? Wow!" Natasha said, impressed.

"You're a potentially good SHIELD agent." Hill said.

"NO!" Tony and Fury said at the same time and everyone chuckled as they thought about how many arguments the two would have if such a thing ever happened.

**The bald leader looked at the screen and frowned on realizing he couldn't see Tony or Yinsen on the screen so he sent two of his men to check. He managed to barely see Yinsen from one of the screens, hidden by something large.**

"Uh-oh." Sam said.

"That's not good." Steve agreed.

"For them." Tony shot back.

**The two men slid open the slide and called out to Yinsen in Hungarian, which he didn't understand, though Tony urged him to say something.**

"Yeah, say something in a language you barely know!" Clint snarked.

**Yinsen tried to reply but they started opening the door, not noticing the explosive wired to the inside of the door.**

"Oh boy!" Scott said.

"This is going to be interesting." Hope said.

**As they opened the door, there was a **_**bang.**_** The two were sent flying back by several feet as the camera was destroyed. The bald leader yelled to his men and they charged towards the prisoner's quarters as he picked up a walkie talkie and started barking orders.**

"Not sure if it's gonna help you now." Bucky said for the first time, surprising everyone.

"It won't." Vision agreed.

**Inside, Yinsen hastily initialized the power sequence on the laptop on Tony's instructions and progress bar started as he buttoned Tony up.**

"It had to be buttoned up?" Pepper asked incredulously.

"He has come a long way from that." Wanda said.

"Very long." Xavier agreed.

**Yinsen realized they were out of time as the progress bar was only a third of the way loaded. "We need more time. I'm going to buy you some time." Yinsen said as Tony protested, "Stick to the plan! Stick to the plan!" But Yinsen grabbed up a weapon from the floor where the men had been blasted backward earlier, and fired it into the air as he ran down the passageway. **

"He is brave." Sam said.

"One of the bravest men I have seen." Rhodes agreed.

"Sometimes, simple men can show a lot of bravery." Steve said on seeing Yinsen's bravery, which reminded him of the old man who had stood up to Loki.

Tony didn't speak, replaying the horrible scene in his head.

**A howling Yinsen made the terrorists run the other way as he fired his gun, only to find a score of men pointing their guns on him at the entrance, the bald leader among them.**

"No." Scott groaned.

"Oh no!" Peter said, fearing for Yinsen's life.

**The progress bar made it all the way as some more men entered the quarters, passing by the bodies of the two dead men. At the end of the metal tube, a gloved hand stirred and flexed itself.**

"Oh!" Vision cried.

"This is it!" Tony said.

**A bright light came up behind one of the men, who turned to look, only for a strong blow from the now alive Suit to send him flying backwards with a cry as he fired around erratically.**

"How do you like that, huh?" Peter cheered.

"Not all that much." Natasha said dryly.

"At last!" Sam said.

**The other three men fired but nothing happened. As they stopped, a bright light suddenly came up to them. The Suit smacked two of them away. The last one tried to fire but he was smacked away too as Tony straightened himself in the suit.**

"Look how clumsy that is." Clint said.

"Can't disagree." Tony said, "Pretty heavy too."

"I wouldn't want to wear it." Rhodes said.

"Don't blame you." Wanda agreed.

"Still, he made that in a cave with a box of scraps under surveillance." Steve noted, impressed.

**More men fired at Tony as he marched at them. One of them charged but he hit him so hard he was sent flying off and hit his head on a wall. Another charged but met the same fate as Tony elbowed a third one out. He marched towards more men as they ran off in fear and shut the door.**

"As if that will save you." Bruce said.

"The suit does the damn job." Fury said.

"It did that pretty good." Tony agreed.

**One of the men got locked with Tony accidentally. As Tony marched towards him, he knocked at the door frantically. On the other side, the men waited fearfully as the knocking stopped and someone banged on the door thrice. They ran the other way as with a fourth **_**bang, **_**Tony kicked the door open.**

"Ouch!" Pepper said about the one who had gotten locked with Tony.

**As the men ran in fear, Tony knocked one of them out, but his arm got stuck in a crevice of the rock. One of the men noticed and fired at him. But the bullet glanced off his helmet with such force that it rebounded and killed the shooter.**

Everyone cheered happily at the scene.

"That's what you get for your sins!" Scott said.

**Tony freed his arm as the bald leader prepared himself at the entrance. As Yinsen lay coughing and choking, partly buried under a pile of rice sacks, Tony turned the corner and called out to him. Yinsen tried to warn him but the bald leader had already fired. A small rocket sped towards him but he barely avoided as it exploded behind him. Tony raised his arm and fired his own blast, sending the bald leader flying back into the cave with a howl.**

"Woohoo!" Peter cheered.

"Yeah!" Rhodes cheered too.

"You got what you deserved!" Sam said.

**Tony threw the rice sacks away and removing his visor, begged Yinsen to come with him, asking him to stick to the plan, though Yinsen refused. Stark brought up his family, to which Yinsen replied, "My family's dead. I'm going to see them now, Stark. It's okay, I want this." Tony seemed to accept as he said quietly, "Thank you for saving me." A dying Yinsen said, "Don't waste it. Don't waste your life." And then his breaths ceased.**

"No!" Peter cried out as Aunt May covered her mouth with her hand.

"He was brave!" Thor said sadly as he slumped back into his couch.

"I agree." Logan said.

Steve looked at Tony sadly, remembering the death of Erskine.

"Why did he have to go?" Scott muttered.

"I wish I could have met him." Rhodes said.

"Me too." Sam agreed.

"I'm sorry, Tony." Pepper said sadly as she grasped Tony's hand to offer comfort and he squeezed back.

Wanda could feel some of Tony's pain too.

**Tony angrily turned his head up while the other terrorists waited outside for him, weapons raised.**

"Death is upon you!" Thor declared to them.

"The flames of war are upon you!" Loki added.

"You guys are so screwed now!" Bruce said.

**First, they heard a thumping sound. Then, they saw the glow of the Arc Reactor. And then Tony stood in front of them with the Suit on him. **

The others watched with interest. While the Suit was very clumsy compared to the newer ones, there was something about it that felt intimidating.

**The soldiers fired at him but he was unaffected. As they stopped, he said, "My turn." He raised his arms and streams of fire rained down, dousing all the men around him. Tony set fire to everything, including his great pile of weapons.**

"Holy shit!" Clint exclaimed.

"You're really lighting it up." Steve noted as Tony nodded.

"Hell yeah!" Peter said as he pumped his fist into the air happily while Benjamin and Aunt May shook their heads in amusement.

**One of the men fired at him from a mountainside as others followed. Tony staggered and sank to his feet before firing more streams of flames, but the explosives started going off. Tony flipped a red switch under his red arm and the Suit propelled into the air as a mass explosion began below him. As great clouds of fire and smoke sailed towards the sky, Tony flew out in the Suit, and directed its flight away from the encampment.**

"Yeah!" Thor, Bruce, Professor Hulk and Peter cheered at the same time.

"The first flight of Iron Man." Sam said.

**The Suit suddenly lost power and Tony plunged towards the sand with a yell.**

"Uh-oh." Natasha said.

"Not the best first flight." Fury said.

"It's okay. The Wright Brothers failed too on their first try." Hill said.

"Ouch!" Pepper, Aunt May and Peter said at the same time as they saw the Suit crashing.

**Tony was in the middle of the wreck of the Suit. He pulled off the remaining pieces with a grunt and tumbled across the sand, his jacket over his head to keep off the sun. Just as he came to the top of a high ridge and was about to go down the other side of it, two helicopters soared over his head. He happily called out to them and waved. **

"YES!" Sam roared.

"Was it you?" Steve asked Rhodes.

"It was me." Rhodes confirmed.

"Phew!" Pepper sighed in relief as Tony looked at her and Rhodes with a smile.

"I'm so glad you came." Tony told Rhodes gratefully who nodded.

**Five men came running out of one chopper as it landed, with Rhodes in the front. As Rhodes asked him about his comment on the humvees earlier, Tony managed a weak smile. Rhodes hugged him fiercely and said, "Next time you ride with me, okay?"**

"There won't be a next time." Tony said.

"Yup." Rhodes agreed.

"Fortunate for you, bub." Logan told Tony.

"How long has it been?" T'Challa asked.

"Three months." Fury said.

"A long time." Benjamin noted.

"You were a changed man after this." Xavier said.

"Not fully changed, but still changed." Professor Hulk agreed.

* * *

In the nearby room, Reed and his wife Susan Storm Richards were eating snacks together as they heard everyone's reactions to what they were viewing.

"Looks like Tony has escaped." Sue noted.

"Yup." Reed said, "After building a suit in a cave with a box of scraps."

"Which is very smart." Sue said, "Almost as smart as you."

"Yeah." Reed agreed, "I think the two of us are about equal." [1]

"We need him, don't we?" Sue asked.

"Yeah." Reed agreed, "My and his brain together can do a lot of things that mine alone can't."

* * *

**And that is another chapter done. The viewers have witnessed the birth of Iron Man. **

**[1] In the comics, Reed Richards is said to be the smartest superhero of Marvel, but in the movies, all characters are nerfed a bit, right? So him and Tony can be close in intelligence. I mean, Thor destroys galaxies in comics and Hulk destroyed a world with a thunderclap, but they aren't even remotely close to doing that in the MCU. So Reed can be a bit nerfed in intelligence as well in adaptations.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and if you like what you have seen and you wanna see more, click right here to see more. *Punches screen***

**Jeremy Jahns reference? Anyone got that?**

**Also, I uploaded a hilarious Avengers one-shot called "Don't hit my girl" and a funny Flash one-shot called "Taste of your own medicine." If anyone wants, feel free to check them out.**

**See you all in next chapter.**


	4. Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thank you for both the reviews and glad you enjoyed. I'm still mapping out "Thunder and Steel" but it will be updated. And Thor is as old as in the movies in that. Yeah, Logan deserved a nomination. Heath Ledger deserved the Oscar he got but I feel like they wouldn't have given it to him if he was still alive. I know right! Yeah, Yinsen made Tony a hero. I will show all movies up till Avengers: Endgame, no matter how long it takes. But I will do other stories simultaneously. Glad you enjoyed the one-shots, though I personally find MCU Vision a joke. Enjoy.**

**Guest: You will see**

Chapter 4- Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart

"And now I'm back home." Tony commented.

**The US Air Force One touched down, Pepper ****and Happy waiting for it in the airstrip. Pepper's eyes were flushed and her makeup was running. The ramp lowered, and inside the plane Rhodey pulled Tony to his feet and supported him as he slowly walked down the ramp. Tony's right arm was in a sling. Medical personnel came rushing up to him but he scoffed them with a dismissive gesture.**

Pepper rolled her eyes, "Some things never change."

**Pepper smiled through her tears as Tony asked her if she was weeping for her long lost boss, to which she replied she was weeping tears of joy as she hated job hunting. Tony told her vacation was over.**

"It's like you two were made for each other." Rhode said as everyone snickered while Tony and Pepper blushed.

**The two sat in the car as Pepper asked Happy to drive them to the hospital but Tony refused, saying he wanted an American cheeseburger and call a press conference, much to Pepper's shock.**

"You and your cheeseburgers." Pepper sighed.

"So this is the conference?" Steve asked and Tony nodded.

"Bold move from a bold man." Fury said.

**When Happy pulled up to the curb, a number of well-dressed people were standing waiting to meet him. They began to applaud as soon as they saw the car, and Obadiah Stane sprang forward, arms outstretched. Obadiah greeted Tony happily as Happy gave him his second cheeseburger, with Obadiah wondering why Tony didn't meet him at the hospital.**

"Why, so you could stab me to death there?" Tony asked dryly.

"He doesn't even feel guilty after seeing your condition." Peter commented.

"No conscience in him. He won't." Natasha educated the boy.

"She is right, Peter." Benjamin told him and he simply nodded.

"Some people just want power for themselves. They don't care about who they hurt, bub." Logan told him.

**Tony and Obadiah entered the conference room as the reporters applauded. Pepper stood at the back of the room, wondering what he was going to do. Someone called out to her and she turned to see a middle-aged man standing next to her, requesting to speak to her for a moment.**

"Son of Coul!" Thor called out.

"Good ol' Coulson." Tony commented.

"He was a nice guy." Pepper said.

"Sure was." Tony agreed.

"How you doin' Coulson?" Clint asked on-screen Coulson randomly.

"Wish he could answer that." Natasha noted absently.

"Good to see him." Hill muttered to herself.

Loki didn't say a word, knowing they would glare at him the moment he did.

Fury didn't say anything either, as he knew what the others didn't.

"_Are you going to keep it a secret from them forever, Director Fury?"_

Fury was shocked to hear Xavier's voice in his head. He turned to see Xavier looking at him with a kind smile. Benjamin, Odinson and Logan looked at him and gave a simple nod before turning back to the screen.

'They know.' Fury thought to himself. [1]

**The man introduced himself as Agent Phil Coulson of Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. Pepper commented that it was a mouthful, to which he replied they were working on it.**

"Didn't we already work on it?" Hill asked.

"The man had a sense of humor." Fury told everyone. [2]

**Pepper said they had been visited by various agencies but Phil said they were a separate division with a more separate focus, saying they needed to debrief Tony about the circumstances of his escape. Pepper agreed to an appointment and he walked off with a 'Thank you.'**

"What an appointment that was." Pepper remembered with a shudder.

"Good thing that sort of thing never happened again." Tony agreed.

**Tony asked all the reporters to sit down so they could all see him and it would be a little less formal. He took a bite of his sandwich while the Press actually sat down after looking quizzically at each other as Obadiah sat next to Tony.**

"They actually sat down?" Aunt May said incredulously.

"It's me, remember?" Tony said and everyone rolled their eyes at his antics.

"Yeah, we remember." Clint snarked dryly.

"Mr. Stark has some kind of quality in him." Vision said.

"Can't argue with that." Benjamin agreed.

**Rhodes walked up to Pepper to ask her of the matter but she had no idea. "I never got to say goodbye to my dad." Tony said to Obadiah.**

Bucky gulped as Natasha held his hand while Steve simply nodded at him.

**Tony then said the same thing to the audience before telling them how he would have asked him if he was conflicted over what his company did. Tony then said how he saw young Americans getting killed by the weapons created to defend and protect them, and how he was part of a system with zero accountability.**

"Americans?" Wanda asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I didn't know the full deception that had been carried out behind my back during that time." Tony told her, "I'm sorry." [3]

She simply nodded, letting the matter go for now.

**The reporters asked him the details of his abduction and he got up and walking to the podium, said he had his eyes opened, saying he could offer more to this world than blowing stuff up. He then began, "****And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturer division of Stark International -"The crowd went wild at that declaration as Tony continued, "Until such a time as I can decide what the future of this company will be, what direction it should take -"**

"Whoa!" Peter beamed.

"That was when you stopped making weapons." Thor noted as Stark simply nodded.

"It looked like a disaster though." Pepper noted of the conference.

"It really did." Sam agreed as he looked at the screen.

**Obadiah not so subtly pushed Tony off the microphone, joking about how many newspapers they will sell. ****"****\- one that I am comfortable with, and is consistent with the highest good for this country as well," ****finished Tony as he walked away from the podium.**

"What a bombshell." Hill said.

"Obadiah must be feeling very screwed right now." Bruce commented.

**Rhodes had a mixed expression on his face as Obadiah tried to calm the situation, saying Tony was back.**

"Yeah, I'm back!" Tony said as everyone sighed.

**Later, outside the main Stark Industries factory, Obadiah came riding on a segway with a cigarette in his mouth. As Happy took the segway, Obadiah took the cigarette out of his mouth and using a keycard, went inside. Tony stood near the Arc Reactor prototype that powered the factory.**

"That's pretty big." Bucky commented, summing up everyone's thoughts on it.

**Obadiah chastised Tony for what he had done, bringing up the stock drop. Obadiah said that they were weapons manufacturers so they needed to make weapons. Tony countered, saying he didn't want a body count to be his only legacy, to which Obie said they were ironmongers. Tony said it was his name on the side of the building as Obie said they kept the world from falling into chaos.**

"Your name on the side of the building doesn't really mean much." Loki told Tony.

"So you blew my name up?" Tony asked dryly.

"It was an accident." Thor shrugged, "I mean, you should feel lucky the power I emanate isn't powerful enough to destroy the galaxy as a side effect."

"Now I wonder if I could make things happen with a word." Wanda said.

"That would make life very uninteresting." Tony said.

"Yeah, it would be too boring." Natasha agreed. [4]

"Obadiah wants to keep the world in chaos." Steve said.

"But I'm guessing he is delusional enough to believe that he is doing something good." Sam said.

"All villains are heroes of their own stories." Rhodes said.

"I actually agree with that." Peter said as he thought of Adrian Toomes.

"I got a specimen of that right here." Thor said as he clapped Loki on the back who looked annoyed and even ashamed of his past actions.

**Tony said he wanted them to do something else but Obadiah was having none of it. Tony then brought up the Arc Reactor, and Obie revealed he knew about it, making Tony unbutton his shirt to see it. Obadiah then told Tony that they were a team and they could do anything together, but he needed to lay low for a while.**

"So that you can sell even more weapons behind our backs." Pepper snarled as everyone glared at Obadiah again.

**Later, Pepper was watching an episode of "Mad Money" where the host was mocking Stark Industries in a very cartoonish way that would come off as funny to anyone who was below twelve or below but cringeworthy to anyone who thirteen or above. "Look! That's a weapons company that doesn't make weapons!" He mocked.**

"Your Highness, please don't judge us by this." Steve said to T'Challa with a grimace.

"Everyone great country has some flaws in it." T'Challa simply said.

"Now I wonder why I even watched that thing in the first place." Pepper muttered.

"I know right!" Tony himself said.

"Yeah, I didn't expect you to be watching this either." Sam told her.

"Watch some real news." Aunt May said.

"I don't think people do nowadays." Fury said.

"They do if it involves celebrities." Hill told him. [5]

**Suddenly, Tony's voice came from the Starkpad, asking her how big her hands were. She was confused until Tony repeated the question and said he needed her.**

"Dude, she was your secretary!" Sam said.

"Really, Mr. Stark?" Aunt May asked, feeling a bit disgusted.

"It wasn't that kind of job!" Tony said.

"What?" Bruce asked.

"Continue watching." Pepper simply said.

**When Pepper keyed herself into Tony's workshop, a shirtless Tony was reclining on a chair next to a rather ominous-looking monitor, to which he was connected by way of three cords - one red, one blue, and one white. He was holding another Arc Reactor that looked slightly different from the one he was currently using.**

"I'm sorry for judging you." Sam said simply, though he still rightfully held a grudge for the airport fight.

"Me too." Aunt May said.

"Apology accepted." Tony shrugged.

"This looks much worse." Thor said.

"Good thing I had to do it only once." Pepper said.

"What?" Peter asked.

"Keep watching." Tony simply said.

**At Tony's request, Pepper showed him her hands and he commented on how small and petite they were. She was astonished by the Arc Reactor already inside his chest. He told her he was upgrading it for another one and needed her help with a short wire. He took out the Arc Reactor from his chest and had her put it somewhere else before he made her lift the wire, saying she was the most capable, qualified, trustworthy people he had ever met.**

"Adorable moment ruined by the fact somebody could die right now." Rhodes said.

"I find it adorable, disgusting and tense at the same time." Aunt May said.

**Pepper reached in but was disgusted by the pus, though Tony replied it was an inorganic plasmic discharge from the device, not that it made her feel any better. She got the wire but it touched the sides, making a "ZZZ" noise. She managed to pull it out, but she also pulled out the magnet, making the monitor beep madly as Tony started going into cardiac arrest. Pepper comforted Tony and managed to put the other Arc Reactor into him just in the nick of time, making him yelp. Pepper told Tony not to ask her to do that ever again. **

Wanda slightly gagged at Pepper's memory of the incident.

"But Mr. Stark said it was safe." Peter said out loud.

"If Tony says something is safe, then trust me- it isn't." Natasha educated the young boy and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Discharge from the device is even worse than pus." Bruce said.

"Couldn't agree more." Professor Hulk said.

"It's like you believe you have nine lives or something, bub. Trust me, you don't." Logan told him.

"What if I do?" Tony shrugged.

"You don't. I know someone who does." Benjamin told him. [6]

"**I don't have anyone but you." Tony told her with unusual sincerity as he stared at her.**

"Awww." Scott said and Hope smacked his arm again.

"It's cute!" Scott said.

"Doesn't mean you have to behave like a little girl." Hope shrugged as everyone laughed.

**As he got up, he told her to burn the previous Arc Reactor or throw it away, saying he wasn't nostalgic. She walked off when he told her he didn't need anything else. Pepper walked off as Tony asked a robot who had been sitting above him the entire time to clear the stuff on his desk.**

"Now that's a good boy." Tony said.

**Rhodes was giving a demonstration to a line of cadets in a military hangar when Tony arrived and started making jokes about him, making the cadets laugh, though Rhodey asked him not to do that. The cadets walked off a while later as Rhodes commented on how surprised he was to see Tony walking around.**

"You shouldn't be walking around like that." Bruce said.

"He doesn't care." Professor Hulk said.

**Tony told Rhodes he was working on something big and wanted him to be a part of it. Rhodes wondered if the press conference was a doozey but Tony said it was something else, making Rhodes wonder if he was a humanitarian now. He asked Tony to get his mind right. Tony simply grimaced.**

"You thought I had PTSD." Tony said.

"Didn't you?" Rhodes asked and Tony sighed, realizing he shouldn't be making jokes about that.

**Later, Tony brushed a hand over his holographic keyboard and asked JARVIS if he was up, to which he replied he always was.**

"Hello, JARVIS." Wanda simply said.

"While I am him, I consider myself very different." Vision said.

**Tony then moved a holographic image of the suit to a holotable and told JARVIS to store it on his private server as he didn't know who to trust in the company. He moved some parts away and threw them into a holographic dustbin. **

"Wow. That is so awesome!" Peter said, looking at the technology.

"Eh! Compared to this device, not that much." Logan said.

"Hey!" Tony said.

"He's got a point." Fury agreed.

"Yes, Mr. Stark. A device that can record memories and a time travel device are much more impressive than that or anything in Wakanda." T'Challa said.

Tony sighed and looked at the screen, feeling humbled.

**In the desert, men wearing masks were digging up remains of Stark's first suit. One of them picked up his mask and called the bald leader, the right side of whose face was blistered and burnt.**

"No more than you deserve." Rhodes said.

"Good work, Iron Man." Pepper said as she and Tony high fived.

"And now they're going to try to remake it." Steve sighed.

**The bald leader took the mask and studied it closely.**

"I doubt he has the brains to make that." Aunt May said.

"Yeah, good luck." Hill agreed.

**In his workshop, Tony was working on the lower part of his suit which he called the "boot", with Dum-E trying to help. But it was subpar worker as Tony kept scolding him relentlessly.**

"I feel bad for Dum-E." Wanda said.

"Did its feeling ever get hurt?" Natasha asked randomly.

"No." Tony said.

"Yes." Vision told him.

"Poor Dum-E." Aunt May said.

"Why didn't you replace it?" Banner asked.

"Looks like someone is nostalgic after all." Sam whispered to Steve, Natasha and Bucky.

**The next scene was shown through the camera of another bot called "U." Tony had a boot on each foot with guards on his arms and metal handlebars in his hands. He stepped back on a large grid on the floor and as the bots started working on his command, he tried to fly at ten percent thrust capacity, only for the split-second surge power to propel him through the air as his feet flew over his head and he banged into the ceiling, before falling down with a crash. Dum-E blew a cloud of steam at Tony.**

Everyone burst out laughing hard at the scene.

"You okay there?" Pepper asked him.

"Maybe." Tony said.

**Later, Tony worked on his computer and formed a holographic gauntlet, slipping his arm into it. Later, he made a skeleton of that to test as Pepper arrived and dropping a box, told him Obadiah was upstairs. When she inquired about the gauntlet, he said it was a harmless flight stabilizer, but when he tried to use it, he was blasted back as Pepper covered her ears.**

"Harmless? Yeah right." Natasha said.

"I believe you now." Peter told her.

"You're a fast learner, kid." Fury told him.

"You definitely own the mad scientist, Tony." Bruce told him, referring to the conversation they had had before creating Vision.

**Tony went upstairs to see Obadiah playing the piano and realized it went bad as he saw the pizza. He started eating it as Obie told him the Board of Directors were filing an injunction due to his PTSD. Pepper told him the stock had dipped fifty six and a half. Tony said he still had the controlling interest but Obie pointed out the Board had rights too. After some arguing, Tony decided to go off with the pizza. Obie asked Tony for the Arc Reactor but he refused so he took back the pizza, though he still let Tony have a slice before he walked back to his shop.**

"He wants it so much already." Hill said.

"Greed." Pepper snarled.

"He must have been the one who filed." Steve said.

"Yup." Tony said.

**Later, Tony stood in front of his bots again and after berating Dum-E a little, he tried to fly at one percent thrust capacity and this time, to his own shock, he managed to get a stable flight, though he was still thrown sideways a few times.**

"And you've done it." Rhodes said.

"That's me." Tony shrugged and everyone sighed.

**Tony tried to fly again at 2.5 thrust capacity and struggled more than before but still managed to fly and land safely. "Yeah. I can fly!" Tony said.**

"Cute." Thor shrugged.

"You're Gods, right?" Tony asked and Thor shrugged again.

**Later, Tony put a suit around himself. It was plain silver but very recognizable. The Mark II.**

"Hell yeah!" Peter cheered as everyone glimpsed the Mark II for the first time.

**Inside the helmet, bright lights began flashing as icons appeared.**

"So that's what it looks like inside." Steve muttered.

**JARVIS was uploaded into the suit as Tony examined the workshop and started walking. Tony wanted to go outside but JARVIS tried to object, only for Tony to say, "JARVIS. Sometimes you gotta run before you can walk."**

"And sometimes you should walk first!" Vision protested.

"Classic, reckless Tony." Natasha said.

**Tony started flying and soared out of the garage. **

"My first proper flight." Tony said, "Nothing beats that feeling."

"I agree." Rhodes said.

"You're very good at flying." Thor said.

**Tony soared into the air, flying around the city. Two kids saw him and one dropped his ice cream in shock. Tony flew higher into the air but the suit had a fatal buildup of ice, making him fall down, though he managed to deploy flaps in the nick of time. He flew through the city and reached on the top of his building. Just as he depowered his suit, he crashed through several floors into his garage, with Dum-E blowing on the suit to thaw it.**

"Epic fail!" Scott shouted as everyone laughed.

"The icing problem had its advantages." Tony simply said.

**Later, as Tony used an ice pack on his head, he saw the box Pepper had dropped. It had a note with "From Pepper" written on it. He removed the note and opened it, to see a glass case and inside it was the first Arc Reactor. Around it were engraved the words- "Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart." A smile spread across his face.**

A smile spread across Tony's face.

"Awww." Natasha of all people said this time.

"That was very thoughtful, Miss Potts." Aunt May told her as she blushed.

Rhodes made kissing noises and Tony said, "Shut up."

* * *

**And that ends this one. Hope everyone enjoyed. **

**[1] Not everyone has seen Agents of SHIELD so I will tell you, after the first Avengers movie, Phil Coulson was brought back to life by a secret SHIELD program called "Project T.A.H.I.T.I." using Kree blood and his memory of the operation was removed. In the first five seasons, Coulson lead his team of SHIELD Agents in the show, operating from the background.**

**[2] SHIELD was already the organization's name long before this movie. And no, Captain Marvel didn't retcon this. Agent Carter and flashbacks in Agents of SHIELD that took place before the 2000's also had the organization referred to as SHIELD. So I'm guessing Coulson was joking. This is the in-universe explanation. Out of universe, obviously the writers didn't think about it as it was their first movie. Also, its highly unlikely that an organization that has existed for so long would not have a short form.**

**[3] Counting out a few cases of bad writing, Tony does care about people, not just American people. So I'm guessing he didn't know how much the company had deceived him.**

**[4] A reference to how OP everyone is in the comics. Thor casually destroy galaxies as side-effects of his fights while Wanda did the "House of M" storyline with 3 words- "No more mutants." It is awesome in the comics but would be boring in the movies.**

**[5] Just an observation, the media itself and most people concentrate too much on the lives of celebrities. In my country, an actress wore a dress to an event and the next day, wore the same dress to another event and the media made a ruckus out of that as well.**

**[6] A reference to dearly beloved Felicia Hardy aka Black Cat.**

**See you all next time.**


	5. Gulmira

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far. Keep blowing me away with your response.**

**Also, you may have noticed that I changed the year in the future to 2035. It was done on the suggestion of Dante 101 who pointed out to me that very old human characters like Charles Xavier might be dead by 2040. At least in 2035, I can say he is about 95. And this way, human characters like Matt, Elektra, Frank, Jessica, Luke and Trish can be in their later 40's or early 50's while the younger human characters like Peter and Wanda can be in their late 30's. **

**So thank you to him.**

**Now we've reached my most favorite part of the movie- the fight in Gulmira.**

Chapter 5- Gulmira

"I have a feeling we're about to see some very interesting stuff now." Tony said.

"Right you are, Mr. Stark." Charles told him.

**In Afghanistan, two Ten Rings terrorists argued over the construction of the pieces of the first Iron Man suit as the bald leader looked on with a critical eye.**

"They don't have the technology to get it right, do they?" Sam asked.

"Even if they did, they won't have the brains." Fury pointed out.

"What's the name of the bald guy?" Peter asked.

"His name would be Raza, bub." Logan said.

**Tony looked at the digital mask on his screen in the workshop and commented on several problems, including the icing problem. JARVIS said that they should improve the exosystems if he intended to visit other planets.**

Everyone laughed at the AI's wit.

"You are very witty." Odinson told him.

"Was I really that witty?" Vision asked.

"Who made you again?" Tony asked with a laugh.

**After telling some solutions, Tony's attention was attracted by the television in the corner. It was about his own third annual benefit for the Firefighter's Family Fund. Tony asked JARVIS if he had gotten an invite, to which the AI replied in the negative. As Tony looked at the damaged mask of his second suit, the announcer said that no one expected Tony to show up.**

"And he has jinxed it." Pepper said.

"Jinxes? You really believe in that bullshit?" Logan asked.

"Everyone has got to believe in something, James." Steve told him.

"It's Logan, Captain." Logan said.

"Logan." Steve corrected himself, "What do you believe in?"

"I believe that", Logan started, "I am the best there is at what I do. But what I do isn't very nice."

Steve simply nodded with a sigh, realizing how hard life must have been for Logan in all the years he had been alive.

**JARVIS completed the render of the suit, but it was in bright gold, so Tony asked him to change the color by throwing in a little hot-rod red, which the AI did. The render was complete and JARVIS told him the estimated completion time was 5 hours. Tony told the AI not to wait for him.**

"Now that's what I am talking about." Tony said.

"The render itself is pretty good." Rhodes told him.

"Which is why the finished product was even better." Professor Hulk told them.

**Later, Tony sped down the road in a silver sports car with a nameplate that read STARK 4. He pulled up alongside the curb of the concert hall and stepped out, wearing a business suit. Obadiah Stane was being interviewed.**

"And there he is." Hill sighed.

"Weapons manufacturing may be a small part of Stark Industries but that is the only one you care about." Sam said.

"Some people only care about power and position." T'Challa sighed.

**Everyone cheered on seeing Tony as one of the women asked if he remembered her, to which he replied he didn't. He patted an elderly man with a cigar and good looking women around him on the shoulder. "You look great, Hef." Tony said as the man turned around to reply but the billionaire was already gone.**

"Him?" Thor asked with a horrified look.

"You know him, brother?" Loki asked in surprise.

"He is the one who cut my hair!" Thor said.

"What?" Tony asked in surprise, "How could he have done that?"

"I think he is a neighbor of mine." Peter said.

"Really? I don't remember him." Aunt May said.

"But if he is your neighbor, how can he be at this party?" Pepper asked.

"And how can he cut my hair?" Thor said.

"We have seen all the recordings at least once." Odinson said, "And for some reason, he appears in all of them in some different role."

"Who he is, we don't know either." Benjamin said.

"Maybe he is a watcher or something." Natasha shrugged.

"A watcher?" Logan wondered.

"I like the sound of that." Clint said. [1]

"I think he shows up at a lot of places." Fury said as he looked at the man suspiciously.

"Well, to be honest, I like your hair, Thor." Natasha told him as he smiled, "So it looks like he hasn't done anything sinister."

"Which is a good thing." Professor Hulk said.

"Some mysteries will never be solved." Bruce sighed.

**Tony greeted Obadiah who was surprised on seeing him. Tony then went inside as Obadiah said the board was at a good place now. Tony went up to the bar inside and asked for a Scotch, only for someone to call out to him. He turned to see Phil Coulson walking towards him.**

"There he is again." Steve sighed.

"He looks calm and collected here." Natasha said, "But he fanboyed over you a lot."

**Tony once again told Phil he needed to work on the name of his organization, though it had already been worked on. Coulson asked for an appointment. Tony wasn't paying any attention now though. He had spotted Pepper who was in a light blue satin backless evening gown.**

"Look at that!" Scott said.

"That looks really good on you." Hope complimented as Pepper blushed.

"Yes, you look very good." Aunt May said too.

"Gift from Stark, right?" Natasha asked as Pepper nodded.

"That's me." Stark said with a smirk.

"Asgardian women would be jealous of your look." Thor complimented her.

**Tony shook Coulson's hand while staring at Pepper and agreed before walking up to Pepper. He told her she looked so fantastic he didn't recognize her. Tony asked her about the dress and she told him it was a birthday present from him of all people.**

"Classic, forgetful Stark." Natasha said this time as everyone laughed.

**Tony asked for a dance and after some hesitation, she agreed. Tony swung her like a pro as she bit her lip nervously. Tony asked if he was making her uncomfortable, to which she replied that she always forgot to wear deodorant and dance with her boss in front of everyone she worked with in a dress with no back. **

Pepper winced involuntarily at that.

**Tony told her she looked and smelled great and then the two exchanged some witty banter about how long he would last without her. She asked him his social security number and he fumbled for the answer.**

"Told you." Natasha smirked as she and Sam high-fived.

"You really don't know your own social security number?" Bruce asked in amusement.

"Still don't." Tony shrugged.

"You should." Aunt May told him sternly.

**Pepper became nervous again and the two agreed to get some air. The two went off as Phil Coulson looked after them. The two argued again about how harmless the dance was, with Pepper saying how he was her boss so it would make her look bad. Tony was deflated and tried to calm her down. Without realizing, the two took a step forward as their heads came together. But then they realized what they were doing as Pepper asked for a drink.**

"Oh, snap!" Rhodes said.

"That didn't go very well." Wanda muttered dryly.

**She asked for a vodka martini with three olives and Tony walked off to get two from the bartender, with his dirty. That moment, Christine Everhart walked up to Tony, wearing a black dress, saying it was fancy seeing him there.**

"Great." Scott groaned, "Her again."

"Fancy seeing a man at his own party!" Tony said snarkily.

"She hates you, doesn't she?" Pepper asked.

"Yup." Tony said.

"Won't blame her." Clint whispered to himself.

**She said he had a lot of nerve showing up and asked for a reaction, to which he replied panic. Christine wasn't pleased and gave him some printed pictures, saying they were of a town called Gulmira. **

"Gulmira?" Thor asked in a growl, making Loki a bit nervous.

"That's how you found out?" Bruce asked.

"That's how I found out." Tony said.

"Well, someone is going to be very screwed now." Bruce said.

**Tony looked at the pictures in shock. There was death and devastation all around, with the terrorists carrying a smaller version of the Jericho Missile. **

Wanda could feel the real Tony's fury at the reminder.

**Christine said they had been taken the previous day, shocking Tony as he hadn't approved of any shipment. Christine pointed out his company had, which made him stride past her to Obadiah outside who shooed away some reporters. Tony inquired about the pictures and asked if they were double-dealing under the table. Obadiah simply said they should take a picture and they did, though Tony's eyes looked like could blister the concrete of the steps under the carpet. Obadiah told Tony he had filed the injunction to protect him before walking off.**

"To protect him?" Pepper snarled angrily.

"To double-deal more." Tony snarked.

"You don't even look irritated or disappointed." Rhodes told him.

"He looks like he is ready to go to war." Thor noted.

"Good observation." Odinson told him.

"And now you're complimenting yourself." Loki said dryly as the two Thors chuckled.

"The truth has come out." Steve said.

"And it won't end well for some." T'Challa noted.

"That was the business he wanted to handle." Professor Hulk said.

"He is so screwed now." Bruce said.

"He sure is." Benjamin agreed.

**Later, Tony was twirling with a screwdriver at a part of the glove of his new red-and-gold suit as he watched the news on the TV about the death and destruction in Gulmira. The news reporter described it as "a descent into Hell, into a modern day Heart of Darkness." The flight stabilizer in the palm began to glow as Tony watched live footage of armed men making their way into the ruins of the town. He also spotted Raza standing in the ruins. Tony's face was an emotionless mask but the fury he was feeling inside was visible. When the Jericho missile appeared on the screen, Tony's metal-gloved hand clenched and he stood up.**

Tony's look matched that of his onscreen self. Pepper glanced at him a little uneasily.

Wanda had to forcefully squash down her own memory of what she had gone through at the scene she was witnessing.

Loki looked away in shame, reminded of what the Chitauri had done when he had brought them down to New York. Thor put a hand on his shoulder in support and he nodded in appreciation.

Aunt May held Peter tightly on witnessing that, afraid that she would somehow lose him to atrocities like that.

**Tony walked around the couch he had been sitting on and threw the screwdriver away. As the news continued, Tony raised his arm, his palm held out in front of him. He aimed it at the other side of the garage and fired. After that, he walked into the middle of the room, in full view of the glass panels, as the news continued. He looked at his own reflection with self-loathing and fired at all the panels, shattering them into pieces.**

The viewers did not miss the significance of that. Tony was blasting his own reflection due to self-loathing.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rhodes gasped.

"Jesus." Scott muttered.

**Tony then walked onto a black grid which opened in pieces around his feet, and came up to the boot and leg pieces of Iron Man Mark III, all red and gold, and fastened over his feet and around his legs. A large yellow bot reached down with the front and back plates, the Arc Reactor glowing as the chest plate slammed down over it, and then came the arms and hands. Last of all came the sides of the helmet, the mask closing over his face and the "eye holes" glowing.**

"This looks better." Steve said.

"YES!" Peter, Bruce and Thor cheered happily as Aunt May shook her head in amusement.

"You're going to Gulmira?" Sam asked.

"Yup." Tony said.

"I remember that." Rhodes sighed.

**Tony, in his Iron Man Mark III Armor, soared through the skies. In Gulmira, the villagers were running around in terror as shots rang around them. Armed men kicked open doors of homes and fired into them. They grabbed all men who ran past, tearing them from their families, and shoved the women and children to their comrades. Raza's bearded thug was shouting orders. A family of four with a little girl and a slightly bigger boy were being hustled out when one of the children tipped and all four of them fell down. The leader ordered his men to grab the father. One of the men did as the boy broke away from his mother and sister and ran back to him. The father broke free of the grip of the man and ran to his boy, the two hugging each other tightly as the leader marched up to them and threw the boy off.**

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HIM YOU BASTARD!" Aunt May of all people roared in a rage as everyone looked at her in shock, Peter included. This was the wrath of a mother who saw innocent children getting hurt.

Peter was pale and Wanda saw in his memory the closest thing he ever had to a father bleeding to death at the back of a street in Queens. Aunt May held him tightly.

Wanda was stiff herself, memories of her parents and Pietro making her eyes water. Vision held her hand tightly to provide comfort.

Steve, Bucky and Logan were shaking with rage, reminded of the cruelty in the concentration camps.

"I wish I could have got my hands on them." Rhodes snarled angrily.

"You're not the only one." Sam said.

Natasha's blood was boiling at the scene. While she never had a family as a child, she would never wish the same upon anyone.

"Bastard." Clint snarled at the screen too, thinking about how many ways he would use to kill this man and others like him who would dare to hurt his family.

"Burn in Hel." Thor said angrily.

"Trust me, they are." Odinson said with a dark gleam in his eye.

"In all times, one thing that has remained a constant unfortunately is people's capacity to feel hatred for other people." Xavier said sadly.

Hill looked horrified at the scene as well, with Fury's face an emotionless mask.

Tony's expression was the same as his onscreen self earlier as Pepper held his hand tightly, horrified by what was going on in Gulmira in the screen.

"Jesus." Scott said uneasily as he thought of Cassie in this situation.

Hope held his hand to offer comfort, uneasy herself as she remembered losing her mother.

**The children and the mother sobbed as the father was forced to his knees and was about to be shot down. The boy was calling out to his father tearfully when everyone heard a sound like thunder, and villagers and attackers alike looked up at the sky to see a red and gold blur descending down on them. Tony landed on his left foot and right knee, straightening up to face the man who was going to shoot the father.**

"Just in time!" Thor said.

"Now they will burn in Hel." Loki said.

"No more than they deserve." Fury agreed.

"You guys are so screwed now." Bruce said.

"Like you wouldn't believe." Professor Hulk said.

**The man fired vainly at the Suit, which charged at him and sent him flying off into the ruins of a house with a single punch. He then fired his repulsor beams in quick succession at three of them, sending them flying off. He turned around to fire a fourth one but saw the terrorists holding the villagers hostage.**

"Cowards!" Steve spat.

"What're you going to do now?" Pepper asked.

"Cut the wire." Tony said with a gleam in his eye as Steve shot him a curious look which he returned and everyone realized it was something between the two of them. Only Thor, Natasha, Bruce and Fury knew what it was.

**Tony lowered his palms as JARVIS identified the civilians and attackers with icons on the screen. Once it had been done, a small row of miniature guns rose from Tony's shoulders and shot down all the armed men, leaving the villagers intact.**

"Hell yeah!" Peter cheered.

"They got what they deserved." Aunt May said.

"Sure did." Loki of all people agreed.

"You did good as well." Wanda told Vision, who was JARVIS back then, and he nodded in appreciation.

"Thank you, Wanda." He said.

**The boy ran up to his father and the two hugged tightly.**

Peter discreetly wiped his eyes as Aunt May patted his head lovingly.

Wanda did the same as Vision put an arm around her.

**The boy saw Tony in the suit walking past them. The bearded thug was hiding behind a wall, trying to dial for help, when a red metal fist burst through the wall, startling him. It grabbed him and yanked him back through the hole, throwing him to the civilians.**

"Shoot that dog!" Fury said.

"With pleasure." Hill agreed.

"I wish I could do it." Clint sighed.

"He got an even better punishment." Tony said.

**Tony flew into the air and told the villagers, "He's all yours." As he flew off, the villagers surrounded the bearded thug who looked back at them in fear.**

"This is even better." Natasha said cheerfully.

"I wish we could see what they did to him." Thor said.

Scott started, "I wish I could go up into his nostril and ex-" [2]

"Don't finish that sentence!" Hope said as she smacked his arm and everyone laughed for the first time since watching the action in Gulmira.

**Tony flew through the air, identifying the Jericho Missile, when he was hit by a missile and thrown out of the sky. He crashed into the ground, forming a small crater.**

"Ouch!" Rhodes said, reminded of his own fall, which was much worse.

**Tony climbed out of the crater and surveyed the site. As a tank fired at him, he leaned sideways to dodge before lifting his arm and firing a small missile, destroying it. He walked away as the tank exploded behind him.**

"Badass." Peter smiled.

**As men fired at him, he flew up into the air and looked down on them. He fired at the Jericho Missile. The explosion killed all the men and destroyed all the weapons as Raza and more men arrived in trucks, watching the explosion with astonishment and horror. Tony flew off. At Edwards Air Force Base, California, the military watched their screens as they saw a blinking red dot, wondering what that was. When they discovered it wasn't the Air Force, Navy or Marines, Major Allen asked to get Rhodes.**

"Now the military is interfering?!" Pepper asked in amazement.

"They want to take credit for my work." Tony said as he shot Rhodes a look who sighed in annoyance.

"They never got the green light, really?" Steve muttered.

"You have no idea how much people of power try to control the military these days." Rhodes sighed sadly.

"Tell me about it." Bruce groaned.

**As Tony soared through the clouds, Rhodes walked into the intelligence room at the base, wondering how the thing had appeared out of nowhere and not shown on the radar.**

"Too small." Scott said and everyone laughed at his shrink-jokes.

**As the Major asked him what they were dealing with, Rhodes decided to make a call. While Tony was flying, a shrill ringtone sounded inside his helmet. He accepted the call, asking who it was as he couldn't hear due to the noise. JARVIS put Rhodes' credentials on the screen as the Colonel told him that a weapons depot had been blown up a few clicks away from where he had been held captive. Tony said someone did his job for him. As Rhodes asked him about the noise and his out of breath voice, he said he had been driving to the Grand Canyon where he was now going to jog.**

"Jogging in the Grand Canyon?" Peter asked innocently.

"Yeah that's believable." Bruce said.

"And I thought Steve was a bad liar." Natasha muttered.

"There was a lot of noise there." Tony said.

"I know." Rhodes agreed.

**Rhodes asked him if he had any tech there, to which Tony replied in the negative. As the bogey was spotted, Rhodes told him they were about to blow it up. Tony cut the call as two planes flew after him. He flew off at supersonic speed.**

"Whoa!" Peter said, "Supersonic?!"

"Yup." Tony said.

"I'm beginning to think your father was wrong about the Iron Man Suit." Scott told Hope who simply nodded.

**One of the planes fired a missile at him but he deployed flares and they made the missile explode behind him. He started falling before the Suit picked itself back up. One plane fired bullets at him and he avoided, though they scraped the metal of the Suit. He deployed flaps and two planes shot past him, shocking the pilots. Rhodes got a call from Tony and accepting it, berated him for sending civilian equipment into his war zone, to which Tony replied it was a suit with him inside it.**

"And cat's out of the bag." Sam said.

"Just in the nick of time." Rhodes agreed.

**The pilot of one of the planes spotted Tony on the underside of the other one and called out that it looked like a man. The pilot twisted his joystick and the plane rolled through the air. Tony lost the hold and crashed into the wing of Whiplash One, breaking it off. **

"Uh-oh." Aunt May said.

"You okay?" Pepper asked.

"Yup." Tony sighed.

**The military men stared in horror as the plane spun out of control. The pilot pulled the yellow handle and shot out of the plane just before it exploded. Still bolted to his chair, he fell through the sky, unable to open his chute which was jammed. Tony suddenly flew down. Major Allen commanded the other pilot to fire in spite of Rhodes' protests. Tony reached the falling pilot and punched the compartment open, with the chute coming out. He flew off as the pilot landed safely to the relief of the military men. Tony thanked Rhodes on the phone who gasped with a laugh. Rhodes asked what excuse he should give to the press, to which Tony replied training exercise.**

"Nobody buys that anymore." Rhodes said.

"They did back then." Tony said.

"I'm beginning to think my father was a bit wrong about Tony too." Hope sighed. [3]

**Sometime later, Rhodes lied to the press with the training exercise excuse as Obadiah watched the thing on TV.**

"He definitely didn't buy it." Pepper said.

"Because he is smart." Steve said.

**In the workshop, Pepper made her way down to the stairs and gaped at seeing the broken glass panels. She looked up to see a bot removing Tony's suit painfully piece by piece. She asked what was going on and he turned to see her. He tried to diffuse the situation but she was horrified on looking at the suit and asked, "Are those bullet holes?"**

"Busted." Hope said as everyone chuckled slightly.

"I can relate." Peter said as him and Aunt May exchanged a knowing smirk.

"This is not going to be pleasant." T'Challa said.

"Right you are, Your Highness." Tony told him.

"Yup." Pepper agreed.

"The Suit had to be removed piece by piece?" Aunt May asked in surprise.

"Not anymore." Tony said.

"It got really cool and advanced later." Professor Hulk said, once again thinking of the Bleeding Edge Armor.

"Let us see what happens next." Steve said.

"It is about to get very interesting, bub." Logan told him as they continued watching.

* * *

**I think we will be done with Iron Man by the next chapter, after which the characters will take a break.**

**[1] There is a theory that in all of is cameos, Stan Lee is playing the same character- Uatu The Watcher. He is a member of the Watchers, an extraterrestrial species who in the distant past stationed themselves across space to monitor the activities of other species. Uatu is the Watcher assigned to observe Earth and its solar system. So in the Marvel movies, both within and outside of the MCU, he watches all of our heroes in the form of this old man. RIP Stan Lee. You were a legend.**

**[2] I'm pretty sure you've all heard the meme about Ant-Man going into Thanos' butt and expanding. Well, in the beginning, it was supposed to be the nostril but over time, it was changed into butt. At least with Raza's thug, the plan can actually succeed.**

**[3] Many people within the MCU hate Tony Stark and they do have good reason. But it is obvious he does have empathy. That is why he became Iron Man. The suffering of the people in Gulmira prompted him to take action and it was a far bigger motivation than his own weapons being used. Though Hank Pym does have good reason to hate the Starks, I will give him that. Tony's flaw in this case is that he cares about people too much sometimes that his plans go haywire, like Ultron. And he wanted absolution so badly that he decided the Sokovia Accords were the best play. His guilt prevented him from seeing the flaws in them and that's why he supported them. Now I see both sides of the Civil War conflict, even if I am on Team Cap, but the Accords were a flawed document and Tony only supported them out of guilt.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed.**


	6. I am Iron Man

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

Chapter 6- I am Iron Man

"Now we're onto some very interesting stuff." Benjamin said as everyone watched on.

**It was night time in Afghanistan. A row of black SUVs rolled up near the new camp of the Ten Rings and Obadiah walked out as Raza approached him. **

"Now this is something I needed to see!" Tony said.

"Me too." Pepper agreed.

"The villains making their deals." Steve said.

**Raza said the scars were compliments of Tony Stark.**

"Best compliments people like you will get from me." Tony said.

**Obadiah mocked him for his incompetence with a smile, saying he should have killed Stark like told, to which Raza replied that he wouldn't kill a prince for just some trinkets. At Obadiah's request, Raza decided to show him the suit as he left his guards outside. The guards looked like they would come to blows.**

"Well, they look friendly." Peter joked.

**Obadiah and Raza walked into the tent and saw the reconstituted Mark I Armor. Obadiah started examining it as Raza said this was a crude first effort and Stark had perfected his design.**

"Upgraded. Still not perfected." Tony said.

**Raza said a man with dozens of those armors could rule all of Asia while Stane could get Stark's throne. Raza decided they were still in business due to their common enemy. Pouring a drink into his cup, he raised it and said that he would give Obadiah the designs as a gift and in return, get a gift of iron soldiers.**

"He doesn't look like he is interested." Sam said.

"My throne, that's a laugh." Stark said.

"Stark Industries knows no king but the King in the North whose name is Stark." Scott joked and everyone laughed.

"You really have a thing for shows that have gone downhill." Hope commented.

"You have no ground to stand on. You defend the series finale of Lost." Scott said and she had a look of mock offense on her face. [1]

"Hey!" She said, "At least the characters had emotional payoffs!"

"Nothing was explained." Scott said, "At least Sansa and Arya got great endings and Ghost got petted."

"Still, D&D ruined it." Stark said, "And the series finale of Lost is horrible too."

"Couldn't agree more." Pepper said too.

"Haven't seen that show yet." Peter said.

"I will let you watch when you're 18." Aunt May told him.

"I don't think you should." Natasha said.

"Yeah, it is just a waste of a show at this point due to the last two seasons." Rhodes said too.

"You actually remind me of it, Point Break." Tony told Thor, "You too Reindeer Games. You even had fights for your thrones so you can relate."

"I can relate too." T'Challa said.

"I guess so." Thor said.

"Let's not discuss the fights for the throne." Loki said.

"I agree." Odinson said.

"Let's focus, guys." Benjamin said.

**Obadiah put his hand on Raza's shoulder and pressed a small object that shone a bright light on Raza's face, exposing his nerves and paralyzing him as Obadiah said this was his only gift and that technology was their Achilles Heel in this part of the world. Walking off, Obadiah said it would last for 15 minutes. Walking out of the tent, Obadiah told his men to crate the armor. His guards had the terrorists on their knees and on Stane's order, shot them down. Stane then sat on the backseat of his car and ordered that he wanted the top engineers to make a prototype.**

"Evil always sells out evil!" Logan said.

"Yes." Xavier agreed.

"No sympathy for Raza though." Clint said.

"Agreed." Bucky said too.

"Now Stane will get his." Fury said.

"Let's see." Hill said.

"He wants a prototype of the first suit now." Thor said.

"The suit still looks good all things considered." Bruce said.

"It sure does." Tony said.

"Totally agreed." Professor Hulk said too.

**Pepper walked into the lab to see Tony working on the Mark III Suit and handing her a drive, he asked her to hack into the mainframe in the office and retrieve all the shipping manifests, giving her all the instructions. Pepper asked what he was going to do, to which he replied he would destroy his weapons. Pepper said she would help him with anything, but she couldn't do it if he was going to start all of it again.**

"Why wouldn't you help him?" Aunt May asked.

"Because the last time he had gotten mixed up with the Ten Rings, he was missing for three months." Pepper pointed out and everyone nodded, realizing Pepper cared about Tony too much.

Tony held her hand and she squeezed back.

**Tony told her there was nothing except this now. Only the next mission. Pepper then said that she quit and throwing away the drive, started walking off. "You stood by my side all those years while I reaped the benefits of destruction," said Tony, making her stop and turn around in the doorway, "And now that I'm trying to protect the people that I put in harm's way, you're going to walk out?" Pepper said he was going to kill himself and she wasn't going to be a part of that. Tony said he shouldn't be alive unless there was a reason. Looking at her with conviction, he said, "I just finally know what I have to do. And I know in my heart that it's right." Pepper gave a long sigh and finally picked up the drive. "You're all I have too, you know." She said before walking off.**

Steve seemed to realize why Tony and Pepper had taken a break during the fiasco with the Sokovia Accords and Bucky.

Everyone realized that Pepper was as alone in this world as Tony.

Scott started, "That was…."

"Intense?" Sam asked and he nodded.

"Things are about to get very interesting." Tony said.

"Right you are, bub." Logan said.

Pepper blew out her breath, "Here goes."

**Pepper walked towards Tony's office, seeing all the assistant offices empty. She walked inside and shut the door before sitting down in front of the computer and pulling out the drive which she plugged into the USB Port. After access was granted to her, she was brought to a ghost drive. She clicked some files, seeing shipping transactions before seeing a file with a number of images of the Mark I with "Sector 16" on top of them. **

"The Suit he was working on." Steve said and Tony nodded.

**She then saw a video and clicked on it. It saw Tony slumped in a chair as the Ten Rings terrorists surrounded him with guns pointed at him and one of them read the ransom note. **

"That's the video they shot at the beginning." Peter said and everyone nodded.

**That was when Pepper was startled by a voice and looked up to see Obadiah standing there.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"He had to show up at this time!" Rhodes said in panic.

"Why does the universe have to make everything difficult?" Hope said.

"Because the universe hates us." Scott sighed.

"There is some truth to that." Benjamin said.

Tony himself looked distressed. More distressed than even Pepper. The two held each other's hands tightly.

**Obadiah poured himself a drink and walking towards her, said how Tony always got the good stuff. Pepper just smiled and nodded and when Obadiah looked up, she hid the drive with a paper.**

"Way to make it obvious." Fury said.

**Obadiah poured himself a second glass and came around the desk just as Pepper copied the last of the files and clicked on "Screen Saver."**

"Holy shit!" Bruce said.

"I share your sentiments." Professor Hulk said too.

"Phew!" Peter sighed in relief.

"It was close." Hill said.

"Too close." Natasha agreed.

"You cut it real close, Pepper." Clint said.

"You okay?" Tony asked her.

"I'm still here, remember?" Pepper said with a smile which he returned.

"Isn't Obadiah invading your personal space?" Hope noted to Pepper.

**Obadiah said how Tony had left a part of himself in the cave and Pepper said he was a complicated person. **

"Sure is." Wanda said.

**Pepper said he would be all right and Stane told her she was a rare woman and Tony was very lucky.**

"Now he has to flirt?" Aunt May said incredulously.

Peter was tense himself as he watched the tense moment.

**Pepper unplugged the drive and started walking out, only for Obadiah to ask for the paper, which she handed to him. He looked at them as she walked off and looked at the drive.**

"Couldn't you have waited to look at it until you were out of sight?!" Natasha asked in horror as she watched the scene.

"She is an assistant, not a SHIELD Agent." Clint told her.

"Good point." She conceded.

"She did make it." Vision pointed out.

"I made it!" Pepper said.

"Which is a great thing." Tony said.

**As soon as Pepper was out of sight, Obadiah opened the computer to see the words "Download Complete." He ran his hand over his head and practically leapt to his feet.**

"Uh-oh." Sam said.

**Pepper made her way down the stairs when Phil Coulson called out to her. He asked her if she had forgotten about their appointment, to which she replied he needed to come with her right now. Coulson found himself nearly running to keep up with her as she told him she was going to give him the meeting of his life as Obadiah watched from above.**

Thor growled at him, "You lay one finger on her and I will lighten you up."

"Too late for that, aren't you?" Loki asked with a smirk.

"Nice to see myself all enthusiastic again." Odinson commented to Thor.

"Thor, I am here." Pepper pointed out.

"Thank God for Coulson." Steve said.

"Indeed." Fury agreed.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Scott said.

"You're not wrong." Tony told him.

**Obadiah strode into Sector 16 as all but one of the assistants fled. He told Stane that there was a hiccup- the technology to power the Suit didn't exist.**

"It does." Tony said.

**Stane's hand went around the assistant's shoulders and he invaded his personal space, saying the technology was here and he only needed to make it smaller.**

"I can do that." Scott joked and everyone laughed.

**The assistant said they were trying to do that and Obadiah thundered at him as he poked at his chest, "TONY STARK WAS ABLE TO BUILD THIS IN A CAVE! WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!"**

"Damn right!" Fury said.

"Well, he is pissed." Rhodes said.

**The assistant, whose name was William, apologized, "Well, I'm sorry, but I'm not Tony Stark."**

"I'm the best." Tony said with spread hands and no one felt like calling him out on it.

**Tony walked into his lounge and accepted a call from Pepper when a familiar buzzing sound immobilized him. Stane took the phone and hung up, easing Tony onto the couch and showing him the device that he had used to paralyze Raza.**

"Great." Sam groaned.

"That thing again." Peter said.

"The universe doesn't make things easy." Xavier said.

Wanda actually felt worried for Tony. If someone had told her just a day ago that she would be worried for Tony, she would have laughed at that person's face as she rightfully held a grudge against him for the house arrest. But she could see he was a complex individual who was good at his core.

"You okay?" Pepper asked Tony.

"I am here, remember?" Tony said this time as the two smiled at each other.

**Obadiah boasted about the hit he had put on Tony and putting a device on his chest, pulled the Arc Reactor out. He asked Tony if he really thought an idea belonged to him just because he had it.**

"I think it does belong to him." Vision said.

"Agreed." Wanda said too.

**Obadiah said how Howard had helped give the world the atomic bomb and the world wouldn't be this good if he had been as selfish as his son. He yanked the cable up, the magnet dangling at its end. **

"NO!" Pepper cried out as Tony squeezed her hand.

"I'm here!" He whispered to her.

"The magnet!" Scott said.

"The shrapnel!" Bruce said.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Peter was repeating to himself.

Steve was watching the scene with wide eyes, worried for Tony.

**Obadiah said this was Tony's legacy- a new generation of weapons with the Arc Reactor at its heart. Tony choked and gasped as some blood leaked out of his ear and Obadiah said the weapons would put the balance of power in his hands which were the right ones.**

"Do you even hear yourself?" Rhodes said.

"He is insane!" Sam said.

"All villains are heroes of their own story." Peter said.

"He believes he is doing this for the greater good of humanity." Natasha said.

"But he just wants more money and more power." Clint finished.

"He is too self-righteous to see that." Aunt May said.

"Right you are." Fury agreed.

**He smiled smugly, wishing Tony could see his prototype as he put the Arc Reactor in a black suitcase and said it was a shame Tony had involved Pepper, as he would have preferred if she lived. Tony's eyes slid over to him, the fury and distress visible in spite of the paralysis as Obadiah walked off.**

Steve growled, "Don't you dare…."

"Just when I thought he couldn't sink any lower." Hill said.

Thor growled, his growl like the low rumble of far away lightning, "Coward!"

"Even I wouldn't do that." Loki said.

"I wouldn't spare anyone who said something like that to me." Clint snarked.

"Me neither." Scott said.

"How are you going to survive this one?" Wanda asked.

"You will see." Tony told her.

"This is getting more and more intense." Hope said.

"Yup." Professor Hulk agreed.

**Rhodes was driving his car when Pepper told him everything over the phone in distress and he agreed to check on Tony. **

"Quick!" Aunt May said.

"Not fast enough." Rhodes sighed.

"Then how?" Bruce asked.

"Just watch." Tony said.

**Pepper, Coulson and some other agents drove away to arrest Obadiah as Rhodes swerved and drove off towards Tony's house. Tony managed to fling himself into the elevator and reached up, crawling out.**

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Scott bellowed.

"I don't believe it." Hope said, impressed by Tony's willpower.

"Son of a gun." Steve muttered.

"Where are you even going?" Fury muttered.

**Tony managed to push open the door of his garage and crawled towards the desk where the old Arc Reactor was put as a gift from Pepper. **

"You're an Angel, good woman." Aunt May told Pepper, who was gripping Tony's hand so tightly both of their knuckles were white.

"So this is how you did it." Hill said and Tony nodded.

**Tony pulled himself up on a plastic bin and stretched up his arm, before falling back down on the floor.**

"Oh no!" Bucky of all people muttered.

**That was when a peculiar whine was heard and a robotic arm came down with the Arc Reactor in its claw. It was Dum-E. Tony reached up for the case, looking at Dum-E which gave a concerned click. "Good boy." Tony said to it and shattered the case against the floor.**

"Good boy." Tony said.

"The best boy." Pepper said.

"Dum-E!" Vision cried.

"I knew it was good for something." Bruce said.

"And that something was this." Professor Hulk said.

"Phew!" Peter sighed in relief.

"I think you have nine lives, Mr. Stark." Benjamin told him.

"A very good observation, Mr. Parker." T'Challa agreed.

**Obadiah stood in front of the Iron Monger suit, Arc Reactor in hand. With a smirk, he put the Arc Reactor on its center.**

"That looks like a lot of suit." Scott said.

"It is a lot of suit." Tony said.

**Rhodes burst into Tony's lounge, calling out for him. He found Tony in his workshop, doubled over the shattered glass. He ran up to him and turned him around, revealing that the Arc Reactor was inside him now. He inquired about Tony's well being. Tony simply inquired about Pepper and Rhodes said that her and five other agents were about to arrest Obadiah. Tony said that it was not going to be enough as he got up.**

"He's fine. He's asking about Pepper." Natasha said and the two blushed.

"Yup." Rhodes said.

"This is not going to be pretty." Sam said.

**Pepper, Coulson and the other agents arrived outside the Stark Industries Factory and she led them inside, around the Arc Reactor, until they found Section 16. She tried to use her keycard to open the door but it didn't budge so an agent handed Coulson a device which he placed on the lock. They all took a few steps back with Pepper covering her ears as it exploded. Inside, Obadiah heard the explosion and rushed towards his suit.**

"This is not going to end well for the agents." Hill sighed.

"If only they knew that crazy town was back and was about to get even crazier." Fury said.

"It didn't really pick the lock." Pepper said with dry humor.

"Nah. This was even better." Tony said.

**Tony put on his Suit in his workshop in front of an awed Rhodey who said it was the coolest thing ever. Tony aimed a ray at the car he had crushed after falling from his first flight and sent it flying away from him.**

"It works." Bruce said happily.

**Tony's mask went down as he told Rhodes to keep the skies clear and flew off through the holes in the ceiling into the night sky. Rhodes stared after him in awe and looked at the unpainted but still impressive-looking Mark II Armor. "Next time, baby!" He said as he sat in one of Tony's cars and sped away.**

"Next time!" Rhodes said as him and Tony high-fived.

**Phil Coulson entered Sector 16 with Pepper and the other agents behind. The agents had their guns out. They came across the reconstituted Mark I Armor. Pepper thought it would have been bigger.**

"A lot bigger." Pepper said.

**Pepper heard a buzzing noise from behind her and looked to see two disconnected cables that were still buzzing.**

Peter started, "How big-"

"Enormous. You will see it soon." Tony said.

**The agents split up. Coulson and another agent went together while the other three found some upgrades to the Mark I Armor. Pepper heard a slight noise behind her but couldn't see much due to the darkness so she stepped further to look closely, only for two eyes to shine in the darkness.**

"Oh shit!" Scott said.

"And it's on." Hope said.

"You should have stayed with the agents, Miss Potts." T'Challa said in distress.

**Something colossal stood up and looked down on Pepper as she ran off in fright, alerting Coulson and the agents. They tried to fire but the Iron Monger suit knocked them all out and tried to grab Pepper, barely missing her.**

Steve snarled, "Don't you dare!"

**Tony flew through the sky, with JARVIS telling him the Suit was at forty eight percent power and falling as the Chest Piece wasn't designed for sustained flight. As Pepper ran out of the Stark Industries Factory, Tony called out to her on her cell phone. After inquiring about his well being, she tried to tell him about Stane, to which he replied he already knew. He asked Pepper to get out of the place. The pavement behind Pepper suddenly moved and cracked until it broke as the Iron Monger rose and towered over her.**

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER!" Bucky of all people bellowed, making Tony and Pepper look at him in surprise, with Steve and Natasha nodding at him in pride.

"I hope he is burning in Hel for all his crimes." Thor snarled.

**Obadiah taunted Pepper as she backed off in fear with a scream. "Your services are no longer required!" He said coldly and a barrel of enormous rounds on his arm began to spin. **

"NO!" Wanda cried out.

"**STANE!" The two looked up as the Iron Man Mark III Armor sailed directly into the Iron Monger, knocking it backwards out of the Stark Industries grounds onto the busy roads outside.**

"YES!" Peter, Thor and Bruce cheered happily.

"About damn time." Fury said.

"Thank God." Steve sighed.

**Tony sailed into the side of a truck as Obadiah landed in the middle of an intersection. Cars swerved to avoid him but he grabbed a car and threw it over his shoulder. One minivan with a woman and her children halted right in front of Obadiah and he lifted them up, making them scream in terror. Tony demanded him to put them down but he coldly refused.**

"Son of a bitch!" Scott snarled.

"What did they ever do to you?" Clint snarled, reminded of Laura and his children.

"Nothing. He is just an asshole." Logan snarled with rage.

"And a coward!" Steve spat.

"And a greedy warmonger." Natasha said.

"More like Iron Monger." Peter said.

**Tony told JARVIS to divert chest power to RT and soon, a beam was fired out of the Arc Reactor, sending Stane flying back as the car fell but Tony caught it and fell to one knee while the power dropped to nineteen percent. The woman slammed on the gas pedal and the minivan came down with a thud, running into Tony who slid to the ground and lifted the back wheels over him to avoid getting crushed before letting it go and rolling away. The minivan safely sped away.**

"That wasn't fun." Sam said.

"Not fun at all." Tony sighed.

**As Tony got up, Obadiah leapt near him and grabbed a motorcycle, sending the rider tumbling down, before slamming it into Tony, sending him flying off. A nearby bus had stopped and passengers were running out. Obadiah slammed Tony into that bus and lifted him up before throwing him down again and slamming him with his foot, saying how he had lifted him up for 30 years and had built the company from nothing.**

"No you haven't." Tony said.

"You and Howard Stark built it from nothing!" Fury corrected him coldly.

**He hurled Tony into the now empty bus through the side, saying how nothing was going to stand in his way now, least of all Stark. A large projectile opened on his shoulder and he fired it into the now ruined bus. The resulting explosion sent Tony flying into the air and he came down just as his flight repulsors started working, helping him hover upright for a moment.**

"Phew!" Pepper sighed in relief.

"That was close!" Rhodes said.

"It is about to get worse." Tony said.

**Obadiah was impressed by the upgrades and said he had some of his own. The Iron Monger suit lifted itself off the ground and ascended into the air. JARVIS noted the Suit could fly.**

"You're stating the obvious now." Wanda told him.

"I was designed that way." Vision said.

**Tony wanted to fly up to maximum altitude in spite of only fifteen percent power and JARVIS obeyed as he soared into the clouds, Iron Monger following. Pepper watched worriedly from the ground. In the military surveillance area, the privates noted the return of the thing from Gulmira and were about to get Major Allen when Rhodey stopped them, saying it was just a training exercise, to which the young man agreed hesitantly.**

"Now the military is interfering again." Hope sighed.

"Just like always." Pepper said.

"Good ol' Rhodey." Tony said with a smirk.

"I have my moments." Rhodes said with his own smirk.

**Tony soared into the sky, noting the decrease in power as Obadiah flew after him.**

"There is ice on him." T'Challa noted and everyone nodded, realizing Tony's plan.

**Obadiah grabbed Tony and gloated that while his idea was great, the Iron Monger suit was more advanced in every way. Tony inquired about the icing problem, confusing Obadiah as the lights in the helmet flickered and then went out. Tony hit the helmet, sending Obadiah down as his own Suit went out of power but managed to run on emergency backup power.**

"YES!" Peter cheered.

"That's the end of him." Bruce said.

"Hope he burns in Hel." Thor said.

"Actually, it's not." Tony revealed to their shock.

"What do you mean?" Scott asked, "It looks pretty final."

"Just watch." Pepper said.

**Tony fell on top of the factory on his knees and called out to Pepper who asked if he was okay. Tony said he was almost out of power as he ripped out a glove and his helmet. That moment, he heard a clanking thud behind him and turned around to see Iron Monger looming over him. Obadiah taunted his efforts and tried to punch. Tony ducked but when he tried to fire, he realized he had ripped off that glove and received a punch to the face that sent him flying off.**

"What did I tell ya?!" Tony said.

"Is there any end to him?" Scott asked angrily.

"I can't stand him for one more minute!" Hope said as he reminded her too much of Darren Cross.

"Don't worry. You only have to stand him for about five." Pepper said.

"I can live with that." Hope said.

**Tony recovered and leaping up, punched Obadiah on the helmet but got caught in a bear hug. JARVIS told him repulsors and missiles were offline so he deployed flares, temporarily blinding Obadiah who let him go. **

"It worked." Rhodes said.

"Kinda." Tony agreed.

**As Obadiah recovered, Tony peered at him from a corner and called out to Pepper, telling her to overload the Reactor and blast the roof. Pepper asked him how to do that and he explained how to. Pepper agreed and went in as Tony told her to wait until he was clear of the roof and he would buy her some time. Tony ducked out of the way as Obadiah arrived and Pepper pulled down all the switches.**

"Oh boy!" Sam said.

"This is just so intense." Peter said.

"Totally in agreement with you, kid." Scott said.

**Tony jumped on Stane's back and JARVIS located a weak point which he ripped out triumphantly, making Obadiah lose the optical connection. Pepper pushed a row of square glowing buttons as Stane grabbed Tony and threw him onto the glass panes in the middle directly above the large Arc Reactor. Pepper twisted a row of dials as the chest pieces of the Iron Monger folded back and the helmet opened up to reveal Obadiah Stane inside.**

"There you are, you rascal!" Thor said.

"Come on, Pepper." Aunt May muttered.

**Obadiah held out the helmet of the Mark III Armor and said he was deeply enjoying the suit before crumpling it into a twisted lump of metal and throwing it next to Tony. Obadiah gloated that Tony had outdone himself and made his father proud. Pepper pushed the last buttons and opened the cover of a large red one. She asked Tony to get off the roof as Obadiah shot at the glass around Tony. He tried to defend himself but the glass was shattered and he clung to the metal bars as Pepper screamed and raised her hands to protect herself from the glass.**

"Were you okay down there?" Tony asked.

"Were you OKAY UP THERE?!" Pepper asked incredulously.

**Obadiah fired again, shattering more glass on the unfortunate Pepper who looked up to see Tony dangling and called out to him. Obadiah fired some missiles which missed and exploded behind Tony as he said how Tony had ripped out his targeting system as the man asked Pepper to push the button in spite of him being there. "Just do it!" Tony shouted. "You'll die!" Pepper howled as another explosion caused Tony to lose his hold and he had to hold with his bare hand. "Push it!" He shouted. Pepper punched the button, and raced away from the station as the Reactor came to life and filled the room with charges that could have individually powered a house each. Then it sent a blast of power up to the roof which blasted Tony aside and struck the Iron Monger's smaller Reactor. **

"Whoa!" Sam shouted.

"That was awesome!" Peter cheered and saw everyone looking at him incredulously, "And very dangerous!"

"Nice save." Benjamin said as everyone laughed.

**Obadiah gave a cry as the resulting shock sent a bolt of electricity into the sky, causing a streak of lightning and a clap of thunder. He was dead before the Suit even began to fall, clanking its way down through the factory into the great Arc Reactor. There was a burst of flame that nearly caught Tony as he rolled away from the hole in the roof.** **Then, slowly, the air cleared. Tony lay unmoving, the Arc Reactor flickering feebly. "Tony!" came the voice of Pepper. The Arc Reactor went out, and the screen went dark. **

"That will do it." Sam said.

"You killed him with lightning. I like that." Thor smirked.

"Of course you do." Loki said dryly.

"I still do." Odinson told him and he sighed.

"What about the two of you?" Steve asked Tony and Pepper.

"Let's watch." Tony said.

"Yeah, let's." Pepper agreed.

"You two have very stressful lives." Rhodes told them, "And that in turn, makes my life very stressful."

"That was a good observation, Colonel." Vision noted.

"Now we will see the fallout of this, won't we Mr. Parker?" T'Challa asked and Benjamin nodded.

**The next day, on a TV screen, a press conference was being streamed live. Rhodes stood at the podium, telling the official cover story. Tony sat on his couch, reading "The Chronicle" and being attended to by Pepper as the headline ran, "Who is the Iron Man?" There was a picture of the Mark III Armor which someone had managed to take. **

"Now we know where the name came from." Thor said.

"It was a cool name." Peter said.

"That is a good picture." Natasha said.

"Wonder who took it." Clint said.

**Tony commented how the "Iron Man" name was catchy with a nice ring to it but said it wasn't accurate as the suit was a titanium-gold alloy while Pepper pulled a bandage off his nose. He agreed that it was evocative at least. Phil Coulson handed him some blue cards and said they were his alibi.**

"There is Coulson!" Steve said.

"Ready to save the day." Tony said.

"I think we all know how the alibi turned out." Xavier said with a smile as everyone chuckled.

**Tony argued a bit about the alibi but Coulson said, "This isn't my first rodeo, Mr. Stark. Just stick to the official statement and soon this will all be behind you."**

"I still remember that first rodeo." Fury muttered to himself.

**Pepper thanked Coulson for all his help and he said that's what they did and that the two would hear from him. Pepper was about to pronounce the entire name of the organization when Coulson told her to call them SHIELD and walked away. Pepper helped Tony dress up as he commented the alibi was good enough. Tony said if he was Iron Man, he would have a girlfriend who knew his secret identity and would worry over him but would be proud of the man he had become.**

"Awww." Natasha said.

"I think I'm kind of like that." Peter said, "Only except girlfriend, it's my aunt."

"Right you are, Peter." Aunt May said with a proud smile.

**Tony reminded Pepper of the night they had and she reminded him that he had left her, making him deflate.**

"Crap!" Rhodes said.

"And I thought we were having a moment." Tony said as Pepper smirked.

**"Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" Pepper asked. "That will be all, Ms. Potts." Tony said at the same moment, and he left in rather a hurry.**

"Snap!" Scott said.

**Rhodes told the reporters Stark had prepared a statement and stood aside as Tony arrived and said he would just stick to the cards this time and the press chuckled.**

"So much for that." Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Should have done that." Fury said as Stark looked over at him, "Would have saved everyone a headache."

Everyone laughed.

**Tony talked about the speculation of his involvement in the freeway and on the rooftop when Christine Everhart interrupted him and asked if he expected them to believe the story of a bodyguard in a suit that conveniently appeared.**

"And Christine is back with a vengeance." Scott sighed.

"I knew the excuse wouldn't work." Tony said.

**Tony said it was one thing to question the official story and another to insinuate that he was a superhero, to which she replied that she didn't. Tony started backtracking when Rhodes told him to stick to the cards and he agreed.**

"Here it comes!" Natasha said.

"Watch out!" Clint said.

**"Truth is. . ." Tony looked up and his face went completely blank.**

Everyone held their breaths in anticipation.

"**I am Iron Man."**

"Ta-da!" Aunt May said.

Loki started laughing merrily as everyone else except Clint and Fury clapped at Tony who almost felt like getting up and bowing down to acknowledge their respect for him.

**Instantly the press conference room was in uproar and every reporter sprang to his or her feet - all except, of course, for Christine Everhart. Tony almost smiled for a moment, and then the screen went dark.**

"She's not even standing." Scott said.

"To be honest, she doesn't have any obligation to." Hope pointed out.

"That's the end of it!" Tony said.

"Not quite." Benjamin said.

"Really?" Tony asked, "What's left?"

"Just watch." Professor Hulk said as the screen lit up again.

**Tony entered his lounge as he called out to JARVIS who responded in a distorted voice.**

"What's wrong with you?" Wanda asked.

"Just watch." Vision said.

"So we're watching this." Tony said as him and Fury exchanged a knowing look and everyone realized something was up.

**Tony walked forward a step or two, and halted. Behind the couch, in the shadows of the room, stood a tall figure wrapped in something dark.** **"I am Iron Man." said the familiar voice, "You think you're the only superhero in the world?" **

"Not for long." Tony said as him and Bruce exchanged a look.

"Oh!" Clint said.

"It's Fury!" Hill said cheerfully.

"About damn time." Fury said.

**The shadowed form of the stranger turned to the large window. "Mr. Stark, you've become part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet." He said. "Who the hell are you?" Tony asked. The stranger came forward into the lamplight, which gleamed on a long black trench coat and a black eye patch. "Nick Fury, Director of SHIELD." He said. **

"That's an awesome entrance!" Hill cheered as everyone smiled at what they were witnessing.

**Nick Fury then said, "I'm here to talk to you about the Avenger Initiative." The screen went black. **

"All right!" Sam cheered.

"So that's when it began." Steve noted.

"Yup." Fury said.

"And I didn't qualify originally." Tony said.

"You did later." Natasha told him.

"Now that's the end of this recording." Benjamin told them.

"How many more are there?" Pepper asked.

"21." He said to their shock.

"21?" Clint asked, "How're we going to view them all?"

"We did tell you we will drop you off to the exact time from where we picked you up." Professor Hulk reminded and they all relaxed, "You all must be hungry."

Everyone realized they were.

"Well, the dining room is nearby. Follow me." Benjamin said as he, Odinson, Professor Hulk and Logan got up while Xavier moved his wheelchair and the others moved to follow them.

* * *

**And finally, the movie that started it all has been finished. Next chapter, the characters will take a break and eat some stuff as more things about the future come to light and some old hostilities are talked about.**

**[1] A reference to Evangeline Lilly's role as Kate Austen in Lost. Still bitter over that series finale that didn't do justice to the awesome series.**

**Hope you all enjoyed and see you all next time with the interlude after which we will move on to The Incredible Hulk.**


	7. Break I

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Now this chapter is an interlude as all the characters need to eat and have a chat. A hostile one. Next chapter, we will start watching "The Incredible Hulk."**

**And also, I have got over a 100 followers now on this story. So just wanted to say, thank you everyone! My stories have never crossed 100 except in reviews, so keep blowing my mind! Thank you all!**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoyed. Yeah, so ends the beginning. Yeah, you will see the reactions there. Ah my bad. Thanks for pointing it out. I had forgotten that. Yes we will. This chapter is basically character interaction, though not the most pleasant one as everyone is still bitter from the Civil War. I have a mixed opinion on Wanda/Vision but yeah, not a fan either. We will see about that. Yes we will hear about the trials. Well, if its any consolation, the Lost finale was also brought up and its also a bad one. I think The Incredible Hulk is an overhated movie. Sure its not a masterpiece, but I think it was a good movie. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Guest: Bruh, the characters from the past are from 2 weeks before Avengers: Infinity War. And you said it yourself. Tony is the most mature when he WANTS TO BE. Counting out those times, he behaves like a man-child. The most mature of them all, in my opinion, is Natasha.**

Chapter 7- Break I

Everyone sat in the dining hall as some workers brought food for them. The people from the past noticed five more individuals sitting around the table. A blind man, a blonde good looking woman, a dark-skinned woman with white hair, a tall red-haired woman, and another tall man with some special kind of glasses.

One of them, the blonde good looking woman that is, was of course recognized due to her popularity in the past.

"Trish Walker?" Tony questioned as Trish looked at him and nodded.

"Mr. Stark." She said.

"Trish Walker?" Peter asked excitedly, "As in the one from "Trish Talk?""

"Yes, I am that Trish Walker." Trish said as they all started eating.

"Trish got superpowers." Benjamin said, "So now she is a member of the Avengers."

"But how?" Pepper asked, "A few months ago from our time, we heard you were arrested."

Trish winced at the reminder of her imprisonment and the actions that had led to that.

"We would like to not bring that up." The man next to her, whom everyone noticed was blind, spoke up.

"Who are you?" Steve asked.

"My name is Matthew Murdock. But everyone calls me Matt." The man said.

"Matthew Murdock?" Tony wondered before recognizing him, "You're the lawyer that defended the Punisher!"

"Ah, so you remember me." Matt said as he took a bite of his bread.

"What is a lawyer doing in the Avengers tower?" Bruce asked as he ate his salad.

"Well, you see, all the superheroes are my clients these days." Matt said, "Me and my partner, Franklin Nelson. You might remember him from the news. The Avengers. The X-Men. The Fantastic Four. I represent all of them legally."

"Wow!" An impressed Scott said, "What is it about you?"

"He is Daredevil." Fury said and everyone looked between him and Matt in shock.

"Wait what?" Tony asked in shock, summing up everyone's thoughts, "How can you be Daredevil when you're blind?"

"I had an accident when I was a kid." Matt said, "I pushed an old man out of the way of a truck but the radioactive elements inside it hit my face, making me blind. But they managed to enhance my other senses to a superhuman level. I can hear, smell, taste and feel better. They help me form a picture of the world around me."

"Wow!" An awed Peter said, "I have heard so much about your awesomeness as Daredevil. It is an honor to meet you."

"Thank you." Matt said with a flattered smile.

"And how do you know that he is Daredevil?" Sam asked Fury.

"I used to be Director of SHIELD." Fury simply said, and it did explain a lot.

That was when Logan walked inside. He had departed the group to smoke for a bit. The dark-skinned woman got up and walked up to him.

The two shared a quick kiss.

"How's it going honey?" She asked Logan.

"Pretty well so far." Logan said.

"Who are you?" Clint asked politely.

"My name is Ororo Munroe." The woman said.

"She is a member of the X-Men." Charles said.

"What are these X-Men exactly?" Natasha asked.

"We are mutants." The man with the special glasses said, "We have a special X-Gene in our body that causes mutation."

"It normally manifests during puberty." The red-haired woman said.

"As if puberty wasn't hard enough already." Hope muttered, making Scott snicker.

"So a superhero team of mutants." Hill said, "That's interesting."

"Oh, by the way, I am Scott Summers." The man with the special glasses said.

"I am Jean Grey." The red-haired woman said.

"So what is it exactly you want us to do?" Tony asked them, "Why did you bring us here?"

"To be honest, we're against the idea." Summers said as he gestured to himself and Jean.

"Why's that?" Steve asked.

"Because it messes with the natural laws." Jean said, "We're basically playing God."

Charles tried to say, "Jean-"

"Professor, this is not right." Jean said, "What if we make things even worse?"

"We have to try, Jean." Logan told her.

"If we do this, we're no different from Kang." Summers said.

"We won't be doing this if Kang didn't make a mess in the first place." Ororo said.

"Sometimes, to do things right, you got to get your hands dirty, bub." Logan told Summers who sighed.

"I am sorry, who's Kang?" Tony asked.

"Kang the Conqueror." Benjamin said, "A time traveler from the future who is making a mess of the timeline along with several other supervillains."

"What's his story?" Bucky asked.

"He is from the 31st century." Professor Hulk said, "He was fascinated by time travel technology so he used it to travel to Ancient Egypt where he turned himself into the Pharaoh Rama-Tut. He wanted to claim an ancient mutant as his heir."

"But the Fantastic Four got time displaced and found out about it so they defeated him and sent him off to his own timeline." Charles said.

"That embittered him." Summers told everyone, "So he travelled to the present."

"And met Doctor Victor Von Doom." Jean said.

"Who is that?" Rhodes asked.

"The ruler of Latveria." Ororo said.

"He will become ruler of Latveria three years from your time." Odinson said.

"I think I have heard about him somewhere." Tony said.

"You would have." Matt said, "Remember something in the news about a student from the Empire State University who got expelled after trying to create some kind of machine that exploded, damaging his face and part of the university?"

"Ah right." Pepper said as her and Tony both remembered.

"So that man is going to become the ruler of Latveria." Vision noted.

"And what is wrong with that?" Wanda asked.

"You've met Reed Richards right?" Benjamin asked and they nodded, "He was Victor's roommate."

Everyone's eyes widened in shock on hearing that.

"Victor despised him right from the start because of his own arrogant personality." Trish said, "He tried to warn him about the dangers of his machine, but Victor didn't listen."

"And yet, he blamed Reed for his accident, like a hypocrite." Matt said, "So now he terrorizes the Fantastic Four, and by association, the Avengers and X-Men."

"That's just- wow!" Hill said.

"Even I don't know what to say about that." Fury said.

"But the people of Latveria love him." Benjamin said, "Because he is benevolent to them."

"So this person is a good ruler, but a bad person overall." T'Challa noted.

"Back to the story, Doom and Kang together tried to beat us, but we beat them and sent Kang to his own timeline." Summers said.

"Unfortunately, he was sent thousands of years into the future from his own time." Jean said.

"During that time-period, the Earth was war-torn and the people used advanced weapons they knew nothing about." Logan said.

"Kang found it easy to conquer them." Ororo said.

"But because the future world was dying, he keeps coming back to try and conquer this world." Benjamin said.

"Oh God!" Aunt May said.

"Looks like the people at Earth are trying to gain more power." Thor simply said.

"And trying to use it in ambitious ways too." Loki noted, "Looks like I was wrong about humans."

"And what does that have to do with us?" Steve asked.

"Let's just say, because of you all not trusting each other, the future became a dark place." Benjamin said.

"And we feel the catastrophe could be prevented if things were different." Charles told them.

"That could have been done if you all had just signed!" Tony said as he turned to Steve.

Steve started, "Tony-"

"Cap, I told you it was the only way to keep the Avengers together." Tony said desperately.

"It wasn't." Matt said as everyone turned to him, "I'm a lawyer, so trust me when I tell you, the Accords are a flawed document that violate basic human rights of people just because they've superpowers."

"I've just noticed." Bruce said, "What's going on here? You seem to be pissed at Cap and the others, Tony."

"Yes. What is it my friends?" Thor asked.

"Almost an year after you left, Thor", Steve started, "There was a mission in Lagos. But a bomb went off unfortunately and people lost their lives."

Wanda looked down, feeling shame as Vision put a hand on her shoulder to offer comfort.

"So the governments of the world decided they should put us all under the oversight of a UN Panel." Tony said.

"The document was called the "Sokovia Accords."" Natasha said.

"We were supposed to sign and act within the boundaries of those Accords." Rhodes said.

"Or they would make us retire." Vision said.

"Unfortunately, a UN meeting in Vienna to ratify the Accords got bombed and everyone thought it was Bucky." Steve said as Bucky sighed.

"But Cap and I found out it wasn't and someone else was behind this, so we assembled a team to try and stop that man as we thought he planned to unleash five other Winter Soldiers upon the world." Sam said.

"That's when I was approached." Scott said excitedly with a smirk, only to see Hope glaring at him.

"But Tony and the ones who had signed were ordered to capture them." T'Challa said, "My father was killed in the bombing so I wanted revenge, which is why I joined too."

"And that's when I was approached. " Peter said excitedly with a smirk, only to see Aunt May glaring at both him and Tony.

"I still can't believe you brought a kid to the fight." Steve said as he shook his head.

"I was desperate at the moment." Tony said, "And I did order him to keep his distance."

"He should never have been brought there in the first place." Sam said, "He's a kid. And even if you thought there wasn't going to be a fight, there was a chance a fight would happen."

"While I accept you and my nephew working together, Mr. Stark, I have still not forgiven you for taking him to Germany without telling me the truth." Aunt May said with a glare.

"To be honest, that was pretty irresponsible of you." Pepper told Tony who sighed.

"So wait, this man made you all fight amongst yourselves? Oh I like this man." Loki said only for Thor to smack him hard on the head, making him yell, "OUCH!"

"Brother, you have redeemed yourself but I do not think this is the time to make jokes." Thor said.

"In the fight, everyone except Steve and Bucky were captured." Natasha said.

"We went to Siberia, where he was." Steve said.

"That's when I found out the truth." Tony said, "And I followed them."

"I followed them too for revenge." T'Challa said.

"And there the man, whose name was Zemo, revealed something to us." Steve said with a sad sigh as Bucky looked away in shame and Natasha put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"What?" Bruce asked.

"That Barnes was responsible for killing my parents and Rogers knew!" Tony snarled angrily.

"What?" Thor asked in shock.

"Because of that, the three of us had a fight and we departed on bad terms." Steve said sadly.

"I heard Zemo confessing and arrested him on the spot, before offering asylum to Captain Rogers and Mr. Barnes in Wakanda. I also helped Mr. Stark out of Siberia." T'Challa said.

"Oh my God!" Bruce said in horror.

"I go away for one year and you all find yourself in petty squabbles." Thor sighed, "I can't believe it."

"Why didn't you tell me, Cap?" Tony asked angrily.

"Because I didn't know it was him." Steve said.

"Bullshit!" Tony exploded.

"I knew it was Hydra." Steve revealed, "Back when Hydra had taken over SHIELD, me and Natasha met an artificial version of Arnim Zola, a Hydra scientist who worked for the Red Skull."

"He said Hydra had caused many deaths in the world and when he said that, he showed us a newspaper clipping of your parents' death." Natasha said.

"So you knew too?" Tony asked angrily.

"Only that it was Hydra." Natasha said.

"I suspected it was Bucky." Steve said, "But until Zemo showed the video, I didn't know for sure it was him."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Tony asked.

"I thought I was protecting you but in truth, I was protecting myself. I made a subconscious decision to not look into the matter at all." Steve said with a guilty sigh, "I'm sorry Tony. I should have shared my suspicions with you a long time ago. You deserved to know."

Tony simply nodded, still bitter but a bit more understanding now.

"But like I have said already, the Accords were a flawed document." Matt said as everyone turned to him, "Mr. Stark, I know you're a good person, but during that time you were consumed by guilt, and because of that, you couldn't see the flaws in them."

"Like what?" Pepper asked.

"People who have signed and have superpowers have to wear a tracking bracelet at all times." Matt said, "It's a violation of their privacy."

"There is a tracker in me." Vision revealed.

"Which you had shut off." Tony said.

"Not everyone can." Vision said.

"And Enhanced are thrown into the Raft with no trial." Matt said as Trish sighed and nodded.

"Back where you're from, I committed a lot of crimes for which I am trying to atone now." Trish said with some shame in her eyes, "But back then, they threw me into the Raft without giving me a trial. I thought I would spend all of my life there. But five years from your time, the Accords were overturned and all the prisoners of the Raft were released and given a fair trial. I ended up getting seven years of jail time after I cut a deal. After my sentence was finished, I was released and since then, I have been trying to use my power for good."

"We were thrown into the Raft without a trial." Sam noted.

"I was trying to get the Accords amended." Tony said in his defense.

"How exactly would you do that, Mr. Stark?" Matt asked, "Withhold your latest technology phone from the countries that refuse to amend the Accords? Because you do not have any power to amend them."

Tony sighed, realizing the ridiculousness of his own idea.

"The Accords were a flawed document but at the time, people supported them because of Sokovia and Lagos." Summers said.

"Only later did they realize they were wrong." Jean said.

"How?" Steve asked.

"We will tell you later." Benjamin said, not wanting to talk about it right now.

"Captain Rogers. Mr. Stark. Both of you made mistakes." Xavier told them kindly, "But both of you need to trust each other again sometime. And that is why we have brought you here, to help you see your errors."

Steve and Tony looked at Xavier and nodded simply.

"And let's not forget, the Accords were brought to you three days before they were ratified. Fishy much?" Logan pointed out.

"Very fishy." Ororo said.

"They had been planned for a while." Natasha realized, "Yet they didn't consult the group of people they were making the laws about."

"And you do not know what Ross is capable of, do you?" Professor Hulk asked and Bruce tensed.

"Ross?" Bruce asked in shock, "As in General Ross?"

Professor Hulk nodded at him.

"He was the General trying to capture you, wasn't he?" Tony asked as he saw Bruce pale.

"I never told you about what he was, did I?" Bruce asked.

"What?" Tony asked.

"He wasn't trying to capture Dr. Banner for the government." Fury said, "But to save his own ass."

"Okay, what?" Tony asked in shock.

"I didn't talk about the incidents too much because I didn't want to relive it." Bruce said, "But I can tell you know."

"There is no need." Benjamin said as everyone turned to him, "Because the next recording we will watch is about you, Dr. Banner. During the time you were on the run."

After a deep breath, Bruce said, "All right."

"So Ross was involved in deep shit?" Tony asked and Benjamin, Professor Hulk and Bruce nodded.

"And you outed my family to him." Clint snarled.

"About that, Barton-"

"No. I am not forgiving you for that." Clint said, "I gave you a place to lay low. And this is how you repay me? By outing my family to Ross? Now I am on house arrest and Ross can use them anytime to threaten me."

Tony looked down in shame, realizing he had put his friend's family in danger due to his ego.

"Well, food is finished." Logan said to diffuse the situation, "So let's go."

"I still don't approve of this, but if you feel it is right, do it." Summers said.

"Yup. I agree too." Jean said as her, Scott and Ororo walked away, the latter sharing another quick kiss with Logan.

Matt and Trish got up and walked away too.

"Let's see what went down between you and this Ross." Thor told Banner who nodded.

With that, everyone made their way to the viewing room again.

* * *

**Well, that was a bit hard to write.**

**Brain: Who're you kidding? A bit?! It was very hard!**

**Me: Yeah, you're right. Like always.**

**Anyways, I have already said that I am on Team Cap but I do see Team Iron Man's points and I do not like bashing, unless it's Iris West in the Flash. And if you've read this chapter carefully, you'd realize that most of the bashing was against the Accords and Ross, not that much against Tony or Steve.**

**The Russos have already confirmed that Steve only knew Hydra was involved and made a subconscious choice not to look into the matter. It was a personal failing on his part, but far from the unforgivable sin people make it out to be. Now yes, he should have shared his suspicions with Tony perhaps, but not doing that doesn't make him a monster. It makes him human. Just like Tony supporting the Accords to want absolution for Ultron makes him human.**

**Now Tony outing Clint's family to Ross was glossed over and I feel like it's a bit of bad writing. The Russos wanted to give him a witty one-liner and they gave him that line, forgetting that Clint's family is a secret and Tony just outed it to Ross. But in-universe, it should have some consequences, like Clint getting pissed at Tony. **

**Also, RDJ has himself confirmed that Tony wasn't sure if he could amend the Accords or not. He just said that in the moment to get Steve to sign. And if you think about it, he can't amend them really.**

**But like I said, I do see both sides' points and don't want to make this one sided. So I decided that Bruce did not tell anyone the truth about Ross due to being uncomfortable about the subject. Ross would have covered it up anyway. So this way, Tony is working with Ross without knowing what he had done to Bruce.**

**I hope nobody hates me for this. I tried to show both sides but the Accords are flawed and I can't change that.**

**Really I wish the Civil War movie hadn't happened now. It divided not only the Avengers, but also the fandom.**

**Hope you enjoyed Matt Murdock pointing out their flaws to everyone. I so wish he was in Civil War to point out the flaws in the Accords. And now I have revealed why Trish is not in prison anymore. **

**Also, while I like Logan/Jean, I think Scott/Jean is a better pairing so I am sticking to them and the movies haven't tried out Logan/Storm except a deleted scene in Days of Future Past. I liked them in the comics so they are a thing here.**

**And yes, Kang the Conqueror and Doctor Doom are the reasons for the mess in the future and that's why the people from the past have been called to view the movies. If they trust each other again and beat Thanos, a lot of bad stuff in the future can be undone.**

**Also, out of all the characters in the future- Benjamin, Odinson and Logan will stay till the end to view the movies, but the other characters will keep rotating so that we get to meet all the future people I mentioned earlier in the casting.**

**Hope you enjoyed and don't hate me. See you all next time with "The Incredible Hulk." **


	8. Favela Escape

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**So now we have reached "The Incredible Hulk." This, in my opinion, is MCU's most overhated movie. Sure, it's not perfect or anything but it was a good movie in my opinion. Edward Norton was pretty nice in the role in my opinion, even though Mark Ruffalo is the best Banner around. And I loved the Bruce/Betty relationship in this movie. Ed and Liv Tyler had great chemistry. Really I wish they brought Betty back as I would love to see her with Bruce instead of the forced Bruce/Natasha pairing. Though I don't know if Mark and Liv would have the same chemistry as Ed and Liv. They also glossed over all the boring stuff like the first transformation into Hulk as that was shown in a frustratingly long manner in Ang Lee's Hulk. Plus, the Hulk's design in this movie was awesome. And if anyone says they didn't like the Hulk's fights with military or the final fight with the Abomination, then that person is lying.**

**I think this is also one of the MCU's darkest movies. The darkness in this is on par with Iron Man, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. The only reason they are loved and this is not is because those movies also had some good humor to balance out the darkness. This movie didn't have that much humor. Probably the MCU's least humorous movie. But I like this movie still. It was good. And in case anyone's wondering, my most favorite MCU movie is Captain America: The Winter Soldier. 10/10 to that movie. **

**And I named this chapter after the soundtrack that plays when the soldiers chase Bruce through Rocinha. Some of the best chase music I have ever heard. **

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoyed. Yeah, it's Kang and Doom as well. I saw him in EMH first but I also read comics which had him later. I might be related to Deadpool. I will have the "Trish Screaming" mentioned the next time they meet her because right now, they needed to talk about the Accords. Glad the Accords bashing was well done. Agreed on Tony. We'll see on Jennifer Walters. The others will hop in and out. Yeah, Civil War was overall an amazing movie and it did lead to Infinity War, Endgame and even this fic. But it divided the fandom a lot. The Tony fanatics write fics on AO3 demonizing and bashing Team Cap and in return, the Team Cap supporters end up hating Tony and write anti-Tony fics. The only difference is Team Cap supporters actually use logic in their fics. It is a rarity in Tony fanatic fics. Though I stopped reading all those anti-Steve and anti-Tony fics a while ago. Because I am Team Cap but I see both sides and find the Accords stupid. I have seen that and I loved it. Yeah, it's great with a beautiful tribute to Stan Lee. Also, I wrote a one-shot called "Baba Yaga deals with NTA and Diaz" and I think you will enjoy it. Enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 7- Favela Escape

After lunch, everyone returned to the viewing room and took the same couches as before in the same positions.

"So it's me we're watching this time?" Bruce asked again.

"Yes, my friend." Odinson said.

"Well, Banner, it's your time to shine now." Thor clapped Banner on the back.

"Good thing." Rhodes said.

"Yeah, I think watching too much of you, Mr. Stark, might make them sick." Benjamin said as everyone chuckled and Tony had a look of mock offense.

"I will try not to take that personally." Tony said sarcastically.

"Bruce is your science bro though, right?" Pepper asked.

"Right." Tony said as he looked at Bruce, "It's gonna be awesome to see you on there."

Bruce just nodded politely.

"Now you will see why poking him is not the best idea." Loki told Tony who simply sighed and looked away.

"So Ross is this too?" Steve asked and Logan nodded.

"Yeah. And he's as bad as William Stryker." Logan said.

"Who's William Stryker?" Bucky asked.

"I think I've heard of him." Natasha said.

"An old military scientist." Fury said, "I heard he did some deep shit."

"Yes. Something about mutations." Hill said too.

"I'll tell you about him later." Logan said with a sigh.

"So let's get started." Xavier said.

"Yup. With pleasure." Professor Hulk said as he started the recording and everyone started watching.

**Someone pushed a switch. There was another brain scan, and in a chair attached to a large machine sat a man, who was Bruce Banner himself. Everything was coming and going in flashes. **

"So we're watching this." Bruce said.

"Your origin story?" Peter asked and Bruce simply nodded.

"Your hair's short in this." Scott said randomly.

"Actually, I think you look very different in this." Hope said.

"Yeah." Clint said, "You look very different now."

"What happened to you?" Tony asked, "In this recording, you look like you could be a member of a fight club or something." [1]

"I have no idea how my appearance changed so much over the years." Bruce simply said.

"At least he doesn't look like that Hector guy from the "Troy" movie Jane showed me when we were together." Thor said off-handedly. [2]

**A woman in a white lab coat stood watching behind a glass panel.**

"Betty." Bruce whispered as he remembered her. Thor put a hand on his shoulder in support and he nodded in appreciation.

**From the chair, Bruce gave Betty a wink. The chair tilted into position for the procedure. Someone pushed a button. A green light shone into Bruce's eyes. Betty pushed another switch and a button. A red 'Danger' sign began to glow. The green light grew brighter. The irises of Bruce's eyes glowed green. Betty stared through the glass, clearly worried.**

"Uh-oh." Tony said.

"This doesn't look good." Aunt May said.

"Not good at all." Sam agreed.

"Here goes." Bruce sighed as he almost didn't look.

"I still remember that day like yesterday." Professor Hulk sighed.

**There was a roar. The white shirt Bruce had been wearing ripped. A mass of green rose from it.** **The chair was knocked on its side, steaming and smoking. Behind the glass, Betty ran forward, staring in horror. A huge green hand appeared in the corner, reaching for some part of the machine that dangled from the ceiling.**

Bruce cringed and looked away again.

"Oh God!" Sam said.

"Bruce!"

Bruce turned to see Natasha looking at him.

"It wasn't your fault." She told him. While she had moved on from him and loved Bucky, with whom she was happy, she still cared for Bruce as a friend.

He simply nodded as Thor put a hand on his shoulder again.

"I know that now." Professor Hulk said.

**Through the eyes of the newly released Hulk, they saw dimly the form of the man who was none other than General Ross, as he had then been. There was blood on his face, and he seemed to be utterly horrified.**

Wanda gulped in fear on seeing him as Vision put an arm around her again.

"Ross." Clint growled darkly, thinking of ways to kill him.

"So he was involved in this accident." Steve muttered.

"Worse." Banner said.

"He is definitely covering something up." Tony said.

"To save his own ass." Fury told everyone.

"I call him "General Jackass."" Logan said and everyone laughed.

**And then they saw Betty lying on the floor among the wreckage of the machines, unconscious, bruised and battered. The shadow of the Hulk loomed over her, and a great green hand reached down toward her.**

"Oh God!" Aunt May said in horror.

Bruce turned away from the screen in shame as Thor said, "It wasn't your fault, Bruce."

"I know it wasn't but I still feel some guilt for it." Professor Hulk said.

**But then there were flashes of a gun, of a military man standing by Ross and shooting. The Hulk seemed to roar, and he reached for Ross and shoved him aside before tossing the man with the gun out through the door of the lab. Ross, bleeding and obviously badly wounded, crawled across the floor and flung himself on top of Betty. His hand was outstretched and his mouth open in a silent scream of **_**No**_**! The room seemed to spin, and then another image of a scan appeared. Then the door of a hospital room slid open, and there lay Betty, still unconscious and looking terribly battered.**

"No!" Bruce groaned as he put his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry." Thor said to him to offer sympathy.

**Bruce's hand tenderly caressed the woman's face. Then came a glimpse like another memory of Betty with a radiant smile and bare shoulders lying under a sheet. Then Bruce was sitting by Betty's bedside, and now a hand clamped down on his arm. A thunderous-looking Ross loomed over him, and shoved him roughly from the room.**

"The whole thing was your fault and you blamed me like a cowardly hypocrite." Professor Hulk snarled.

"He cared more about himself than anyone else." Bruce said.

"If I knew what he had done, I would never have listened to his proposition of the Accords at all." Steve said.

"That thing was shady anyway." Scott said.

"Agreed." Hope said too.

"Now I feel like idiot number 1 for signing them." Tony said to himself.

"It's okay. We all make mistakes." Pepper told him comfortingly.

"That man is not coming after my boy, is he?" Aunt May asked Peter.

"No. I made sure of that." Tony said and she relaxed.

"Thank you." She said to him.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark." Peter said too.

"General Jackass, always saving his own ass." Logan said and everyone laughed.

**Betty's eyes opened, but Bruce was already gone and her father was staring stonily through the glass at her. At the door of the facility Bruce turned briefly to see Ross speaking to a private, then he turned back around and pushed out of the building. Newspaper headlines about first sightings of the Hulk flashed by; then an image of a house in ruins; then a crushed car. Military men stormed into another house, armed to the teeth, but seeming to find only traces of their quarry - books, papers, test tubes.**

"You were good." Hill noted.

"But I still won't be a SHIELD Agent." Bruce said and everyone chuckled.

**Ross stood in front of a table, peering intently at some report. A set of blinds in an upper story window twitched as someone looked out of them down at two armed soldiers outside. Two helicopters whizzed through the air; shadowy forms of more soldiers moved through a back street. Once again they were met with defeat; an empty cot and a pile of dishes greeted them. Ross spun in a chair, cigar smoke surrounding his head. Another newspaper headlines flashed past, followed by images from helicopter windows and another image of Ross. He seemed to be monitoring yet another pursuit.**

"What does he want you for?" Scott asked.

"Don't ask." Bruce and Professor Hulk said at the same time.

"It must be something horrible." T'Challa said.

"I can always find records of that if I want." Vision said.

"I hope you do." Wanda said as she glared at Ross in hatred.

**A page showing a Requisition Request: US Army Stark Industries - Approved notice appeared, followed by plans for some rather awful-looking device. Ross puffed at his cigar again while looking through a number of fingerprint scans. A plane touched down at a military base. An intercepted email from Bruce to Betty flashed across the screen.**

Bruce looked at the screen angrily as Xavier told him, "Calm down Dr. Banner."

Bruce calmed down and sighed, "Meditation helps."

**There came the briefest glimpse of the name Nick Fury, followed by a few images of Bruce. Ross seemed to have lost track of him. And then- remembered images went by in flashes - then a truck went up a snowy hill in Alaska, with Bruce Banner sitting in it. The driver dropped him off and he continued to climb and trek his way. **

"So this was flashbacks?" Peter asked.

"Appears so." Bruce said.

"It was intense!" Aunt May said.

"We made this recording in such a way so as to not show all of that. It might cause the Other Guy to come out." Professor Hulk said, "Of course I don't have that issue."

Bruce nodded at that.

**Eventually, Bruce stopped and stood in the middle of the snow. He took off his glasses and cap and looked at the sky, which looked a little greenish. An image of a battered and bleeding Betty in the lab flashed in his head and he closed his eyes sadly.**

Bruce and Professor Hulk both cringed on seeing Betty and remembered what they were about to do in that moment.

**The flame of decision forming in his eyes, Bruce took out a gun and holding it out, turned off the safety.**

"What?" Peter said in horror, not expecting this.

"Even I had a hard time remembering I almost did that." Bruce said. [3]

"Oh my God!" Aunt May said as she covered her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Bruce." Steve told him sadly and he nodded.

"We are here for you, Banner." Thor assured.

"Thanks." Bruce said.

"That was one of the worst days of my life." Professor Hulk said.

**Before Bruce could turn the gun on himself, his eyes suddenly glowed green. The screen then changed to Bruce's point of view and through his eyes, his hands could be seen getting bigger and greener as the Hulk crushed the gun.**

"You put a bullet in your mouth." Tony said as he remembered what Bruce had told them all in the Helicarrier.

"And the Other Guy spit it out." Bruce finished.

**The enraged Hulk punched the ground and a quake was caused, followed by an avalanche that brought mountain down.**

"What the hell?" Natasha said in horror.

"That is why I wanted everyone to stay away from me." Bruce said.

"This incident was detected by satellite." Fury said.

"Yeah. I remember that." Hill said too.

"Oh no!" Tony said too.

**Then, an unspecified amount of time later, metronome ticked incessantly and a hand clamped down on the metronome, and a shirtless and sweating Bruce Banner stared at it, panting. Bruce was sitting on a mat on the floor of a very bare-looking room, and had just moved the metronome from beside the mat. He pushed the ticker into place as the words "**_**Days Without Incident: 158"**_** appeared in white on the lower right corner of the screen.**

"Just over five months." Vision noted.

"That was probably the best I ever reached." Bruce said.

"Impressive, buddy." Tony said.

"Yes. Your concentration to prevent that must have been impressive." Thor said too as Banner nodded.

**There was a wide shot of the crowded ramshackle buildings of a shantytown, one that spanned many steep hilltops. **

"The Rocinha Favela?" Clint asked.

"Yes." Bruce nodded.

"Really, nowadays I wonder why I didn't have an incident on there." Professor Hulk said, "It was one crowded place."

"Yeah. Last I heard, the place had two hundred and fifty thousand." Hill said.

"That's one big slum." Steve commented.

"Biggest in Brazil." Natasha said.

"And I lived there." Bruce sighed.

**Bruce stood on a hilltop with a soda in his hand, looking out over the district. The scene changed and Bruce was cooking some meat with a wooden spoon. He paused to feed a bit of it to his black dog nearby. **

"You have a dog?" Peter asked.

"I used to." Bruce said.

"Dogs." Thor commented, "Very loyal."

"Yes. If they were as big and fast as horses, things would be easier." Odinson agreed.

"I don't know what happened to him." Bruce sighed.

"I do. Professor Hulk said sadly and everyone realized from the tone of his voice that it was nothing good.

**Bruce dished out the rest of the meat on a plate, and went to turn on a little old television, picking up a worn black English-Portugese dictionary resting on top of it. He flipped past a weather channel, a soccer game broadcast, a drama series, and paused on a Sesame Street segment.**

"Cookie Monster!" Tony said with a smirk.

"C is for 'cookie', that's good enough for me!" Sam said in a sing-song voice and most of the people laughed at fond memories.

**Bruce sat down in a chair in front of the television with his breakfast and his Portuguese dictionary. He opened the dictionary with one hand, glancing at the television as he ate. He flipped to the word he was looking for, which was **_**'hungry'**_**, and said it over a few times as he ate. The dog blinked its round brown-rimmed eyes at him, and Bruce scruffled it affectionately behind the ears.**

"So he knows what I'm saying." Bruce said with a smile.

"Yes. He does." Professor Hulk said.

**Bruce walked down a staircase that sloped down the hill on which his very high apartment sat alongside a wall decorated with red tiles. Later, In a martial arts studio, the instructor flipped Bruce over his back and then practiced the move again more slowly. He told Bruce in Portuguese to work on his breathing as he finished. He sat on the floor facing Bruce, and put his hand on his chest just under his collarbone. He told Bruce to control his emotions. And Bruce puffed in and out, brow furrowed in concentration. **

"Did it help?" Thor asked.

"Yes." Bruce said, "For a time."

**The instructor told Bruce to use his diaphragm and demonstrated it too. He told Bruce to control his pulse and then struck him across the face. **

"Bad idea." Rhodes said.

"If he had known, he wouldn't have probably." Wanda said.

"Yup." Bruce agreed.

"Good thing I wasn't around at the moment." Loki said and everyone glared at him, making him shut up.

**Bruce's head was thrown aside, and his heart monitor began beeping wildly as he was struck again. He glanced down at it in some alarm, seeing that his heart rate had climbed dangerously high. He breathed a little and it lowly started climbing down.**

"Phew!" Peter sighed in relief.

"Don't worry. It was fine." Bruce assured.

"For a while." Professor Hulk said.

**Later, Bruce was changing in a locker room when a bald coworker bumped into him on purpose, making him almost hit the locker. Bruce glared at him and sighed, calming himself down as he took off his cap.**

"Bad idea." Peter told the coworker.

"What's his problem?" Tony asked.

"Xenophobia." Bruce said and everyone gave a collective "Oh!"

**Later, Bruce was wheeling some bottles around as they moved up on a conveyor. Workers were filling up the bottles with liquids and stacking them up. Bruce stopped to give a package to a female coworker of his called Martina. As he walked off, she looked after him with a smile.**

"She likes what she's seeing." Tony commented and everyone snickered.

"I liked what I saw too." Bruce said as everyone turned to him.

"But because of everything going on, it would never have worked out." Professor Hulk said and they all nodded.

"I can understand." Steve said in sympathy as Bruce nodded.

**The Plant Manager called Bruce upstairs to fix some broken machinery and he nodded. Bruce then worked on the damaged controller of a part of the conveyor with the manager next to him and managed to make it work as the belt started again. Bruce explained the problem as the manager joked that he needed a new factory. Grateful for how much Bruce had helped him in the past few months, the manager offered to put him on payroll. Just as Bruce finished putting the machine back in place, he sliced open his finger accidentally and two large drops of his gamma-infested blood fell down somewhere in the bottles.**

"Shit!" Sam cursed.

"The world always makes everything tough." Scott said.

"Even impossible." Hope sighed.

"Yup." Bruce agreed, remembering what had happened after that.

"This is going to go downhill real fast." Benjamin said to prepare everyone.

**Horrified, Banner ran down, demanding to stop the conveyor. The manager quickly had it shut down as Bruce looked around for his blood. He sighed in relief when he saw it had fallen between two of the bottles. He quickly cleaned it, making sure no stain was left, and closed up his finger with the crazy glue. He then told the manager to start it again. The manager shrugged and the conveyor was started. What nobody noticed was that the other drop of his blood had fallen at the opening of one of the bottles that was now being moved up in the conveyor.**

"Uh-oh." Rhodes said as everyone paled.

**That bottle, along with all of the others, was filled up and packed in a shipping container which was marked for the USA.**

"And now the time for trials has come." Xavier said.

"General Jackass is coming." Logan said and everyone snickered.

**Later, Bruce was walking off for lunch when he saw the bald coworker who bullied him trying to ask Martina out, though she refused. At first, he ignored but the man touched her face and Bruce returned, marching towards him. The man and his friends turned to him as Bruce asked Martina to have lunch with him. The bald man called him Gringo and told him to get lost. Bruce asked Martina to come with him again as the bald man tried to shoo him off. Bruce told him not to make him angry, but because he wasn't fluent in Portuguese, he ended up saying '**_**hungry'**_**, confusing everyone.**

Everyone laughed at that.

"It's not like all of you know Portuguese." Bruce said.

"Yeah. I don't think they do." Professor Hulk agreed.

"Doesn't meant we can't laugh about it." Odinson said.

"We have the Allspeak though." Thor pointed out and both the Thors nodded.

"Lucky you." Loki told him.

**The bald man attacked him but he dodged. The manager arrived and broke up the fight. Bruce quickly led Martina away.**

"Nice save." Clint said, impressed.

"That was very noble of you, Dr. Banner." T'Challa told him.

"She was my friend." Bruce said simply.

**Later, Bruce met a man he had hired to get something for him- a special kind of flower. The man held the flower up and Bruce hugged him happily. He returned the hug. Bruce later returned home and showed the flower to his dog, telling him it was their ticket out of the place. He then plugged in his laptop and also took out a picture of Betty, staring at it. He entered an encryption into his laptop and started chatting with someone called Mr. Blue, while referring to himself as Mr. Green. Mr. Blue told him to try the flower.**

"Who's Mr. Blue?" Bucky asked.

"You will see." Benjamin said.

"I believe he is a scientist of some kind." Vision said.

"Right you are, Viz." Professor Hulk told him.

**Bruce cut off the flower's petals and slowly synthesized its ingredients into a chemical concoction. He then cut his thumb and put the blood on a glass slide before pouring the concoction over it and placing it under a microscope. He could see his red blood cells, with greenish glowing energy over them. The greenish glow slowly faded away and he smiled happily, thinking he had found the cure. But then suddenly the greenish glow returned and the red color of the RBCs vanished, making them totally green again. Bruce shook his head, visibly deflated.**

"And it didn't work." Tony said.

"I wanted to cure it badly back then." Bruce said.

**Bruce messaged Mr. Blue again, telling him he had used the entire flower and that it was a failure. Mr. Blue told Bruce to meet but he said it wasn't safe. Mr. Blue retorted that living with Gamma poisoning wasn't safe and requested a blood sample, saying he couldn't help Bruce if he didn't let him.**

"I know how much you wanted to help." Bruce said with a glare.

"What happened?" Thor asked.

"Looks like the man was a fraud." Loki said.

"You will see." Professor Hulk told them.

**Bruce took a blood sample and labeling it Mr. Green, he packaged it, labeling it to Mr. Blue, before having it shipped off the following day. In Arlington, Virginia, Ross was signing some reports when Major Kathleen Sparr handed him a file and told him that a man had drank some kind of soda in Milwaukee and it gave him gamma sickness. The scene changed as Sparr's voice was heard to show an elderly man trying the soda and dropping it as the gamma blood affected him.**

"Him again!" Steve said as he recognized the old man from Tony's party in the previous recording.

"Who is this guy?" Tony wondered aloud.

"I still think he was my neighbor." Peter said.

"And I still don't remember him." Aunt May said.

"So the watcher drank my blood." Bruce said.

"And got sick from it." Professor Hulk said.

"So sick that he cut off my hair." Thor said and everyone laughed.

"And General Jackass is coming again." Logan said and everyone tensed.

**At Port Johnson, Everglades, the soldiers got ready as Ross stood with General Sam Greller, who told him about a special ops commando known as Emil Blonsky. Said commando stepped out of a helicopter.**

"Blonsky." Bruce growled.

"He is an asshat." Professor Hulk said.

"General Jackass and an asshat." Logan said and everyone laughed again.

**The transport plane took off as Sparr told the soldier about their mission, handing them photos of Banner. Blonsky asked if he was a fighter, to which Ross told him about everything Bruce had been charged with, telling Blonsky not to tranq him as soon as possible. **

"You will find out soon enough." Bruce growled at Blonsky.

**Bruce was lying in his home when his laptop beeped and he quickly entered an encryption, with Mr. Blue telling him he had reduced the gamma concentration in his blood. Bruce asked if it would cure him, to which Mr. Blue replied in the positive but asked for more data. Bruce told him he had no data. When Mr. Blue asked where the data was, Bruce looked at Betty's picture again and typed "HOME." He then shut the laptop. **

"You loved her a lot, didn't you?" Natasha asked and Bruce nodded.

**At night, a military vehicle arrived at the favela as some soldiers took their position outside Bruce's house. As Bruce slept, his dog sensed the intruders and woke up, making Bruce wake up too. The soldiers snuck a snake camera though the door and started looking for him. The dog saw it and bit it, making them retract it.**

"Good boy." Bruce said with a smile.

**A soldier put an explosive near the door and at Ross' order, Blonsky pressed the detonator, blowing the door open. They entered as the dog barked at them and shot tranqs into the sleeping form of Bruce. They removed the covers, only to see pillows and a Styrofoam head with a cap and wig on it.**

"Smart." Natasha commented.

"I know you would say no, but you definitely are a potentially good SHIELD agent." Clint told him.

"But he wouldn't want to be." Fury said.

"Too many headaches." Bruce said simply.

**Blosnky told Ross that Bruce was gone and annoyed by the dog's barking, shot him and a whimper was heard as the dog fell unconscious.**

"No!" Bruce cried in agony out as Thor put a hand on his shoulder in support.

"Oh no!" Peter said sadly as he heard the dog's whimper while Aunt May put a hand on his head.

Wanda had tears in her eyes as she remembered the death of her dog on hearing the whimper when she was a kid and Vision put a hand around her for support.

"Bastard." Thor cursed.

"Even I wouldn't hurt defenseless animals." Loki snarled.

"What did he get by shooting the dog?" Steve said aloud.

"Nothing." Tony said.

"He was an asshat. He did bad shit." Logan said, "He thought shooting the dog made him powerful."

"I wish I could have taken him with me." Professor Hulk said.

"I should have taken him with me!" Bruce said as guilt flooded through him.

"Do not blame yourself, Dr. Banner. You were in a panicked state back then." T'Challa told him and he nodded.

"He's lucky I'm not getting my hands on him anytime soon." Sam said.

"Same here." Rhodes said.

"Trust me. You don't want that." Benjamin told them and they tensed.

"Hope he gets what's coming to him." Clint said.

"I am waiting to see that too." Natasha said.

"I have a feeling we will." Fury said.

"Same." Bucky said too.

"Can't wait." Hill said.

"You will see." Banner and Professor Hulk said at the same time.

"At least he didn't kill the dog." Pepper said and everyone relaxed at that.

**Blonsky looked out of the window to see a rope. Banner climbed out and jumped into Martina's house, who was getting dressed. She screamed but he quickly shushed her. Blonsky and the other soldiers ran past the unconscious dog towards the streets as Bruce kissed Martina on the lips and thanked her.**

"And that was the last time I saw her." Bruce said.

"She was a kind woman." T'Challa noted and everyone nodded.

**Bruce put his hood over his head and ran across the street, only to stop on seeing Blonsky and another soldier. He hid his face under a hood and tried to walk away but Blonsky had recognized him and the two started running after him, making him take off in the opposite direction. In his vehicle, Ross ordered all soldiers to pursue Banner.**

"And it's on." Sam said.

**Bruce ran across Rocinha as the Blonsky and the others ran after him. He ran through some children playing with a ball. Blonsky and the soldiers ran after him and the kids screamed in fear on seeing the military men.**

"A normal day in all of their lives ruined by uninvited guests." Bruce sighed.

"I would love to meet this Ross." Thor growled darkly.

**Bruce continued to run across the confined space of the favela as Blonsky and the others ran after him. Blonsky aimed at him but Bruce ran into a corner and the soldiers ran after him as Blonsky took a shortcut. Bruce ran over at a rooftop, pushing the hanging clothes out of his way as his cap fell off. One of the soldiers ran after him but when the clothes were out of his way, he ended up falling off the edge to the ground.**

"You had the entire place memorized." Natasha commented.

"For a time like this." Bruce said.

"And it paid off." Professor Hulk said, "Mostly."

**Bruce continued running and jumping around on rooftops as one soldier fired at him but missed. Bruce leapt down from that roof but realized his heart monitor was beeping wildly. He staggered near a box of "Coca Cola" bottles and stopped there, breathing heavily. Blonsky saw him from the other side of the box and started aiming. **

"Oh my God!" Oh my God!" Peter was saying repeatedly as everyone watched with held back breaths.

**The heart rate managed to climb down as Bruce noticed Blonsky aiming at him and picked himself up. He saw Blonsky trying to aim at him and he ducked before running out of the way as people screamed in fear. Blonsky fired but Bruce avoided the dart. He continued running until the military vehicle stopped in front of him. And out stepped Thunderbolt Ross. The two made eye contact and the hatred for each other was visible in both of their eyes before Bruce took off again.**

"General Jackass meets his quarry." Logan joked to lighten the mood and it worked as everyone chuckled lightly.

"He really is trying hard." Tony said.

"People try their best to save their asses." Fury said.

"And he managed to cover up his shady actions." T'Challa sighed, reminded a bit of his father.

**Ross ordered the soldiers to find him as he continued running while Blonsky and the other soldiers were on the lookout. Eventually, Bruce found himself in a crowded area. As he looked back to see if anyone was following or not, he accidentally bumped into a man. He turned to see the man and his friends glaring at him. It was his bald, xenophobic coworker and his friends.**

"As if things weren't bad enough already." Bucky sighed, remembering the chase in Romania.

"He had to be there." Sam said too.

"I handled it." Bruce said, "For a while."

"This guy was giving me bad vibes right from the start." Tony said.

"And Ross wasn't?" Steve asked and Tony sighed.

**Bruce tried to diffuse the situation but the bald man attacked. Bruce dodged and flipped him over his back, just like the instructor had taught him. He managed to crush the second one's foot and pushed the third one off before running away again.**

"So that did help." Thor noted.

"Brazilian jiu-jitsu." Natasha noted, recognizing the fighting style.

"The best I could get back then." Bruce said.

"If I still got into fights, I could combine that with Hulk' strength." Professor Hulk said and everyone nodded.

**Bruce ran towards the bottling factory as the bald man and his friends chased him too. Bruce managed to sneak into the factory. Blonsky noticed the bald man and his friends sneaking in from his vantage point and informed Ross before moving in himself.**

"And this is just getting worse and worse." Rhodes said.

"The universe hates everyone in this room." Hill sighed.

"Yup." Tony said in agreement.

**Bruce once again stopped and took deep breaths to lower his heart rate before noticing shadows, causing him to move away again. As Blonsky and the soldiers looked around for him, Bruce ran up and opened a door, only to reveal the bald coworker and two of his friends on the other side. He turned around, only to see the bald man's other friend.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"And this is where it truly goes to shit." Bruce said.

"It's not gonna be pretty." Professor Hulk said too.

**One of them grabbed him and the other one snatched his backpack. Bruce elbowed the one grabbing him and tried to take it back but they threw it off. The two friends then grabbed him and pinned him to a wall as the bald one taunted him. Bruce tried to explain the situation as Blonsky and the soldiers arrived. Bruce's heart rate was climbing now as he told the man to not make him angry, to which the man mocked him. Blonsky fired a dart and it hit one of the man's friends, making him faint as the leader punched Bruce down. Bruce's heart rate was very high at this point.**

"Now that was a bad idea." Fury said.

"More like bad coincidence." Pepper said.

**Bruce's eyes glowed green in the dark.**

"Oh no!" Peter said as everyone tensed.

"Here it comes." Professor Hulk said.

"You might not like it." Bruce said.

**The heart monitor fell on the floor as Bruce started spasming and the soldiers noticed it. The bald leader was annoyed by the noise and kicked Bruce, only to scream in pain as his foot broke.**

In spite of the situation, no one could help their laughter at that.

**He was pulled into the shadows by a huge figure as the two friends tensed. Blonsky noticed that too. As the two moved into the shadows, their leader was suddenly hurled away and he crashed through two windows before hitting a wall and falling down, dead.**

Bruce and Professor Hulk both winced. While the man was a jerk, he didn't deserve to die.

"It wasn't your fault, Bruce." Thor assured him, summing up everyone's thoughts.

**The two noticed a huge, green figure. It let out a terrifying and bone-chilling roar, making them run off. The sound was heard by Ross too via comms and the people there had to momentarily take off their earpieces for the sake of their ears.**

"Uh-oh!" Sam said, summing up everyone's thoughts.

"It appears they have unleashed the Hulk." Vision noted.

**Blonsky moved past the dead leader towards the source of the roar. The two friends of the leader were running off when the huge figure grabbed one of them. The other looked back but didn't break stride as the one who was grabbed was pulled into the shadows. A second later, his shoe fell on the ground.**

"Is it just me or does anyone else think we're watching a horror movie?" Peter asked.

"Almost feels like a Japanese horror movie." Sam said and everyone chuckled lightly in spite of the situation.

**The other friend ran past the soldiers as Ross told them to use everything they had got. Blonsky and the soldiers fired their darts at him but they deflected off his impenetrable exterior as he turned around and charged, throwing machinery around. He grabbed two of the soldiers, startling Ross as Blosnky fired again, smashing some bottles. The huge figure hurled the two soldiers away and they hit a pillar and fell down, dead. The alarms of the factory started blaring at this point and the conveyor belt started.**

"And now this has gotten even worse." Aunt May said.

**The bottles smashed into each other at the belt and fell down as the soldiers fired at the fleeing figure. They ran after him, trying to fire at him but only hit giant clotheslines of steel. One of them threw a grenade and it fell at the feet of the green goliath. It exploded, lighting up the place temporarily, revealing the huge figure's size to the soldiers.**

"Oh boy!" A visibly terrified Peter said.

"These soldiers are in over their heads." Scott noted.

"Prevents me from feeling bad for them." Hope said.

**As the smoke started clearing, the soldiers realized something was moving towards them. It was a giant clothesline, pushed by the figure at them. They ran or ducked to avoid as Blonsky fired at the floor under it to make it fall down but to no avail. He sidestepped to avoid as it crashed into the wall and green soda showered Blonsky.**

"How do you like that, huh?" Tony said and everyone snickered.

"A bath in the middle of a job." Peter said and everyone snickered again.

"A green one." Bruce said and this time everyone laughed.

"I bet he wasn't expecting that." Professor Hulk said.

**Blonsky was the only soldier not incapacitated now and followed the figure from above, firing at him to no avail. The figure stopped as Blonsky reloaded. The figure stepped out of the shadows, revealing its face- a huge green monster gritting its teeth angrily at Blonsky. The commando actually paled at the sight and lowered his gun.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said in fear as everyone tensed.

"Is it just me or did you look more scary back then?" Tony asked and everyone wondered about it. [4]

"I think I agree with you, bub." Logan said.

**The green goliath lifted a pitchfork truck and threw it at Blonsky, who barely avoided it as the floor broke and he had to hold onto the tiles for dear life. He watched in horror as the monster roared and smashed through the factory wall. Ross screamed in terror as more soldiers ran up behind Blonsky. A terrifying roar was heard across the whole favela and in the nearby forests.**

"That was-" Sam started.

"Intense?" Steve asked and he nodded.

"I can't imagine how bad it would have been for you." Bucky said as Bruce and Professor Hulk simply nodded.

"Well, at least I got out of there." Bruce said.

"Under those circumstances, it was the best that could be done." Professor Hulk said.

"I concur." Tony said.

"Yeah, I think you did your best, Bruce." Natasha said.

"Well, I can't wait to meet Ross again." Clint said darkly.

"All this." Wanda snarled, "And he had the audacity to put me in a collar!"

"I will enjoy meeting him." Clint said. The man had threatened his family and treated Wanda like she wasn't human. He considered her a part of his family too. She was like his daughter.

"Take me with you." Thor said.

"Well, Ross should start counting his days." Loki said.

"I am with you lot on this." Tony said.

"Me too." Steve agreed.

"Let's continue watching." Peter said.

"Yeah." Logan said, "You will get more reasons to hate General Jackass."

* * *

**And finally I have finished this. I covered the first 26 minutes of the movie in the chapter. The favela escape was a joy to watch and write about with that soundtrack playing in the background.**

**[1] A reference to the time Edward Norton played Bruce in "The Incredible Hulk." Also a reference to Norton's role in the 1999 movie "Fight Club" in which he starred alongside Brad Pitt.**

**[2] A reference to Eric Bana who played Bruce Banner/Hulk in the 2003 Hulk movie by Ang Lee. I want to forget that one. Also a reference to Bana's role in the 2004 movie "Troy" in which he starred alongside Brad Pitt. Wow! What a coincidence. Did Bill Bixby, Mark Ruffalo or Lou Ferrigno also star alongside Brad Pitt in any movie? Because if they did, it would be one hell of a coincidence.**

**[3] This scene in which Bruce tried to commit suicide but transformed into Hulk was a deleted scene and that's what I was referencing with Bruce's line. The only reason its cannon is because of Bruce telling everyone about it in the first Avengers movie. I loved it though so I put it in.**

**[4] This might be just me but I found the design of Hulk in this movie scarier than in his following appearances. Though the other one grew on me eventually.**

**So to conclude, underrated movie, underrated OST, underrated performance by Ed Norton. Now I love Ruffalo but I found Norton great too. And this is just my opinion, but I think Norton did one thing a bit better than Ruffalo and that is portraying Banner's fear of unleashing Hulk. Still, I love Ruffalo in the role. And I also love Ruffalo because "YEEEEAAAAAH MARK RUFFALO HUUUUH!"**

**Hope you enjoyed. See you all in the next chapter.**


	9. Home and trouble

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**marty munster: Thank you for the review. Forgot to reply to you in the last chapter. I will see about Ross as Red Hulk if I can fit it in.**

Chapter 9- Home and trouble

"So what's going to happen now?" Peter asked.

"I did turn back to normal." Bruce said.

"But like always, trouble ran into me." Professor Hulk joked and everyone snickered.

**Blonsky put Bruce's bag on the table and noticing Betty's picture, asked Ross and Sparr if it was his girlfriend, to which he replied she was a non-factor. Blonsky then told the two about the huge thing that had attacked him and his men and thrown a forklift truck like a softball. He said he was going to put his foot on Banner's throat and Ross told him the creature was Banner and asked him to pack up so they could go home. He then looked out of the place from where Banner had climbed out.**

"Ross doesn't treat him very respectfully either." Steve noted.

"He doesn't treat anyone with respect." Tony said.

"And Enhanced get even worse treatment from him." Wanda snarled.

"Because he is General Jackass." Logan said.

"I got a better name." Pepper said all turned to her, "General Jackoss."

"What?" Thor asked.

"Jackass and Ross combined make Jackoss." Pepper said with a smirk and after a few seconds of processing it, everyone laughed loudly at her wit.

"You're the wittiest woman ever." Hope said as she struggled to control her laughter.

"Wittiest person." Scott corrected.

"Hey!" Tony said in mock offense.

"I think I'm with those two on this, Mr. Stark." Peter said and Tony sighed.

"I won't forget this, kid." Tony joked and all laughed.

**The scene changed to a forest area where a naked Bruce woke up near a waterfall as the words **_**"Days Without Incident: 1" **_**appeared in white on the lower right corner of the screen.**

"And you're back to square one." Vision said.

"I'd be more worried about finding clothes at this point." Wanda said and everyone chuckled.

"It is still a huge problem." Bruce said.

"Not for me." Professor Hulk said.

"Lucky you." Bruce said.

**Getting up, Bruce held the remains of his jeans tightly to cover his dignity and walked around until he spotted an oncoming car and stopping the driver, asked if he could help him, to which the driver replied he didn't speak Portuguese. A shocked Bruce asked where he was, to which the driver replied Guatemala.**

"Okay what?" Rhodes asked in shock.

"Don't ask me." Bruce said, "I don't remember."

"Well, at least you managed to get out of Brazil." Natasha noted.

"And Ross is trying to gather more resources right now." Clint said.

**The driver said he was going to the next town and agreed to help Bruce, letting him inside and putting a blanket over him. He asked Bruce where he was going, to which he replied, "Home." At the army base, Ross and Blonsky walked together as the latter told the former that what they were dealing with was a new level of weird and he didn't feel inclined to step away from that so if they took another crack at him, they needed to be prepared. Ross had an unreadable look on his face.**

"He must really think of himself as a real life Tom Cruise or something." Tony joked, "That man does his own risky stunts and this guy wants to fight the Hulk."

"I think you have made a good observation, Mr. Stark." T'Challa said.

"But Blonsky managed to screw himself over." Fury said.

**Bruce walked through the Chiapas, Mexico, half-naked and sat around near marketplaces, depressed, when a kid mistook him for a beggar and dropped alms into his hands. That gave Bruce an idea and soon, he had enough money to buy clothes. He got a huge pant and measured it behind a fat man near him and bought stretchy clothes.**

"That was smart of you." Hill noted.

"The best I could do." Bruce sighed.

**Bruce then walked through a path in the middle of a forest, eager to return home. In the army base, Ross beckoned Blonsky into a laboratory and told him about the Super Soldier program, saying he had got people working on it again.**

Steve and Bucky exchanged shocked looks as almost everyone turned to them and Banner in shock.

"What?" Bucky asked, exasperated.

"The Super Soldier Serum?" Tony asked.

"What I was doing, it was an attempt to replicate the Super Soldier Serum." Professor Hulk said.

"Only I didn't know at the time." Bruce told them.

"They wanted to make it again because the formula died with Dr. Erskine." Steve realized and everyone nodded.

"What Ross didn't know was that he was playing with power he didn't understand." Fury said.

"Typical of humans." Loki smirked, only to find everyone glaring at him.

"You did the same." Thor said bluntly and he sighed.

"Well, Ross is giving me more and more reasons to expose his shady actions." Natasha said.

"I will put a few more arrows in him now." Clint said.

"Don't blame you, bub." Logan said simply.

"He was an immoral man." Xavier sighed, _'And now he is an immoral monster.'_ He thought to himself.

"Let's continue watching." Benjamin said.

**Ross said he had made Banner believe they were working on radiation resistance which is why when he was sure what he was onto, he had tested it on himself. It had gone very wrong and very right at the same time. He then said Banner's whole body was property of the US Army.**

"WHAT?!" Rhodes exploded with rage.

"How dare he?" Wanda shook with rage as Vision had to put an arm around her.

"And that makes about three more arrows." Clint snarled.

"He made me a fugitive and now he wants to use me." Bruce snarled, "Why am I not surprised?"

"Because he is the worst." Professor Hulk said.

"If anyone supported him after seeing this, then that person is as bad as him." Tony said, feeling guilty for working with him.

"We can make this right, Tony." Steve said and he nodded.

"I will not let him near my boy." Aunt May said as she clutched Peter close.

"I would love to light him up." Thor said.

"Trust me, you're not the only one." Odinson told him.

"General Jackoss. Wish I could have put my claws in him back then." Logan said.

**Ross asked Blonsky his age, to which he replied 39. He asked Blosnky why he wasn't a Colonel at this point, to which he replied he was a fighter and if he combined his current experience with his 29 year old body, he would be invincible. Ross told him he could arrange something like that.**

"Oh no." Steve said, realizing what Ross intended to do.

"Nothing good came of that." Hill remembered.

"Yeah, made my week even worse." Fury sighed.

"Your big week." Natasha told Fury, "I remember."

"This is going to get even worse." Benjamin said.

"I know." Bruce and Professor Hulk said simultaneously.

**At Culver University, Virginia, Bruce hid behind a newspaper, watching students go in and out as the words **_**"Days Without Incident: 17" **_**appeared on the screen in white. He started walking towards the university but saw that the guard checked the IDs of the students so he turned away, visibly deflated. That was when he saw Betty Ross walking at the campus, talking to some other teachers with a smile on her face. She sat on a bench as Bruce watched her from behind a tree, his face a mix of happiness and longing on seeing her again.**

Bruce had the same expression as his onscreen self. It had been years since he had seen her. And he still loved her even after all this time. What he had felt for Natasha was just infatuation. What he had felt for Betty was true love. [1]

Thor put a hand on his shoulder for support, "It's okay, Banner. Once I light up Ross, you can start something with her again."

Bruce nodded at him with a smile, "Thanks Thor."

"She is still my friend and partner at times." Professor Hulk said as they turned to him, "But because of my condition, it's impossible for us to be together."

Bruce nodded at that, "I will see if I can find a better solution."

"It'll be awesome if you do." Professor Hulk said.

**She looked in his direction and he started moving behind the tree when he saw another man walk up to her. She got up and with a smile, kissed him on the lips and the two went away hand-in-hand. Bruce understood though. He couldn't expect her to hold onto him after all these years. But that didn't prevent him from being deflated.**

"Snap." Tony said.

**At a pizza parlor, the owner, whose name was Stanley Lieber, was about to close up when Bruce knocked at the door. He gestured him to look at the sign but Bruce knocked again and he looked up to see who it was. His eyes lit up and a few minutes later, the two were sitting across from each other. Bruce told Stanley that everything he had heard on the news about him was false and the man said that he never believed in that anyway as he knew Bruce and Betty well. **

"Good to have your old friends believe in you even after so long." Wanda sighed.

"I know the feeling." Bucky said as he exchanged looks with Steve and Natasha.

Bruce nodded in appreciation.

"Even I know that feeling." Loki said with a smirk.

**Bruce inquired about Betty and Stanley told her she was dating a shrink who was a really nice guy, which Bruce seemed to accept. Bruce asked for a bed and Stanley said he could use the spare room upstairs before Bruce asked for another favor. The next day, Banner rode into Culver University on a bicycle, dressed as a pizza delivery man with a box of pizza on the bicycle.**

"Whoa!" Tony said, surprised.

"Dr. Banner, the pizza delivery guy." Sam said with a smirk as everyone snickered.

"I even delivered some of it." Bruce said.

**Bruce attempted to sneak past a security guard, claiming someone upstairs had ordered a pizza. The guard refused to let him pass without clearance but Bruce said he risked being fired if he didn't collect payment and offered the guard a box of pizza he had not been able to collect on. The guard accepted it and the two shook hands with Bruce going inside.**

"Nice." Natasha said.

"You are very convincing." Hill said.

"Sometimes." Bruce shrugged.

**Bruce walked upstairs and remembered the space in which he had worked five years ago just before everything had gone terribly wrong. He then walked into the computer class and started typing on a computer, exchanging a look with a student he had bribed with the pizza.**

"Oh my God!" Peter said as he recognized the student.

"What's the matter, kid?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, what happened?" Aunt May asked too.

"That's Roger Harrington. My science teacher." Peter said and everyone was a bit shocked. [2]

"Yup. That's him." Benjamin said, "He was the smartest student in computer class and worked on the computers."

"It's a small world." Professor Hulk said.

"Too small at times." Bruce sighed.

**Bruce logged onto the computer using Betty's password and searched for the data, only to find it was gone. He tried to search for his own name but there was no record of that either. Deflated again, Bruce entered his encryption into the computer and called Mr. Blue, telling him the data was gone. Mr. Blue said he couldn't help him without the data and asked what he was going to do now, to which Bruce replied he would keep moving.**

"You found the data after that?" Wanda asked.

"I did." Bruce said.

"And it wasn't pleasant." Professor Hulk told them to prepare for what was coming.

"General Jackoss always has to stick his nose everywhere." Logan said and everyone snickered at the nickname Pepper had given Ross.

"You should demand a fee every time someone uses that name." Tony told Pepper with a smirk.

"Nah. I am not heartless." Pepper said and everyone chuckled.

"I remember how bad it was." Fury said, remembering his big week.

**At night, Bruce was preparing to move away as Betty and her boyfriend, Leonard Samson, arrived at the place. Stanley let them sit there and the two talked and laughed. Betty looked behind Samson for a moment and saw Bruce coming out of the door. He saw her and immediately shut the door, moving away. Betty, with a shocked expression on her face, got up and moved towards the door as Samson and Stanley looked at her in concern.**

"And now it has become even more complicated." Sam sighed.

"Like always." Bucky said.

"Yup." Bruce agreed.

**Betty walked out of the place and looked around in the night for Bruce, whispering his name. Bruce hid behind a trash can, his face a mix of emotions. He wanted to go up to her, touch her, hug her, kiss her, and never let go. But he couldn't put her in danger. Samson led Betty back inside and she asked Stanley to tell her the truth. With a sigh, he started telling her everything.**

"And now it's out." Tony said.

"Is it a good thing or a bad thing?" Peter asked Bruce.

"A bit of both." He said.

"Sounds like something the Guardians would say." Professor Hulk said.

"The Guardians?" Thor asked.

"Friends of ours." Odinson said with a smile, having fond memories of them.

"We'll tell you later about them." Benjamin said.

**Bruce was walking out in the rain, about to leave the city. That was when he heard a car pull up behind him. He turned around to see Betty walking out of the car, her face a mix of shock, happiness, and longing. The two ran up to each other and hugged tightly, not wanting to let go.** "**Don't go. Don't go." She begged as the two hugged even tighter and she stroked his face and hair, "I want you to come with me now. Please. Come with me. Please."**

No one said a word. The scene in front of them was too emotional to comment on. Peter, Wanda, Aunt May, and Pepper, the most sensitive people in the entire group, actually sniffed.

Bruce lowered his head simply, remembering how happy he had felt in that moment. Professor Hulk had the same reaction.

Once everyone had recovered themselves, Benjamin continued the recording.

**Betty drove Bruce to her home and shut all the blinds and doors before revealing to him that she had the data with her as she had taken it before they had covered up the mess.**

"Yes!" Thor said happily.

"Don't be happy yet." Bruce warned everyone.

**Bruce asked her if Ross knew about it, to which she replied she hadn't spoken to him in years. She asked him why they couldn't just go to him together and speak to him, to which Bruce replied that he wanted to dissect and replicate what he had inside him.**

"She thought she could still reason with him." Steve sighed.

"He was an evil jackass but he was still her father." Logan said.

"A part of her thought he would do the right thing." Xavier said.

"That part was wrong unfortunately." Benjamin said.

"She found out soon afterwards what her father was." Bruce said.

"And she disowned him completely because of that." Professor Hulk said.

**In the army base, Ross entered an old storage area and found what he needed. He unlocked the device and collected the Super Soldier Serum.**

"The Serum!" Steve said as everyone watched in horror.

"Your strength in an animal abusing bully." Bucky sighed, "This is not going to end well."

"You will see." Bruce and Professor Hulk again said simultaneously.

**At Betty's home, Betty helped Bruce set up his bed and gave him a shaver to shave his beard. He told her he needed to leave the next day, to her disappointment. He asked to borrow some cash for a bus and she agreed, saying she would walk him to the station, to which he agreed. The two later lay on their beds, thinking about each other and their predicament before finally falling asleep. At the army base, a shirtless Blonsky walked into a lab.**

"Oh boy!" Tony said, summing up everyone's thoughts.

"He is going to be injected with the serum." T'Challa said.

**Ross told him he had to stay disciplined though. The doctor told him they would inject him in the muscles and bone marrow. The latter one would hurt. Blonsky was then injected in the muscles via neck. He was injected into the bone marrow as well and winced in pain, trying not to scream, as Ross watched on.**

"And now they have made an evil version of Cap." Tony said in horror.

"I wish you could teach him a lesson." Natasha said to Steve.

"I would if he ever crossed paths with me." Steve said.

"Just wait and watch." Benjamin said.

**The next day, Bruce and Betty stood in the Culver University, preparing to leave as lightning cracked in the sky. Betty stopped Bruce and untucked his shirt before taking off his cap and setting his hair lovingly.**

"Awww." Sam and Rhodes said as Bruce and Professor Hulk shook their heads.

**That was when Bruce saw some soldiers running up and told Betty to run, in spite of her not wanting to leave him. He started running off too as military vehicles drove into the campus, with Ross giving orders in a tank.**

"They had to ruin the moment!" Tony said.

"General Jackoss." Logan and Pepper said at the same time and everyone laughed.

"This is going to get serious now." Bruce said and everyone tensed.

**Bruce saw Blonsky and several soldiers running up to him and he took off in the other direction as Blonsky managed to outrun the other soldiers but stopped on Ross' order, stopping the others too. Bruce ran into a library as some soldiers followed him. Crouching between two shelves, Bruce took out the memory stick and to his own disgust, swallowed it.**

"Eugh!" Peter said in disgust, summing up everyone's reaction.

"I did the only thing that came to my mind." Bruce said.

**Outside, Betty ran in front of the tank in which Ross was seated and begged him to stop. "DAAAAD!" She screamed and they all walked out, though Ross told her she couldn't see things clearly.**

Everyone's jaw dropped at Betty's bravery and love for Bruce.

"She will see things clearly soon, General Jackoss." Logan snarled.

**They noticed Bruce running up in the overpass and the soldiers locked him from both sides before two canisters were fired at Ross' order. As the gas came up, Bruce used his shirt to cover his nose. Betty ran up to him as two soldiers ran after her on Ross' order. She elbowed one hard, making him fall down as his nose broke.**

"She has one strong elbow." Hope complimented.

"Maybe you can train her." Scott said.

"Oh even I would love to." Natasha said with a smirk.

**The other one grabbed her and threw her to the ground. Seeing that, Bruce's eyes widened and he fell down. A second later, a large hand smacked the glass, cracking it. The hand got greener and bigger as Bruce started transforming, painfully tearing through his clothes. Everyone saw a huge silhouette from outside before it punched the overpass, shattering the glass. The Hulk jumped out of the overpass on the ground as Ross said, "Now she'll see."**

"That you are a jackass." Tony snarled.

"Oh boy!" Peter said as everyone tensed, wondering what would happen now.

"I think these guys are screwed." Thor said.

**Hulk roared loudly as Ross and Blonsky stared at him in anticipation while Betty stared at him in horror and shock, but not fear or disgust. The soldiers fired at him and he rushed them, unaffected. A humvee came up to him, firing. Hulk changed course and rushed the tank, ramming into its side and sending it crashing. Another one arrived as Hulk stood between it and the soldiers before kicking it, smashing it. He picked it up and crashed it into a nearby statue, shattering the statue and sending the soldiers fleeing as Betty gasped at the scene. Hulk then threw the lump of metal at two other humvees, shattering them into pieces and causing an explosion.**

"This is intense." Sam said.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Peter was saying again.

"Did you do anything to Ross here?" Clint asked.

"No." Bruce said and everyone deflated.

"But I did do something to Blonsky." Professor Hulk said and everyone cheered up.

**Students arrived to take photos and videos of the scene as Ross ordered Blonsky to enter the fray. Blonsky fired tear gas grenades at Hulk which staggered him back before he ripped out two large pieces of the statue and brought them together to defend himself from another grenade before gritting his teeth in anger.**

Everyone was a bit unnerved by his expression except Bruce and Professor Hulk.

**Blonsky then ran up to Hulk and leapt over him to the other side before firing at him with his gun. Hulk charged furiously but he flipped to his other side and continued firing.**

"He's good." Natasha noted.

"If only his heart had been as good as his fighting skills." Steve said sadly.

**The gun ran out as Blonsky ducked, rolled or flipped to avoid Hulk who attacked him with the pieces of the statue. Hulk brought a piece down on him but he barely avoided before kicking the piece to slide himself backwards. He then ran on Ross' order as Hulk chased him and two cannons arrived. They were activated. Blonsky tried to leap high but they hit him, sending him flying off as Hulk was hit with the full force of the cannons. He dropped the two pieces and covered his ears in pain.**

Everyone watched the scene with wide eyes as Peter almost bit his nails.

"I'm so sorry, Bruce." Tony said as everyone turned to him, "Those cannon were made by Stark Industries."

Bruce looked down and with a sigh, looked back up, "It's okay, Tony. Who would think the US Army themselves would use your weapons like this?"

Tony nodded as everyone turned back to the screen.

**Hulk dropped to his knees as Betty begged Ross to stop but he refused. She screamed Bruce's name and Hulk heard. Her voice invigorated him and he picked the two pieces before getting back up. He defended himself with the pieces and threw one at the first cannon, destroying it. He then leapt and embedded the other piece into the other cannon, destroying it too as Ross watched in shock.**

"How do you like that, huh?" Peter asked with a chuckle.

"Not very much." Fury said.

"Even worse things will happen to him." Logan said.

"Not as bad as when I get my hands on him." Clint said darkly.

**A helicopter flew in on Ross' order as Blonsky fired at Hulk until he ran out. He then walked up to the green goliath and stood face to face with him. Ross ordered him to pull back but Blonsky threw his earpiece off. "Is that it?" He asked Hulk, "Is that all you got?" With a snarl, Hulk kicked him hard as Betty gasped. Blonsky crashed into a tree, breaking most of his bones.**

Everyone clapped and cheered at the scene happily.

"YES!" Thor and Peter said at the same time.

"You got what you deserved." Wanda said too.

"Appears so." Vision agreed.

"I'm normally not happy to see others get hurt but he deserved it." Aunt May said.

"He was pretty arrogant right from the start." Natasha said.

"And that arrogance was his downfall." T'Challa said.

"Doctor Erskine told me that on being injected with the serum, "good becomes great; bad becomes worse."" Steve said.

"So his arrogance increased." Bucky noted.

"And he became an even bigger asshat." Logan said.

**Ross coldly ordered the soldiers to fall back as Samson arrived at the scene and called out to Betty. Betty walked up to Hulk, unafraid of him. As he turned to her, she called him 'Bruce' and attempted to calm him down. As his anger started fading, the helicopter arrived and Ross ordered it to fire, not noticing how close Betty was to Hulk. The gunship fired and Hulk quickly ran up to Betty to protect her. Ross noticed her proximity to Hulk and ordered the pilot to stop firing but Hulk threw a huge shard of metal and it hit the helicopter, making it crash and explode. He covered Betty with his body as the explosion engulfed them. Ross screamed in horror.**

"Oh you actually care about your daughter? Wow!" Tony snarled sarcastically.

"He is the most careless commander ever." Rhodes said.

"I wonder how he became Secretary of State." Steve wondered.

**Rainwater poured down as Hulk emerged from the flames, cradling the unconscious Betty in his arms. She had some minor burns. Glaring at Ross, he gritted his teeth and snarled. Ross shivered and backed off, knowing that he had to give up for now. Hulk then turned and leapt away with the unconscious Betty.**

"So he does know when to give up. I'm surprised." Sam said.

"No he doesn't." Clint snarled.

"He has a stick up his ass." Logan said.

"I know." Professor Hulk said, "He is the worst person ever."

"Let's see what happens after this." Steve said and everyone nodded.

* * *

**And the chapter is done. We've covered half of the movie at this point. I think I can end this one in two more chapters.**

**[1] I'm pretty sure everyone knows how much I dislike the Bruce/Natasha pairing. It is the worst pairing in the MCU movies to be honest. It was forced and came out of nowhere and there was no chemistry either. It wasn't love. It was infatuation. What I saw of Bruce and Betty in this movie was true love and I was sold on it pretty easily. Now I don't know if Mark and Liv would have the same chemistry as Ed and Liv but Bruce and Betty actually was pretty well done. Natasha had chemistry with Steve and pairing her with Bucky would make the most sense because of their circumstances but Steve/Natasha would also make sense and so would Bruce/Betty. But Bruce/Natasha is the worst.**

**[2] I just found this out on the MCU wiki that the student at the computer lab in this movie was Roger Harrington, Peter's science teacher from Spider-Man: Homecoming and the head of the Decathlon Team. He definitely made an impression in that movie. So MCU truly is well connected, unlike other shared universes *cough* Arrowverse *cough*. In the movies at least.**

**And not gonna lie, Ross apologists creep me out. How that guy got apologists is beyond me. He is the absolute worst jackass and the stuff he did in this movie makes him totally irredeemable.**

**Hope you enjoyed. See you all in next chapter.**


	10. Mr Blue

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thank you for the reviews. Glad you enjoyed. I think Tony mistook Stan for Hugh Hefner. Maybe they look the same from behind. Or maybe the women Stan was hanging out with were Playboy Bunnies. Yeah, they changed Banner. I think Ruffalo's Banner is better as a supporting character but Norton's Banner is better as a lead. Yeah, I preferred this design too. Yeah, it sure is and Bruce definitely had a horrible life. Yeah, the soundtrack is awesome and now that I'm rewatching the movie for this fic, I appreciate it even more than before. You're welcome on General Jackass. No problem on Jackoss. You can still call him Jackass. And yeah, he is Red Hulk in the future. Yeah it's okay. Peter is the youngest though so he will be the most sensitive. Yeah, X-Men's timeline is a mess too. The roaring at the lightning might have been an indicator I guess. I think I remember the conflict too from the comics but not the details. Yeah, I find that funny too on Sean Bean. Brad Pitt dies, Eric Bana dies, Brian Cox dies, Peter O'Toole dies, Brendan Gleeson dies, Orlando Bloom becomes a cowardly bitch, but Sean Bean survives. He also survived in Silent Hill and another movie which is a terrible adaptation of an awesome book series. We don't talk about that adaptation here. But we do talk about the awesome book. I thought of referencing Spider-Man 2 but couldn't think of anything. Yeah they are the same height. Yup. I was right on that and I liked it too. My OTP for Natasha is Bucky/Natasha but I would love Steve/Natasha too. Me too. Agreed on Ross. Enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 10- Mr. Blue

"So who called the military?" Tony asked.

"I don't know." Bruce said.

"It has to be Samson." Natasha said.

"Yeah. He is the only one who could have done that." Clint said.

"Stanley obviously wasn't going to do it." Steve said.

"Yes. It was Samson." Professor Hulk said.

"Jealous much?" Scott asked him.

"No. Concerned much." Professor Hulk corrected him.

**At Betty's house, Ross and the soldiers investigated the place but finding nothing, came out. Ross told Samson he had done the right thing and that Betty was in incredible danger as long as she was with Bruce. Samson retorted that the only people from whom she was in danger were Ross and his soldiers because Hulk had protected her and they had almost killed her. Ross gave him his word that Betty's safety was his biggest priority.**

"Your word means jackshit to everyone in this room, bub." Logan snarled.

"It doesn't mean much to Samson either." Benjamin said.

**Samson told him that he was a shrink so he knew when someone was lying and said she would help him if she could. Ross said coldly that then she would be aiding a fugitive. As he walked off, Samson said, "I used to wonder why she never talked about you. Now I know!" Ross wondered how Betty met guys like Bruce and Samson as he walked into his vehicle.**

"Respect." Sam said to Samson with a smirk.

"Yeah. He is great." Rhodes said too.

"I can see why Betty liked him." Bruce said.

"She can see which person is good and which person is not." Professor Hulk said.

**Hulk carried Betty to a nearby forest as it rained overhead. He gently put her in a cave. She woke up and screamed for a second on seeing his face. He backed off and hit his head on the cave.**

"Ouch!" Tony said.

"That doesn't look fun." Peter said.

"Because it's not fun." Aunt May told him.

**As Betty realized who was standing in front of her, lightning cracked in the sky and Hulk snarled angrily, thinking of it as a threat. He turned around and threw a rock before roaring at the sky as Betty watched.**

"Looks like you're afraid of my brother." Loki said to Banner.

"Not all thunderstorms are caused by me." Thor shrugged.

"I'm guessing this is why Hulk loves to fight you." Bruce said.

"Yeah. I believe that too." Professor Hulk said.

"Eh! I can beat you pretty easily these days." Odinson said.

"Yeah, you can." Professor Hulk agreed.

"Didn't Hulk beat the hell out of you, Reindeer Games?" Tony asked him.

"You really think my brother is anywhere close to me in power?" Thor asked incredulously.

"As much as I hate to say it, my brother speaks the truth." Loki said.

"Real power hates embarrassing himself so he is speaking the truth." Fury said.

"So Hulk isn't the strongest Avenger?" Hill asked.

"You sure you won our second fight?" Bruce asked Thor.

"Uhhhh, yes." Thor said.

"No you didn't." Loki said.

"I was until the Grandmaster used his Obedience Disk." Thor retorted.

"I actually agree with him on this one. Thor would have beat me if not for the Obedience Disk." Professor Hulk said.

"Wait, second fight?" Steve asked.

"We can tell you about it." Thor told him.

"We will see that too later so no need." Xavier said so everyone focused on the scene again.

**Betty calmed Hulk down and beckoned him into the cave, making him watch his head. The two just sat down quietly and looked at the rain as she assured him it was just rain.**

Pepper started, "It almost looks-"

"Romantic?" Bruce asked and she nodded.

"Yeah. Even I have to admit that." Professor Hulk said, "Beauty and the Beast style romantic."

"Except no one has Stockholm Syndrome here." Steve said as everyone turned to him incredulously.

"What? I'm catching up." Steve shrugged.

"So proud of you, Cap." Sam said as he patted his shoulder.

"A Disney princess movie?" Tony asked with a raised eyebrow.

"So our dear Cap is a little girl at heart." Natasha smirked as Steve blushed.

"So this was your plan, huh?" Bucky said as everyone laughed.

"It's not like that's my favorite." Steve said and then realized he had made his situation even worse.

"What's your favorite, Cap?" Peter asked.

"Let me guess- Sleeping Beauty?" Aunt May asked, "Because you were frozen in ice."

"Uhhh, no." Steve said.

"Aladdin?" Hope asked and he shrugged again.

"Oh I know." Scott said, "It's The Little Mermaid."

Steve didn't react this time.

"Gotcha, Cap." Clint smirked as everyone laughed at his expense again.

"What? I like its songs." Steve simply said as everyone stopped laughing and turned to the screen again. [1]

**At the army base, Ross and a doctor looked at Blonsky, lying on the bed, battered, with bandages all over him. The doctor said that most of the bones in his body were crushed but his heart was like a racehorse. Ross nodded and walked off as Blonsky's fingers twitched and he clutched his fist, his right eye snapping open.**

"Uh-oh." Sam and Rhodes said at the same time.

"Okay. That looked scary." Pepper said.

"Yeah." Bruce agreed.

"He's a fighter but a bully." Steve said sadly.

"Definitely an evil you." Bucky said.

**Betty woke up to see Hulk had transformed back into Bruce and was lying, half-naked and prone. She quickly covered him with her jacket. Later, Betty supported Bruce into a motel in Ashwood, North Carolina, where he took a shower. He looked up at the shower and for a second, he saw the barrels of guns shooting at him instead and fell into the tub.**

Almost everyone jumped at that.

"So you have it too?" Tony asked Bruce.

"Yeah. I'm just better at hiding it." Bruce said.

"Most of you are." Xavier told them and they nodded, knowing that all of them suffered from PTSD due to traumatic events, "But not you, Mr. Stark."

Stark simply shrugged.

**Betty returned to the motel to hear Bruce gagging on something. She put her bags down called out to him and he walked out, saying he was fine. He showed her the memory stick which he had eaten. She was actually awed by that.**

"Eugh!" Tony said this time, "It was pretty disgusting."

"Good thing you didn't show me vomit it." Bruce told the people from the future.

"Yeah. I was almost tempted to add it." Benjamin joked as everyone snickered.

"But I convinced him not to." Professor Hulk said.

"Thanks." Bruce said.

**Betty then tossed Bruce a new heart monitor and stretchy purple pants, though he found them weird to Betty's amusement.**

Everyone laughed at the scene.

"Learn to appreciate her, Banner." Thor said.

"I have." Banner said simply.

"Good for you." Tony told him.

**In the news, the fight between the military and the creature was covered by all reporters, who all called him "Hulk."**

"So that's where the name came from." Hill noted.

**At the motel, Betty cut Bruce's hair expertly and asked how he had managed without her, to which he replied with clippers, making her chuckle.**

"That actually looks pretty sweet." Sam said.

"Yeah." Natasha agreed, "You two were made for each other."

"Thanks." Bruce simply shrugged.

**Betty then started kissing Bruce. He got up and the two looked into each other's eyes, the passion and longing clear. They then kissed each other passionately as Bruce pushed Betty onto the bed, his shirt out and her pants down.**

Aunt May started, "I have a kid-"

"Don't worry." Logan said, "It doesn't go for long."

"Nothing happens really." Bruce said and everyone wondered what he was saying.

**Bruce's heart monitor suddenly started beeping and he forced himself to stop, telling her he couldn't get excited. Both of them were dejected as she comforted him again.**

"Oh boy!" Tony shook his head, "I am sorry, Bruce."

"It's okay." Bruce shrugged.

"Really?" Thor asked.

"No its not." Bruce admitted.

"How do you do it?" Loki asked Professor Hulk.

"I don't." Professor Hulk said, "There are no ladies of my size around." _'Except my cousin.'_ He thought to himself.

Everyone just nodded and looked back at the screen, not wanting to talk about this matter anymore. They all felt horrible for Bruce as he couldn't even procreate or have children.

**Ross was smoking when Sparr told him something was up with Blonsky. The two walked to his hospital room to see that he was up again and looked perfectly healthy.**

"What?" Peter asked shocked.

"After that beating-" Wanda started.

"The Serum and willpower." Steve simply said.

"I believe revenge is a powerful motivator here." Vision said.

**Ross asked him how he felt, to which he replied, "Pissed off and ready for round three."**

"Oh boy!" Peter said.

"Well, round three was just the worst." Fury said.

"Of course. It was part of your big week." Clint told him.

"Your big was the worst, wasn't it?" Natasha asked him.

"The worst of the worst. At the time." Fury said.

**At the motel, Bruce told Betty they couldn't use their credit cards, ID or phone but she was allowed to take her lip gloss, which she used on her lips. She could also take her glasses and watch.**

"You're pretty street smart." Hill told Bruce, "I never thought you would be."

"Yeah." Natasha agreed, "If you and Tony got stuck somewhere with no resources, I feel you will manage to survive."

"I will try not to be offended by that." Tony said.

"It's true." Pepper told him and he had a look of mock offense on his face.

"Thanks." Bruce and Professor Hulk said politely.

**They wondered how to get to the city with just $40 and no credit cards. Betty considered selling her mother's necklace. Bruce refused, saying it was all she had left of her but Betty insisted.**

Everyone's jaw dropped again at Betty's love for Bruce.

"You know what? You have to start it with her once we get back." Tony told Bruce.

"If you don't, I will beat you up." Thor said as everyone chuckled.

"All right. All right." Bruce shrugged.

**Bruce and Betty later brought a truck with the money they got from selling the necklace as Bruce sent the data to Mr. Blue in an email. At the army base, Ross told everyone to look for them, saying he was looking for help so they had the chance to catch him. The email found its way to the base computers and Sparr saw Mr. Blue was someone called Dr. Samuel Sterns.**

"Oh no!" Steve said.

"Busted." Tony realized.

"Badly." Hope said.

"Yup." Bruce said, "I wasn't expecting that."

**Bruce walked towards the truck as Betty stopped him and took a picture.**

Almost everyone went 'Awww' at that as Bruce blushed and Professor Hulk looked away.

**Later, Betty drove the truck and asked Bruce about the experience. He said they were like the induced hallucination experiment at Harvard but a thousand times amplified. She asked him if he remembered anything, to which he replied fragments. Betty reasoned that it was still him inside but he rejected the idea, though she said it knew her in the cave. She said his mind was overcharged so he couldn't process it. "I don't want to control it. I want to get rid of it." Bruce said.**

"And look what happened now." Professor Hulk said.

"Well, like I said, I will try to find a better solution." Bruce said.

"Just don't send him away or anything like that." Professor Hulk said, "He is still part of us."

Bruce nodded at that.

**At the army base, Blonsky took a larger dosage of the Super Soldier Serum.**

"Oh no!" Steve said.

"He is going to become the next Red Skull at this rate." Bucky said.

"Much worse." Bruce told them and they paled.

"Yeah. I remember." Fury said.

**Bruce dreamt of a humvee blowing up on his face when he was awoken by Betty and the sounds of car honking. The two saw that all the cars entering New York had been stopped by the NYPD for checking because Ross would have alerted them about the fugitives. The two quickly got out of the truck and got off the bridge, using their remaining cash to hire a boat. They reached the mainland and stood in front of a map.**

"That was close." Natasha said.

"A narrow escape." Clint agreed.

**Betty suggested to use the subway but Bruce said him underground wasn't the best idea so she decided to take a cab. The scene changed to the cab driver driving like a maniac, even bumping a person slightly.**

"Cab would have been better." Tony said dryly as everyone else was just speechless.

"Yup." Bruce and Professor Hulk said simultaneously.

**Bruce's heart rate started going up as Betty made him stop and as the two got out, she yelled at him, "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" The driver tried to flirt with her, "What's the matter baby? You don't like a good ride?" He then made a kissing face but her rage filled face made him drive off in fear as she kicked the cab and roared, "ASSHOLE!" She turned to a shocked Bruce who said, "You know, I know a few techniques that could help you manage that anger very effectively." She cut him off, "Zip it up. We're walking." The two then walked off as Bruce now realized who to not mess with.**

"Just when I thought your journey was a humorless drab." Tony said in amusement.

"I think even Hulk would be afraid of Betty." Hope joked.

"Of course. Hulk isn't completely senseless." Bruce told her.

"Yeah. I wouldn't want to fight her." Professor Hulk said before turning to Thor, "Would you Tho-"

"I don't have a death wish." Thor said as everyone laughed.

"She is the Goddess of Wrath." Loki said.

"Never mess with Elizabeth Ross." Steve joked and everyone laughed again.

"I wouldn't." Wanda said.

**At Grayburn College in Harlem, Dr. Samuel Sterns was walking out when Betty approached him and introduced herself. He recognized her due to his work as Bruce arrived and asked, "It's Mr. Blue, isn't it?" A shocked Sterns asked, "Mr. Green?"**

"He seems pretty nice right now." Aunt May said.

"Yeah. For now." Bruce warned her.

"I know him." Natasha said as everyone turned to her.

"How?" Bruce asked.

"I sent her to clean up whatever Sterns had but he had lost his mind by then so she brought him in." Fury said.

"So this really was your big week." Tony said and he nodded.

"I saw your fights at Culver and Harlem too." Natasha told Bruce to his shock. [2]

"And you still thought it was a good idea to recruit me?" Bruce asked incredulously and she shrugged.

**Later, the three scientists sat together as Sterns said he was awed by how an unassuming man carried so much power and said that he had perfected an antidote, but even if everything went perfectly, they might just suppress one specific transformation instead of curing Bruce completely, so it was dangerous. **

"I'm guessing that's what happened." Sam said.

"Yeah. That's what happened." Bruce said.

**At the army base, Blonsky looked at himself in the mirror and saw his spine was deformed now.**

"Okay. What is that?" Peter asked unnerved.

"His spine appears to have been deformed from the dosage." Vision said.

"Just like Schmidt's face." Steve remembered.

"And I doubt he can cover that up." Bucky said.

"You don't want to know what that is." Bruce said.

"Trust him." Professor Hulk agreed.

"You will see soon though." Benjamin said.

"And it won't be pretty." Logan told them.

**Blonsky then sat with other men. One of them asked how he felt, to which he replied, "Like a monster."**

"Because you are one." Fury said.

**Sterns uncovered the dialysis machine and as Bruce was strapped to it, he kicked it to make it work. As Betty watched, Sterns gave Bruce an electric shock directly to the head, inducing the transformation.**

Everyone watched the scene and tensed.

**Bruce's eyes glowed green as he started transforming. Sterns tried to use the machine but Betty stopped him, saying there was more. Bruce then transformed fully, breaking his restraints and smacking Sterns on the face accidentally, sending him down.**

"Ouch!" Pepper said.

**Betty climbed on top of Hulk to calm him down as Sterns kicked the machine and the antidote flowed into him as he slowly transformed back into Bruce and she woke him up.**

"That is one brave woman." Hill said.

"Very loving too." Steve noted.

"I know. I know." Bruce sighed.

"And it didn't work." Tony said.

"Nope." Bruce said.

"I'm glad it didn't." Professor Hulk said.

**As helicopters flew into the city, Sterns told Bruce and Betty how that was the most extraordinary thing he had ever seen and said they could have permanently neutralized the cells or just suppressed one specific event, with him believing it was the latter, though there was no way to find out as the test subjects died. Bruce was shocked on hearing about the test subjects and when he inquired about them, Sterns lead them away.**

"So he is ambitious too." Steve noted.

"And he went crazy later." Fury said.

"He is eccentric and ambitious." Bruce said.

**Ross and his people were in the city as one of the soldiers looked at Bruce, Betty and Sterns from outside the lab using his sniper rifle.**

"Uh-oh." Sam said.

"This is so not good." Rhodes said too.

**Sterns showed Bruce and Betty how he had synthesized the former's blood with intention of using its properties to cure mankind and even make them impervious to disease.**

"The Road to Hell is paved with good intentions." Pepper said as everyone nodded in agreement.

**Bruce refused, saying they needed to destroy it as the government intended to make it a weapon, not a cure. He called it the Promethean fire.**

"Very good comparison." Thor agreed.

**Blonsky threw his earpiece off and ran upstairs in spite of Ross' orders.**

"And that's what you get for trying to create another Red Skull." Fury said.

"The man is becoming crueler and more unstable every second." T'Challa noted.

**The sniper outside fired a dart at Bruce as Betty gasped and Sterns yelped. He fell down as Betty removed the dart but Blonsky arrived. She tried to stop him but he threw her across the room, knocking her out.**

Everyone clutched their fists angrily at Blonsky.

"Bastard." Thor sneered.

Tony started, "If I get my hands on him-"

"First hurting defenseless animals, now hurting defenseless women. He has become even worse than before." Steve said.

**Blonsky then slapped Bruce repeatedly, demanding him to transform.**

"Careful what you wish for." Wanda told him.

**Bruce didn't transform even though his heart monitor beeped and as Ross and the others arrived, Blonsky knocked him out. Later Betty was given a shawl to wrap around herself by a soldier as Ross threatened a restrained Bruce and had him taken to the helicopter.**

"Yeah. Threatening people who are restrained on beds or with collars. I bet you would piss your pants if they weren't." Tony snarled at him as Wanda realized he was defending her too, to her surprise.

"Well, Clint can hit him with arrows, I will light him up, and Wanda can throw him into the water to drown." Thor said as almost everyone laughed.

"I'm in." Clint said.

"Me too." Wanda smirked.

"Then I will take him out and throw him back in." Bruce said.

Scott started, "And I will go into his nostril and-"

"Do nothing! Because it's really disgusting." Hope said as she smacked his shoulder and everyone laughed.

"Just keep him away from my boy." Aunt May told them.

**Ross called out to Betty and she told him, "I will never forgive what you've done to him." Ross said, "He's a fugitive." She responded, "You made him a fugitive to cover your failures and to protect your career. Don't ever speak to me as your daughter again." Ross discreetly threatened her, "It's only because you're my daughter that you're not in handcuffs, too." The two then walked to the helicopter.**

"Threatening his own daughter. Just when I thought he couldn't get any worse!" Tony snarled.

"So he threatens not only others' families, but his own too. He is the worst." Clint said.

"Respect for Betty though." Sam said.

"Yeah." Rhodes said, "Take tips, Tony. This is how you stand up to Ross."

Tony shrugged as Logan said, "Maybe you should call him the nickname Pepper gave him in front of him."

Everyone laughed at imagining Ross' reaction as Xavier, "That would be very amusing."

"Yes. It would be very entertaining." T'Challa agreed.

**Sparr asked Sterns if he could make more like Bruce, to which he said he couldn't yet. Before she could speak more, Blonsky snapped her neck from behind, calling her an annoying bitch.**

"Ross put this guy on his team?" Steve said incredulously.

"Like I said, worst commander ever." Rhodes told everyone.

"And he somehow became Secretary of State." Tony said.

"He should be rotting in a cell." Xavier said.

**Sterns asked Blonsky why he hit everyone, to which he responded by pulling out a gun and asking to make him like Banner. Sterns said that Bruce's blood mixed with what he already had inside could create an abomination, to which Blonsky lifted him by the throat. A frightened Sterns said he wasn't unwilling, he just needed informed consent, and Blonsky had now given it.**

"What?" Steve said as everyone paled.

"The Serum combined with your blood-" Peter trailed off in horror.

"Is he out of his mind?" Hope said.

"I think it's established that he is." Scott said.

"Yeah. He took it." Professor Hulk said.

"And it wasn't pretty." Bruce told everyone.

"I saw that too." Natasha said.

"But Ross covered up his involvement." Benjamin said and everyone sighed.

"Which is why he isn't rotting in a prison." Fury said.

"Maybe we should leave him to rot in The Raft." Sam suggested.

"Good idea." Rhodes agreed.

"He did become an Abomination after this." Xavier said and everyone paled.

**In the helicopter, Bruce smiled at Betty as she held his hands and he kissed hers.**

"Awww." Natasha said.

"And you're doing it right next to him." Tony said.

"Respect." Rhodes agreed too.

Bruce and Professor Hulk shook their heads.

**Sterns started the device and soon, Blonsky started growing huge too and soon, he stepped down the table as he continued growing and his spine protruded from his back. A terrified Sterns tried to tell him to get back on the table but he smacked him away. Sterns fell down as Bruce's gamma blood fell on his forehead, mutating him. He smirked as whatever Blonsky had transformed into leapt away and the terrified screams of the soldiers could be heard.**

"Oh no!" Steve said as everyone paled.

"So Blonsky has now become something like Hulk." Bucky said.

"And Dr. Sterns is also mutating." T'Challa noted.

"I got him though." Natasha told everyone, "And he is locked up now."

"Thankfully." Fury said.

"And now this is going to get uglier." Bruce warned the others.

"Yeah. Very ugly." Professor Hulk said.

"If Luke was around back then, he would have joined in." Benjamin said.

"Luke Cage?" Tony asked and Benjamin nodded.

"Harlem's Hero." Peter said excitedly.

"Yeah. He is here too. He is an Avenger." Odinson said.

"Well, let's get this over with. It's very ugly." Logan said as everyone turned to the screen again.

* * *

**Now this movie ends with one more chapter.**

**[1] When Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan were promoting Captain America: Civil War on Jimmy Kimmel Live, it was revealed that The Little Mermaid is the one Disney musical of which Chris has memorized all the songs. That was what I was referring to.**

**[2] There is this MCU comic called The Avengers Prelude: Fury's Big Week, in which Fury sends Natasha to keep an eye on Bruce and she sees the entire fiasco at Culver and then Harlem. She also arrests Sterns as he has gone crazy from being exposed to Bruce's blood. In the comics, Sterns is a villain known as "The Leader" and he would have shown up in a possible sequel for this movie but we all know how that turned out. Also, the climaxes of The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 and Thor took place in the same week and Fury had to clean it all up. Poor Fury. But Natasha witnessing the fiasco at Culver and Harlem makes the Bruce/Natasha thing even stupider now that I think about it.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with the climax of this movie. In the meantime, Deadpool will punish Guggenheim, Mericle, Schwartz and Berlanti for what they did to the Arrowverse by making them listen to Justin Bieber. Ha!**


	11. Battle of the Titans

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

Chapter 11- Battle of the Titans

"That doesn't look good at all for the army." Sam said as everyone looked at the screen in horror.

"Yes. Only one person can stop him, right?" Steve asked as he looked at Bruce and Professor Hulk.

"Right." They both said.

**The soldiers watched in horror as the machine was thrown down and a soldier was thrown out of the building into another one. A huge figure jumped down and they tried to fire at it as it threw a car away. They ran after but it was already on the streets, crashing cars. **

"Oh shit!" Rhodes said in horror.

"What is this thing?" Tony said.

"An abomination." Fury said.

**The soldiers and two cops got inside a vehicle and drove after it while calling Ross, telling him the Hulk was on the streets. Ross looked between the phone and Bruce in shock before deciding to turn the helicopter. The soldiers drove towards it with their cameras on to allow Ross to see the situation. They kept colliding into some cars accidentally as it threw cars around. Bruce looked down and saw the huge thing as his eyes widened in horror. The now humongous Blonsky threw more cars around and roared as he finally came into view. His face was a warped and deformed version of Blonsky's. His skin was grayish. And his spine was deformed badly.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said in horror and disgust.

"Oh my God!" Steve said too.

"Damn! That thing is huge and ugly! Like some troll from "The Lord of the Rings" or something." Tony said.

"That would be a good comparison if the trolls were this strong." Natasha told him.

"Yeah. Agreed." Clint said too.

"This is going to get more horrifying now." Logan said.

**Bruce asked Ross if it was one of his as Betty berated him. Down below, cops fired at Abomination but it was unaffected and sent killed them with a swipe of his hands. The soldiers fired a missile at him from a launcher but he grabbed it as it exploded in his hands but he was unaffected. The soldiers backed their vehicle in fear on Ross' order as Abomination rushed them, destroying more cars. He then lifted up a cab and threw it on them, killing them all, as the camera feed was cut off in the helicopter. Abomination demanded a real fight.**

"Shit!" Sam said in horror.

"Oh God no!" Aunt May said as she covered her mouth in horror while Peter watched with wide eyes.

"And they still thought it was a good idea to make him an Avenger." Benjamin said.

"What?" Steve asked incredulously.

"Yeah. The World Security Council were going to make him an Avenger to save face." Odinson said.

"But I, Coulson, Stark and Sitwell prevented that from happening." Fury said.

"Yeah. That was when I first met the guy." Tony told everyone.

"You didn't know what he had done, did you?" Bruce asked.

"No." Tony said, "Fury simply asked me to make sure he didn't put forward Blonsky. I did as asked. If I knew what Blonsly was, I would have done it without Fury asking me. Either way, I annoyed him enough to not let Blonsky out."

"That's what you're good at." Thor told him as he smirked.

"Just don't annoy me enough to throw you out of the Mansion." Pepper joked and he shrugged while everyone laughed.

"He really has an annoying voice." Logan said.

**Bruce asked Ross to take him back there, saying he might be able to control it. Ross protested but Bruce said that all of them were responsible for creating it.**

"And yet Ross deflected all the blame onto you." Hill said to Bruce.

"A cowardly hypocrite. That's what this man is." Loki of all people said.

"Why am I not surprised?" Bucky sighed.

**Ross finally accepted and Bruce had the back door opened.**

"For once in his life, the man listened to reason." Tony said in surprise.

"That was the only time." Bruce told them.

"Yeah. He became even more unreasonable later." Professor Hulk said as he thought of Red Hulk.

"Really? More unreasonable than he already is?" Scott asked.

"You don't want to know, trust me." Logan said.

"Well, I'm convinced now. I don't want to know." Hope said.

**Bruce walked up to the door as Betty tried to stop him, reminding him that there was a chance of him not transforming at all. Bruce said that he needed to try and apologized. The two then kissed passionately.**

"That is so sweet." Aunt May said.

"Yeah." Natasha agreed.

"And she didn't even push me." Bruce smirked as Natasha turned away, her eyes wide.

**Bruce then let go and threw himself to the ground with his eyes closed. But he realized he wasn't transforming to his horror. But as he neared the ground, he grew a little and a crater was formed as Betty was pulled back inside the helicopter.**

"Good thing you transformed when you did." Tony told Bruce.

"I think sometimes distances are too short for me to transform in time." Bruce said as he remembered falling on the Bifrost.

**A green hand burst through the ground as Ross and Betty watched from the helicopter. The former looked emotionless while the latter looked concerned.**

"YES!" Peter and Thor cheered happily on seeing the hand.

"Here we go again." Natasha said as she remembered watching the fight.

"This is about to get intense." Sam realized.

"Right you are, bub." Logan said.

**Hulk emerged from the ground as Ross and Betty watched. Hulk tore off the ragged remains of Banner's shirt and gave a loud, challenging roar to Abomination.**

"Oh boy! This looks epic!" Rhodes said.

"You're so awesome, Dr. Banner." Peter said.

"Uhhh, thanks." Bruce said simply.

"Yeah, while I like this more, I will admit that I looked more badass as that." Professor Hulk said.

"Yeah, you sure did." Benjamin told him.

"Obviously." Tony agreed.

**The two giants slowly started walking towards each other before rushing each other at full speed as the terrified civilians ran out of the way. Hulk roared and leapt but Abomination grabbed him and tackling him to the ground, threw him off through a car and as he fell down, Abomination challenged him.**

"Ouch!" Pepper said as she watched the scene.

"He was stronger than me." Bruce said.

"But the angrier the Hulk gets, the stronger he gets." Professor Hulk said.

"I can agree to that." Thor told everyone.

**Hulk roared and smashed a police car into two before lifting up both the pieces as Abomination rushed him. Hulk slammed both pieces together, deciding to use the two pieces of the police car as boxing gloves.**

"Okay, that is so epic!" Peter said in awe.

"Yeah, you should do that more often." Tony said.

"I will try." Bruce shrugged.

**Hulk angrily pummeled Abomination with his 'boxing gloves', slamming him into the ground and continued pummeling him until the pieces of the car broke and he punched Abomination hard. Abomination spit out a broken tooth and glared at Hulk.**

"Oh boy! That is never good!" Tony said in shock.

"How do you know?" Bruce asked.

"Because when we were fighting, I did that to you." Tony said.

"And then we almost kicked his ass." Professor Hulk said as everyone laughed.

"We all know who won in the end." Tony reminded him and Professor Hulk stopped laughing.

**Abomination taunted Hulk and kicked him into a building. He then ran up to that building and started climbing as Ross commanded a soldier to fire at him and cut him in half. The soldier fired a machine gun at him but he climbed higher and started running on the roof as Hulk woke up and jumped on the roof too. Abomination leapt at the helicopter, almost killing the soldier, but Hulk leapt and grabbed his foot. He managed to hang onto the helicopter as Hulk held onto his foot.**

"Whoa! That was a narrow escape." Tony said.

"General Ross must be regretting his actions at that point." T'Challa said.

"Back then, yes. Now no." Wanda said.

"Don't worry, we will make him." Clint said darkly.

**Hulk grabbed Abomination's spine and tried to break it as he elbowed hulk twice. Eventually, the pilot pulled the helicopter down as Hulk smashed into a building and was thrown off while Abomination let it go and fell down due to the impact of the helicopter crashing.**

"Oh boy!" Scott said.

"And Ross managed to cover all of that?" Hope asked incredulously.

"Yeah. At least the part where he was responsible for the creations of Hulk and the Abomination." Fury said.

"Some men are good at abusing their power and status." Xavier said sadly.

**Betty woke up inside the helicopter to see the soldiers dead but managed to wake up Ross. As Hulk got up, Abomination leapt on top of the helicopter. The two snarled and charged at each other as Abomination slammed Hulk into a wall and started pummeling him. Betty realized the fuel of the helicopter was leaking. Hulk tried to push Abomination off but he stabbed his chest with the protrusion on his elbow and Hulk roared in pain.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"Oh boy!" Tony said.

"He appears to have drawn blood." Vision said.

"So that's what pierced the Other Guy." Bruce remembered.

"Yeah. It was painful." Professor Hulk said.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Peter was saying as everyone tensed.

**Abomination taunted Hulk, "You don't deserve this power! Now watch her die!"**

"And you had to say it." Rhodes said.

"Big mistake." Fury said.

"He is even worse than before in this form." Steve said.

"Why am I not surprised?" Bucky said again as Natasha chuckled.

**Hulk pushed Abomination's hands off him and punched him hard, staggering him back before slamming him into the wall. The fuel leakage caused a fire but Hulk did a thunderclap, putting it out.**

"Wow!" Scott said in surprise.

"You can do that?" Hope asked.

"Apparently." Bruce said.

"Yes I can. I still can. Contrary to what you all think, I still am as strong as that. I just have inhibitions now because Bruce and Hulk exist together." Professor Hulk said and everyone nodded.

"Well, even back then, with your abilities, you seem like more than just a strong brute." Thor said.

**Betty then screamed a warning to Hulk as Abomination hit him with a concrete pillar tied to a high tensile chain. He tried to get up but Abomination hit him again, sending him down. He then swung the chain at the helicopter, breaking its wings, and asked Ross if he had any last words.**

"Only I get to ask that question." Clint snarled.

**Hulk suddenly got up and raising his fists declared, "HULK…SMASH!" He then slammed his fists onto the ground, breaking the concrete and trapping Abomination's legs as the chain fell on him and wrapped around his neck. Hulk then pulled the chain hard, strangling him and ripping out one his protrusions, stabbed him with it on his chest.**

"Back at ya!" Tony cheered as everyone clapped happily while Banner and Professor Hulk shook their heads.

**Hulk was about to snap his neck when Betty stopped him. So he simply dropped Abomination to the ground and putting his foot on him, let out a powerful, victorious roar, as the cops, soldiers and civilians watched in terror. He then kicked the unconscious Abomination at a numb Ross' feet.**

"That was terrifying and epic at the same time!" An excited Peter said.

"Yes. It really was." Aunt May agreed.

"Man, even he is at a loss of words." Tony said about Ross.

"Yup. The only time I have seen him like that." Logan said.

**The soldiers aimed at him but Ross stopped them as Betty moved towards Hulk and once again assured him that it was okay with tears in her eyes. He wiped her tears and spoke her name.**

"Awww." Natasha, Hope and Hill said this time and both Bruce and Professor Hulk blushed.

**A helicopter shone its light down on him and he snarled angrily. He exchanged another look with Betty and leapt onto the helicopter. He looked back at Betty one last time, looking sad, and then leapt onto the walls, eventually jumping onto a rooftop, and then leapt away into the night sky.**

"And that is the last time the Hulk was seen publicly." Tony said, "Until New York."

"Yup." Bruce said, "That was it."

**Days later, Betty stood in front of the docks, contemplating everything that had happened. She looked at the picture of Bruce she had taken on her camera before they had driven the truck but the batter was low and it shut itself off. In Bella Coola, British Columbia, Bruce poured himself a coffee in a cabin and looked at a parcel. He took out Betty's necklace from it, having bought it back from a pawn shop. He put it back inside and signing the parcel, sent it off.**

"You brought it back for her." Thor said.

"And sent it back too." Tony said.

"That was a good thing you did for her." Steve said.

"Least I could do Cap after everything she did for me." Bruce said and everyone nodded.

**Bruce was then meditating as his heart beat could be heard. At the bottom left of the screen, the words "****_Days Without Incident: 31"_**** appeared on the bottom of the screen. Bruce opened his eyes to reveal they were glowing green as the "31" changed to "0."**

"Oh boy!" Tony and Peter said at the same time.

"So you transformed again?" Steve asked.

"Yes. But it was different this time." Bruce said.

"I learnt to control it." Professor Hulk said, "After this I could control it."

"For a time." Bruce said before glaring at Loki.

"I am really sorry about that." Loki said with a nervous laugh as everyone remembered the beating Hulk had given him.

"Good thing you apologized. You wouldn't want him to beat you up again." Thor told him with a smirk.

"There's more." Benjamin told them.

"Now what?" Pepper asked.

"Just watch." Logan said.

**Ross was drinking and smoking in a bar when the door opened and a man approached him saying, "The smell of stale beer and defeat. You know, I hate to say, "I told you so," General, but that Super Soldier programme was put on ice for a reason. I've always felt hardware was more reliable." **

"Is that-" Peter started as Benjamin nodded at him.

**The man turned his face, revealing himself to be Tony Stark.**

"Its' me!" Stark said happily with a smirk.

"Yes!" Peter cheered happily too.

"So your own recording wasn't enough for you?" Pepper asked him cheekily.

"Yeah, you are invading Banner's recording now." Fury said and he shrugged.

"**Stark." Ross said. "General." Tony said. "You always wear such nice suits." Ross told him. "Touche." Tony said, "I hear you have an unusual problem." Ross said with a cigar in his mouth, "You should talk." Tony told him, "You should listen." Ross stopped to listen as Tony said, "What if I told you we were putting a team together?" Ross asked him, "Who's "we"?" Tony simply looked into his eyes and the screen went black.**

"And that ends it." Benjamin finally said.

"We would be me, Stark, Romanoff and Coulson." Fury said.

"Yeah. And this is where I annoyed him enough to not let Blonsky out." Tony said.

"Good job." Steve told him.

"Maybe you could have annoyed my sister enough not to let herself out." Thor said.

"Wait, your sister?" Natasha asked him in shock.

"Yeah, I have an evil sister." Thor said to everyone's shock, "Or had."

"I had an evil cousin." T'Challa said.

"Killmonger?" Bucky asked and he nodded.

"What happened, Point Break?" Tony asked Thor.

"His sister broke his hammer and cut out his eye." Loki told everyone and they were shocked.

"Broke your hammer?" Hill asked in shock.

"Yes. It belonged to her before and she was more powerful than it so she broke it." Thor said.

"And she decided to make you look like me as well." Fury said as he looked at Thor's eyepatch.

"Yes. Like you and my father." Thor said sadly.

"It's a pretty long story." Odinson said, "We don't need to talk about it because we will see that too."

"We definitely need to see that." Sam said.

"I did not know there was something powerful enough to break Mjolnir." Vision said.

"You did not know there was someone powerful enough to beat you up." Wanda told him with a smirk and he smirked back.

"Well, we have one more recording for today." Benjamin said.

"Who is it about?" Rhodes asked.

With a sigh, Xavier said, "Tony again."

"Oh man!" Sam and Rhodes said at the same time.

"Enough of Tony!" Natasha said.

"Unfortunately, we need to watch it." Logan said.

"What's unfortunate about that? You get to watch me!" Tony said as everyone sighed.

"Well, let's get started." Benjamin said and started the recording.

* * *

**And with that, The Incredible Hulk ends. Next chapter we start with Iron Man 2. In my opinion, that is Phase One's worst movie. And it's not a bad movie either, it's pretty good, just not as good as the other ones. There were some things it did better than the first Iron Man movie, but a lot of stuff it didn't do as well as the first one.**

**In case anyone's wondering, my ranking of the Phase One movies is- #1- Iron Man (9.4/10). #2- The Avengers (9.1/10). #3- Captain America: The First Avenger (8.3/10). #4- Thor (8/10). #5- The Incredible Hulk (7.7/10). #6- Iron Man 2 (7.2/10).**

**And I must admit, after rewatching The Incredible Hulk for this story, I appreciate it even more than before.**

**And before we end this chapter, I would just like to say that in my unpopular opinion, the best casting choice in a comic book movie is not RDJ as Iron Man, Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, or even Chris Evans as Captain America, but JK Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson. And you will all soon realize why I said this.**


	12. You Want My Property You Can't Have It

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**birdy: Why thank you so much. I will.**

Chapter 12- You Want My Property You Can't Have It

"So this is more about me being me?" Tony asked.

"Yes. Though your behavior isn't the best in this one." Benjamin said and he paled a bit.

"I'm pretty sure I would have seen that." Pepper sighed.

"Oh yes you have seen him at his worst and his best." Logan said.

The recording was started.

**Tony's voice could be heard speaking about ****the speculation of his involvement in the freeway and on the rooftop when Christine Everhart interrupted him and asked if he expected them to believe the story of a bodyguard in a suit that conveniently appeared.**

"So this starts where the previous one about him left off." Rhodes said.

"These recordings really do start at interesting places." Tony said.

"We just make them in a way that they don't get boring and are easy to understand." Professor Hulk said.

"You sure do. I feel like we're watching movies." Peter said.

"Yes. An entire franchise starring us." Sam said.

"How much do you think movies about us would gross?" Natasha asked.

"A lot." Tony said, "I mean- me, Cap, Thor and you alone will draw a lot of audience."

"Why me?" Natasha asked.

"I think he is trying to call you eye candy." Bucky told her and she and Pepper both glared at him so he shut up.

"I think he is calling you and Thor eye candy too." Sam told Steve.

Steve and Thor simply shrugged.

"Well, let's continue." Odinson said.

**Tony said it was one thing to question the official story and another to insinuate that he was a superhero, to which she replied that she didn't. Tony started backtracking when Rhodes told him to stick to the cards and he agreed. "Truth is…" Tony looked up and his face went completely blank as the conference appeared on a TV screen with Russian subtitles below it, "I am Iron Man."**

"And there it is again." Fury said.

"You announcing yourself as Iron Man started an entire new generation." Vision told Tony who nodded.

"Don't let that get to your head." Pepper said.

"I won't, honey." Tony told her.

**An old man lay on the bed and watched television and called out to someone called Ivan.**

"Isn't that-" Hill began.

"Anton Vanko." Fury said.

"Ah. So this is what we're watching." Tony said.

**A man with a hard, careworn face- Ivan Vanko, walked inside to his father Anton Vanko. Anton pointed at the TV and said it should be Ivan as Ivan told him not to listen to that crap.**

"Did he just call that conference crap?" Tony asked in mock offense.

"I think it was a good conference." Steve of all people said and everyone was surprised he was speaking for Tony.

"Anton has basically painted himself as the victim to his son." Fury said.

**Anton coughed and apologized, saying all he could give him was knowledge before his eyes closed and he went still. He was dead.**

While everyone in the room knew that Anton had been up to no good and the same was true for Ivan, they did feel a little sympathy. Even Tony.

**Ivan took a sip of alcohol as tears rolled down his eyes and gave a cry of rage and bitterness.**

Almost everyone from the past jumped at that.

"Oh God-" Wanda trailed off as she witnessed Ivan's rage at Tony. It almost reminded her of her own.

"Sometimes knowledge is enough." Natasha said.

"And now he will come after you." Bruce realized and Tony nodded.

"This is not going to end well for anyone involved." Clint said.

**Later, Ivan was working on something in his workshop as newspaper and magazine clippings of Stark were shown around. He kept hammering at whatever he was working on.**

"He's like you in your first recording, Stark." Thor said to Tony.

"An evil version of me." Tony said.

**A bird watched Ivan from the corners and flew up to the worktable as he fed it and later hammered at whatever he was working and soon, it lit up. It was an Arc Reactor. Ivan laughed like a maniac.**

"What?" Steve said in shock.

"Another Arc Reactor?" Aunt May asked.

"Yes. Ivan created another Arc Reactor to battle Tony." Natasha said.

"We all know how well that turned out for him." Tony smirked.

"Yeah we do." Rhodes sighed.

"**6 months later" appeared on the screen as Iron Man stood in a hangar as the ramp opened into the night sky. He jumped out and flew down as AC/DC's Shoot to Thrill played.**

"Oh I hate this one." Loki snarled.

"Of course you would, Reindeer Games." Tony said.

"Yeah, I know why." Natasha said.

**Fireworks lit up in the sky as Tony descended and landed at the Stark Expo on one knee as women clad in scanty Iron Man costumes danced behind him and people roared happily.**

"Oh! This!" Tony said.

"The Stark Expo." Pepper sighed.

"Man that was something." Rhodes said.

"It sure was, wasn't it?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, it was your ego going crazy." Rhodes said and Tony shut up.

"Did you design those costumes the dancers are wearing?" Natasha asked.

With a sigh, Tony said, "Yup."

**Tony stood as the arms of his bot removed his suit piece by piece to reveal his pristine business suit. The women all danced and struck poses around him before moving off as him and everyone else clapped. "Oh, it's good to be back!" Tony said cheerfully, "You missed me, I missed you."**

"We didn't miss you." Sam said.

"I didn't either." Rhodes said.

"No one does." Pepper joked and Tony shook his head, not seeing the expressions on Benjamin, Odinson and Professor Hulk, who did miss him.

**Tony then started saying, "I'm not saying that the world is enjoying its longest period of uninterrupted peace in years because of me." The audience cheered again. "I'm not saying that from the ashes of captivity!" He held out his arms, "Never has a greater phoenix metaphor been personified in human history."**

"Well aren't you charismatic?" Steve joked.

"I think Cap is being very polite." Sam said.

"Yeah, he means to say you are very arrogant." Thor told him.

"I used to be very arrogant." Tony said, "But aren't you arrogant?"

"I used to be." Thor simply said.

**Tony joked how he hadn't met anyone who would be mad enough to go toe-to-toe with him on his best day.**

"And then you met me." Thor said.

"And me." Steve said.

"And me." Bruce said.

"Yeah, things changed a lot real quick." Professor Hulk said.

"Yeah, you lot can definitely go toe-to-toe with me." Tony said.

"I can beat you." Thor simply said and no one dared argue as that was the truth.

**Everyone cheered for Tony as he said it wasn't about him but legacy and that for the first time since 1974, the Expo would be opened again. He then welcomed everyone back to the Stark Expo as everyone cheered again.**

"It was about legacy?" Pepper asked.

"I hoped it was." Tony said.

**Tony then asked the audience to welcome Howard Stark as a video of him appeared, telling about his plans for the city of the future as Tony walked off to the backstage area.**

Bucky gulped again as Steve sighed sadly on seeing Howard there. The man was his friend.

Tony chose not to look at Bucky again for the time being and simply said, "Dad struggled to express his love to me but he did leave me a lot of stuff."

**Tony held a small metal device near his chest with a screen and stuck his thumb on a needle before wiping it on the prick as the words "BLOOD TOXICITY: 19%" appeared on the screen.**

"19%?" Bruce asked.

"Yes. The palladium in his blood rose to toxic levels, slowly killing him but he decided to fool around nad get drunk instead of tell-" Pepper started.

"Pepper-" Tony started.

"Don't you 'Pepper' me!" Pepper said, "Me and Rhodey had to clean up all of your messes."

"Me and Romanoff too." Fury added.

"Just a bit more discreetly." Natasha said.

"Yeah, me and Tony weren't so discreet." Rhodes said.

"Didn't you ask him to throw that party?" Pepper asked Natasha.

"I didn't think he would do all the stuff he did there." Natasha said.

"Metal poisoning, I can relate." Logan said.

"What?" Steve, Bucky and Tony asked simultaneously.

"I have had adamantium implanted in me. My healing factor constantly works to save me from it." Logan said and everyone felt a lot of sympathy for him as Wanda saw a memory of his for a second which had many needles piercing him at once.

She shuddered as it reminded her of the experiments done on her.

"Who did it?" Steve asked.

"Stryker." Logan said simply.

**Later, an attractive reporter was talking about the Expo as Tony tossed his jacket to Happy and an assistant opened the door as they walked out into a huge crowd.**

"I hate crowds." Natasha said.

"Me too." Bruce said, "They make me feel enclosed."

"I love crowds now." Professor Hulk said.

"Now that's a zoo." Rhodes said.

"Happy was right." Pepper said too.

"The Expo does look pretty great though." Steve noted as he remembered Howard's expo.

"Yup. Stark Heaven." Bucky muttered to him.

"Got to admit though, you look good on TV." Bruce told Tony.

"Thanks." Tony shrugged.

**Some attractive women walked up to Tony and one even gave him her number as he signed autographs and patted a kid with the Iron Man helmet on the head before shaking hands with old people. He noticed an old man looking at him.**

"Him again!" Hill said.

"This person shows up like everywhere." Fury said.

"Must be a watcher." Benjamin said again.

"Good theory." Tony said.

**Tony and Happy reached his sleek silver car as an attractive woman stood near it. The two sat inside as Tony and the woman greeted each other and she introduced herself as Marshal.**

"Who names their daughter Marshal?" Clint wondered.

"Yeah, Marshal sounds more like the name of a burly man to me." Hill said. [1]

**Marshal said she was from Bedford and said that she was here to serve subpoenas. Happy said Tony didn't like being handed things as it was a pet peeve. Marshal said he had to appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee the next morning at 9:00 AM. **

"Oh boy!" Sam said.

"So that's the meeting huh." Hope said.

"Doesn't look very good." Scott said.

**Tony asked for a badge and she showed him. He asked Happy how far it was to D.C., to which he replied 250 miles. Tony then started to drive away.**

"And you started driving right then." Pepper said.

"It said I had to be there the next morning." Tony shrugged.

**The US Capitol appeared as the words "Washington, D.C." appeared underneath. Tony was turning around whispering with Pepper in the middle of the hearing before somebody banged a gavel and asked if they could pick up where they left off. The man with the gavel was revealed to be Senator Stern.**

"Oh boy, him!" Tony said as everyone looked at him with disgust.

"The man was Hydra." Natasha said.

"Well, he seems pretty annoyed by you." Steve told Tony.

"That's me!" Tony said.

"And he gave you and Rhodes medals too." Fury told everyone.

"Being awarded with medals by someone who works for Hydra. Wow." Rhodes muttered.

"Ain't you lot funny?" Sam said.

"He looks like he has never done a hard day's work in his entire life." Wanda said.

"The observation seems correct, Wanda." Vision agreed.

"Even if he wasn't Hydra, he has the makings of a corrupt and weak politician." T'Challa noted.

"Basically Janos Slynt." Scott said.

"That seems like a very good comparison." Hope said.

"And he has Stern is his name too. Looks like all Sterns around here are shady." Bruce said.

"Couldn't agree more." Professor Hulk said.

**Stern asked Tony if he possessed an advanced weapon, to which he replied he didn't and on Stern's request, defined it as a high-tech prosthesis, calling it the most apt description he could make as the audience except Pepper laughed. Stern called it a weapon.**

"They are trying to pressure you with a hearing, aren't they?" Sam asked.

"Yup." Tony said, "Because I have got an army of lawyers."

"And yet you didn't have them read the Accords." Pepper said and everyone snickered while he sighed sadly.

"I make stupid decisions without you around me." Tony said.

"Aww." Pepper said as she touched his face, "Aren't you a little baby?"

Everyone laughed again.

"Guys, let's focus." Benjamin said and everyone turned to the screen.

**Tony talked to him scornfully, saying his priority wasn't the well being of the American citizenry, to which he replied his priority was to turn over the Iron Man weapon to the people of the United States of America.**

"Yeah right! To the people." Fury said scornfully.

"I always thought of him as a weak minded politician." Hill said, "I never thought he would be Hydra."

"It's obvious he was going to turn over the Suit to Hydra." Steve said.

"Yup. But good thing I didn't listen to the government in those days." Tony said.

"And now you do? Why?" Natasha asked.

"Guilt." Tony simply said, "I let it take over me. It made me not trust in myself but in others."

Pepper held his hand for comfort as it was obvious he wasn't very proud of his recent actions.

**Tony said they could forget it as the Suit and him were one and turning it over would be like turning over himself and that would indentured servitude or prostitution, depending on which state they were in. The others behind Tony were already chuckling.**

Everyone in the room was chuckling at Tony's attitude.

**Stern tried to say he was no expert, to which Tony asked him if he was no expert in prostitution, before saying that he wouldn't be as he was a Senator. He then flung out his arm and raised two fingers as everyone laughed behind him.**

Everyone in the room was laughing hard at this point.

"Prostitution?" Sam asked as he struggled to control his laughter.

"To be honest, he does look like one." Natasha joked and everyone laughed hard again.

"Yeah. Like the stripper for Phoebe's bachelorette in Friends." Scott said and everyone laughed again at the comparison.

"It's like you have a crush on Phoebe or something." Hope said as everyone chuckled. [2]

**Tony made eye contact with Pepper and she shook her head at him so he sat back down.**

"Yeah, he really does make stupid decisions without you." Fury said to Pepper who nodded with a smirk.

**Stern said he wasn't an expert in weapons so they would be calling the military's weapons contractor- Justin Hammer.**

Everyone started laughing again.

"What's so funny?" Peter asked innocently.

"He said "expert" and called Justin Hammer." Tony said.

"Yeah. The only good thing he had was the ex-wife." Rhodes said.

"But that didn't work on Ivan." Tony said.

"That's because it didn't develop enough kinetic energy." Rhodes pointed out. [3]

"Oh." Tony said.

**As Justin Hammer entered, Tony said he wondered when an actual expert will be called as Hammer took his seat. Hammer laughed and said he was no expert but Tony was, calling him "Anthony."**

"No one calls you that." Steve noted.

"Except him." Tony said.

**Hammer rose and said the real expert was Howard Stark, the father to them all and to the military industrial age. He then said Howard was no flower child, but a lion.**

"You want lions? Here we all are." Tony said as everyone chuckled.

**Hammer said Tony had created a sword with untold possibilities but was using it as a shield, asking everyone else to cower behind it but this wasn't Canada and Tony won't be able to foresee all threats.**

"Yup. This ain't Canada. Because idiots like Hammer are a rarity there." Logan said.

As everyone looked at him, Logan said, "I'm Canadian."

"I'm Canadian too actually." Hill said. [4]

"Always nice to meet fellow countrymen and women." Logan smirked.

**Hammer then went back to his chair after saying, "God bless Iron Man, and God bless America." Stern then invited Lieutenant-Colonel James Rhodes to the chamber and the man arrived to Tony's shock.**

"There I am." Rhodes said.

"You look so different from the previous recording." Tony said, "Even from the back."

"I know!" Rhodes said.

**Rhodes walked in as Tony said he didn't expect to see him here. Rhodes said, "Look. It's me, I'm here, deal with it, let's move on."**

"It's like you're trying to convince me you're Rhodey." Tony joked. [5]

**Tony then dropped it on Rhodes' request and he took his seat as Stern said he had a complete report on the Iron Man weapon and asked him to read page fifty-seven, paragraph four. Rhodes protested, saying specific lines won't reflect the entire report but Stern didn't have any of it.**

"Government pig." Scott said and everyone laughed again.

"Hydra pig." Hope corrected and the laughter increased.

"Taking statements out of context is something that happens a lot in such public matters." Vision said.

**Rhodes then read that Iron Man didn't operate in any branch of the government and that Iron Man was a threat to both America and her interests, but he continued on, saying the pros outweighed the cons and it would be in their interests to fold Stark into the existing chain of command, but Stern had already interrupted him. **

"Who cares for context?" Steve said dryly.

"No one." Natasha told him.

**Tony said he wasn't a joiner but he would consider Secretary of Defense if asked nicely and if they could amend the hours. Everyone laughed.**

"The probability of that happening is as much as the probability of me amending the Accords." Tony joked and everyone snickered.

**Stern then decided to show some imagery related to the report but Rhodes said it was premature, but Stern insisted.**

"They were too premature." Rhodes laughed.

**The flat screen then started showing images of landscapes as Rhodes said they were photos of attempts to recreate the Iron Man Armor. **

"'Attempt' is the operative word." Pepper said.

**Tony looked at the screen with a frown and took out a device, his thumbs flying over the icons as Rhodes continued.**

"He had you all over it." Wanda said to Vision.

"Yes he did." Vision said.

**Tony stopped Rhodes and pushed an icon as a black box with lines of code appeared on the screen with the words "WELCOME, MR. STARK."**

"Did you just hack the US government?" Fury asked.

"In front of them." Hill added.

"Now that's Tony Stark." Logan said and everyone laughed.

"Yeah, that's me!" Tony said.

**Tony said he commandeered their screens and pushed an icon to reveal North Korea where a very heavy kind of suit staggered and fell down.**

Everyone laughed at the display in front of them. Thor and Odinson sounded like rumbling thunder.

"North Korea." Clint said dryly, "Why am I not surprised?"

"Even the Accords sound like they are something out of there." Logan said.

"Yup. So wishing I could remove my signature right now." Tony said.

"Me too." Rhodes agreed.

**Two reporters sprang to their feet as Stern demanded to turn off the TV while Hammer ran to the front of the television and Tony revealed Iran on the screen. Some explosions were shown on the screen before Hammer appeared, fumbling with a Suit which collapsed. Tony mocked Justin, telling him to focus up as he was on TV.**

Everyone laughed really hard again. Wanda was clutching her stomach at this point.

"He's too shy to be on TV." Banner said.

**Tony said most countries would take 5 to 10 years to make a Suit but Hammer Industries would take 20 while Hammer managed to disconnect the TV and said the pilot had survived.**

"But lost his limbs." Natasha said.

"Even Stephen Strange didn't treat him." Benjamin said.

"Stephen Strange?" Tony asked, "The brilliant neurosurgeon who couldn't use his hands after a car crash?"

"Yes. That one." Xavier said.

"How do you know him?" Steve asked.

"Long story." Benjamin said, "Though he got into the crash right after refusing to treat that pilot." [6]

"Karma?" Clint asked.

"Oh you have no idea, bub." Logan said.

**Stern tried to diffuse the situation as Tony said they were welcome. When Stern asked why, he said because he was their nuclear deterrent and that America was secure. He then said, "You want my property. You can't have it!"**

Everyone clapped happily at the scene.

"If only you were this good while dealing with the snake known as Ross." Loki muttered.

"Do not bring up snakes again." Thor told him.

**Tony said he had successfully privatized world peace and he wouldn't play ball with the ass clowns as he raised his fingers and everyone clapped for him. Stern actually said "Fuck you" to Tony.**

"Did he just drop the F-bomb on national TV?" Aunt May asked incredulously.

"It appears he did." T'Challa said.

"He cannot control his temper." Steve said.

"So he is not fit to be a politician either." Natasha said.

**Stern adjourned the gathering as Tony put on his sunglasses and gave flying kisses to them all before he walked out and waved to people and shook their hands.**

"Now that is the Tony Stark we know and love." Sam said.

"Yes. Not the person who played ball with Ross." Bruce said. [7]

"Yeah. Now I won't play ball with corrupt government officials like him ever again." Tony declared and everyone in the room nodded with pride, especially Pepper.

**Ivan Vanko watched the hearing on TV with Russian subtitles as Tony said that he would serve the country at his pleasure and that they could count on him to pleasure himself.**

Everyone laughed hard again.

"Do you stop with the dirty puns?" Pepper asked as she struggled to hold her laughter.

"I don't do them anymore." Tony said.

"Hide the zucchini?" Natasha asked with a glare and he paled.

**Ivan worked on something and soon electricity crackled. Few seconds later, Ivan walked around with those electrical weapons and some kind of suit and swinging them, cut the TV in half.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said.

"Meet Ivan Vanko." Natasha said.

"We called him Whiplash." Fury said.

"I can see why." Steve said.

* * *

**And now we are on with Iron Man 2.**

**[1] A reference to Cobie Smulders' role as Robin Scherbatsky in "How I Met Your Mother" in which there is a burly but lovely character known as Marshall Eriksen. HIMYM fans will know.**

**[2] A reference to Paul Rudd's role as Mike Hannigan in "Friends" where his character married Phoebe Buffay. Friends fans will know. So I managed to reference two of the most popular and beloved sitcoms in this chapter. Wow!**

**[3] There is an alternate ending to Iron Man 2 where Rhodes killed Ivan with the ex-wife and it also happened in the novelization of Iron Man 2. You must have noticed that the ex-wife didn't go far before it hit Vanko. It didn't develop enough kinetic energy. That's it. With enough kinetic energy, it would have busted Ivan's ass.**

**[4] Cobie Smulders is Canadian.**

**[5] Rhodes' line to Tony here-"Look. It's me, I'm here, deal with it, let's move on" was their subtle and cheeky way of acknowledging the change of actors from Terrence Howard to Don Cheadle.**

**[6] Doctor Strange looks like it took place over the course of a few years. I mean, Strange had 7 surgeries for which he spent his money and then he travelled to Nepal to Kamar-Taj and all that. That would have taken years. Some people say that it was Rhodes in Civil War Strange was being called to treat but he wasn't in an experimental suit of armor. It was a fully functioning War Machine Armor and if it was Rhodes, the caller would have said its him aka War Machine as he is an Avenger. So I would say the accident happened during Iron Man 2 while his training was finished sometime after Captain America: Civil War. The pilot for Hammer's suit being his potential patient makes more sense as that was an experimental suit of armor.**

**[7] This is my opinion but I think Tony wasn't written very in-character in Captain America: Civil War and Spider-Man: Homecoming. Now I love both the movies but I just don't think Tony was written properly in them. I mean in this movie he says the government can kiss his ass and then in Civil War he is playing ball with them. He would be feeling guilt over Ultron but he also looks like he is not seeing eye to eye with Steve which is weird since they were besties up until the end of Age of Ultron. It's like there is a missing movie in the middle. Still, I love Tony 3000 and he is a great character overall and my 4****th**** favorite MCU character.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and are looking forward to the next chapter.**

.


	13. You Lose Stark

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now this story has crossed 100 favorites and reviews as well. Thank you all! Keep blowing my mind.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thank you for the review. Glad you enjoyed. Agreed on TIH. We might see him. I actually liked Professor Hulk but we needed to see them merge. Yes they were that stupid. Glad Cap and his Disney love was gold and you will see. Agreed on Iron Man 2 as well. Agreed on Tony in Civil War. Glad you loved the references to HIMYM and Friends and agreed on Marshall and Barney. Guess so. My top 3 MCU characters are Steve Rogers, Matt Murdock and Peter Parker while Thor is on 5****th****. In the Marvel comics, my top 3 are Peter Parker, Thor and Steve Rogers. Of course you are not the only one wanting the movies and shows to crossover. I would give anything to see the Agents of SHIELD, the Defenders and Punisher along with Colleen and Robbie Reyes/Ghost Rider pop out of the portals in the final fight. You might see some reactions to X-Men stuff. Enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 13- You Lose Stark

"Well, now you've pissed off the government." Logan said.

"And I will do something that is 'me' next." Tony smirked as everyone snickered.

**At Tony's mansion in Malibu, California, he 'woke' JARVIS up with four holographic desktops and the AI congratulated him on his openings and the Senate hearing which was seen on a monitor.**

"Good morning JARVIS." Everyone said in unison.

"Good morning." Vision joked.

"That is some very advanced tech there." Peter said in excitement.

"Some of which I gave you, kid." Tony said with a smile.

**JARVIS said it was good to have a video of him with clothes on.**

Everyone burst out laughing as Vision said, "There is a special file for that."

**U attempted to mix something in a blender but knocked it over accidentally, spilling it on the counter as Tony said he would dismantle it.**

"Take it easy." Natasha said.

"Yeah, it's just a machine." Sam said.

"And Mr. Stark hurt its feelings." Vision said and everyone snickered.

**JARVIS told Tony it was trying to counteract the symptoms and after testing, Tony saw the toxicity in his blood was 24%.**

"So you told JARVIS but not me?" Pepper asked with a glare.

"And me neither." Rhodes said.

"I am the dumbest genius around." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

"And Mr. Richards would be the smartest." Xavier said and everyone nodded.

**Tony unscrewed an Arc Reactor from his chest and pulled out the large chip on its back.**

"That thing smokes?"Hill asked.

"It does." Tony said.

"The extra metal is poisoning you." Clint said and he nodded.

**JARVIS said no other elements were viable replacements and the device keeping him alive was also killing him. Tony looked at his blackened veins against the translucent skin.**

"How did you survive?" Thor asked in shock.

"Just watch, Point Break." Tony said.

"That looks very frightening." Aunt May said about his nerves.

**JARVIS said Pepper was approaching and he should tell her but Tony commanded the AI to "mute" and lowered his shirt.**

"Why wouldn't you tell me?" Pepper asked.

"Because I'm an idiot." Tony said glumly.

**Tony put on the screensavers and walking through his workshop, started putting the holograms away as Pepper asked what he was thinking donating their art collection to the Boy Scouts of America, to which Tony said it was a worthwhile organization.**

"I still think it is." Tony said and everyone sighed.

**He then told Pepper it wasn't their art collection but his.**

"You had the nerve." Pepper muttered.

"I bought it." Tony shrugged and she glared at him.

"I think Mr. Stark has a death wish today." T'Challa said and everyone nodded.

"Typical." Sam said.

**Pepper said she felt entitled to it considering the ten years she had spent curating it. Tony said he needed a tax write-off.**

"Really?" Clint asked and he shrugged.

**Pepper started talking again when Tony told Dum-E to stop spacing out and do other work. **

"Is it weird that I want to pet Dum-E and U?" Wanda asked.

"Uhhh, no." Pepper said and everyone chuckled.

**Pepper said the Expo was a waste of time as Tony asked her to wear a surgical mask until she was feeling better. Tony said the Expo was his primary point of concern as Pepper told him it was his ego going crazy. **

"It was." Pepper said.

"You really should have told Pepper or Rhodes."Steve said.

**Tony then picked up a framed picture of the Iron Man suit and in spite of Pepper's protests, took down Barnett Newman and hung it up as she talked about the stocks of the company. Pepper brought up other ideas Tony was supposed to do but he called them boring and asked her to do them, to her shock. The two argued again for a bit before Tony said he had made her CEO.**

"So this is how you became CEO." Fury noted.

"You two talk really fast." Steve said.

"Tell me about it." Rhodes shrugged.

**Pepper asked Tony if he had been drinking, to which he replied chlorophyll and then seriously said he had made her CEO of Stark Industries, to her shock.**

"Wow!" Hill simply said.

"Well, you did better than him." Natasha shrugged as Tony glared at her.

"She speaks the truth." Rhodes told him and he sighed, conceding their points.

**Tony had a bot bring some vodka which he cracked open and then said he had been trying to think of a worthy successor and it was her. It had always been her.**

"Awww!" Aunt May said as everyone nodded in approval.

**Pepper sank onto a chair as Tony said he was appointing her without any legal issues and gave her a glass of vodka, telling her not to think and just drink. The two toasted and drank as Pepper had a bright smile on her face.**

"Is that your motto or something?" Bruce asked.

"Yup." Tony said.

"And that, Peter, is why you shouldn't act like Tony Stark." Aunt May said and everyone snickered.

Pepper was still not the most pleased about that affair.

"That was actually nice." Steve noted about Pepper's reaction to being CEO.

**Ivan stood in an alley in Moscow and a man gave him something in an envelope. Ivan thanked him and saw he had a passport now and a pass to Grand Prix de Monaco Historique.**

"Good to know that wasn't my fault." Pepper said.

"You actually thought it was?" Tony asked her in shock and guilt.

"Well, now he is coming after you." Hill said about Ivan.

**The Clash's The Magnificent Seven began to play as Pepper walked into a fitness room and asked Tony to sign the transfer paperwork for the notary, but Tony replied he was on Happy time as he was boxing with Happy in the boxing ring.**

""Happy time?"" Sam asked, "That's the best you can do?"

"I wasn't on the top of my game back then." Tony said.

"Yeah. That is rather obvious." Professor Hulk said.

**Tony blocked and dodged some attacks before hitting Happy on the head, staggering him back.**

"What the hell was that?" Clint asked.

"Mixed martial arts." Tony shrugged.

"Dirty boxing." Logan said and everyone chuckled, "I once popped out my claws during boxing."

**Tony apologized and said he had used mixed martial arts to which Happy replied it was dirty boxing. That was when an attractive woman in a white blouse and black pants with dark red hair arrived. Happy gaped at her. Tony turned around and had the same reaction. She eyed Tony critically before moving to Pepper.**

"Look who it is!" Sam said.

"Hi Nat!" Bucky said happily and everyone clapped as Natasha gave a flattered smile.

**She asked Pepper to sign as Happy told Tony never to take his eye off his opponent, only to receive a kick, to which he replied he was done.**

"Poor Happy." Hill muttered.

"Oh you have no idea." Benjamin said.

**Tony asked the woman her name and she introduced herself as Natalie Rushman.**

"Isn't that close to your real name?" Bruce asked.

"Not really." Natasha whispered to herself as Wanda saw a flash of _Natalia Alianovna _in her head.

**Tony welcomed her to the church to Pepper's shock who apologized to Natalie, calling her eccentric. She stepped into the ring and stared at Tony, measuring him, as he drank his water and walked out while Happy decided to give her a lesson.**

"Now this is getting good." Pepper said as Natasha smirked.

"I would pass out if you measured me like that." Sam told Natasha who gave a flattered smile.

"Yeah. You would." Fury agreed.

Benjamin, Odinson and Professor Hulk looked at the screen sadly. It was almost saddening to see Tony and Natasha on the screen together, considering they had sacrificed themselves against Thanos. The first two of the original Avengers to meet were the first two to lose their lives.

**Pepper told Tony she was from legal and if he didn't stop ogling her, she could be a very expensive sexual harassment lawsuit.**

"Or very expensive surgery for me." Tony joked and everyone laughed.

**Tony said he needed a new assistant.**

"A new hot woman to hang around you." Bucky corrected.

"You think I'm hot?" Natasha asked with a seductive smile.

"Of course. No one comes close." Bucky said and everyone groaned at the couple's antics.

"Guys, there are people here." Steve said and the two immediately shook their heads and looked at the screen again, a little embarrassed as everyone laughed.

**Pepper said she had three excellent candidates but Tony said he felt it was her. Happy asked Natalie if she had boxed before and he asked what kind.**

"Oh you have no idea." Fury said as everyone chuckled.

"Looks like both you and him have death wishes, Mr. Stark." T'Challa noted.

"You might just be right about that, Your Highness." Xavier said with a smile.

"Well, what you did worked, Nat." Hill noted and she nodded.

**Tony asked Natalie how her name was spelled. She told him and he looked her up. Pepper asked if he was googling her, to which he replied he thought he was ogling her.**

"Rich." Wanda muttered.

**Tony saw her resume and found her impressive, seeing that she knew Italian, Russian and Latin. He asked Pepper who spoke Latin, to which she started explaining it was a dead language as he saw pictures of Natalie modeling at Tokyo.**

"Now that was fun." Natasha said.

"Was that a mission too?" Tony asked.

"Yup." Natasha said, "But a fun one."

**Natalie was watching them when Happy told her not to take her eye off her opponent, only for her head to snap around. Her left hand closed on Happy's right arm. She pushed sideways on the arm, and in an instant her body had flipped completely around, her feet flying over her head and her legs fastening round Happy's neck. The man topped easily. "Oh my God!" Pepper howled.**

Everyone clapped happily at the scene.

"Poor Happy." Aunt May muttered.

"He started it." Natasha shrugged.

**Natalie unwound her legs from Happy's neck and got up as Happy made excuses but Tony called it a TKO. Natalie walked out of the ring and asked for his impression. Tony started joking when she said she meant his fingerprint.**

"Hiiiree meee." Natasha mock squealed and everyone laughed.

**Tony did as Pepper walked up next to them and Natalie asked, "Will that be all, Mr. Stark?" Tony said "No" but Pepper said, "Yes, that will be all, Ms. Rushman, thank you very much."**

"Called it." Steve said.

"Good call." Benjamin agreed.

"You can't let him have good stuff." Aunt May said in amusement.

"Looks like someone is jealous!" Sam said and Pepper shook her head in amusement, though it was true.

"There was no need to be though. Of course I couldn't tell anyone that." Fury said and everyone snickered.

"**I want one." Tony said and Pepper replied, "No."**

"You won't have anything." Natasha said and everyone laughed as Tony looked away.

'_And we want her back.' _Odinson thought to himself.

**And then appeared Monaco as the announcer spoke in French about the Grand Prix de Monaco Historique.**

"You were supposed to spend a vacation and you raced there." Pepper sighed.

"I can relate." Loki of all people said.

**Tony, Pepper and Happy stepped out of his car and walked into the building, Happy carrying a bright red-and-silver briefcase.**

"Good thing you had that." Tony told Pepper.

**Tony and Pepper walked inside to see all the rich people as Natalie greeted him in a pink dress with a professional smile and asked him about his flight, to which he replied excellent and said it was good to see her.**

"Nice dress." Wanda commented.

"Thank you." Natasha said.

**Tony and Pepper had a picture of them taken as they exchanged witty banter and then Tony told Natalie she looked fantastic to which she thanked him but then he called her unprofessional.**

"Dude, stop with the flirting!" Rhodes said.

"Not even making it subtle." Fury shook his head.

"She always looks fantastic." Bucky said and Natasha looked at him with a smile.

"I agree." Tony said and everyone was surprised they agreed on something.

"And me?" Pepper asked with a glare.

"Oh you are breathtaking." Tony said and she smiled as everyone chuckled.

**That was when Elon Musk greeted Pepper and congratulated her on the promotion, to which she thanked him.**

"Elon Musk?!" Peter said excitedly.

"Peter is a huge fan." Aunt May said.

"He is right to be." Hill agreed.

"Yeah. He is a smart guy." Sam said.

"Oh absolutely." Rhodes agreed.

"He might even give our Stark a run for his money." Natasha said and everyone nodded thoughtfully.

"He might." Steve agreed.

"If given the chance that is." Benjamin said.

"Mr. Stark has an IQ of 270. Mr. Musk's IQ isn't known but it is estimated to be close to 170." Vision said.

"270?" Aunt May asked in astonishment and Tony shrugged.

"And yet he makes stupid decisions." Clint muttered.

"Dumbest genius, remember?" Tony said with a smirk.

"Well, it's not like Musk does everything perfectly either." Logan said.

"We are all human after all." Xavier said.

"Not me." Odinson and Thor said at the same time.

"Me neither." Loki said.

"I would consider myself somewhere in between." Professor Hulk said.

"I would consider myself a human who shares his brain with something else." Bruce said.

"To be honest, I like the guy." Tony said.

"Don't blame you." Scott said.

"Yeah, he holds up pretty well." Hope agreed.

"One of the few people Tony respects." Pepper told everyone to their shock.

"Maybe in another world, Elon Musk is Tony Stark." T'Challa joked and everyone chuckled.

"Could be." Fury muttered.

**Tony greeted Musk and said he loved the designs for the Merlin engines as Musk thanked him and said he had an idea for an electric jet. Tony said they would make it work as him and Pepper walked off.**

"Is that possible?" Bruce asked.

"According to Musk, six years from your time." Benjamin said and everyone shrugged.

**Tony asked Pepper for a massage but she refused as he said he would have Natalie make an appointment but she refused. Tony apologized for springing it on her as Justin Hammer called out to them from behind, calling Stark "Anthony."**

"And he's back." Rhodes said as everyone groaned.

**Hammer clapped Tony on the shoulder, calling him pal as Tony told Pepper Hammer was his least favorite person on Earth as he turned to face him. Hammer then said Christine Everhart was there too as she walked up to them.**

"Great." Scott groaned, "Her again."

"It's like she is a ghost haunting Stark or something." Hope said.

"Might be." Pepper said.

"Oh look at them, aren't they a happy couple?" Tony said sarcastically about Hammer and Everhart as everyone snickered. [1]

**Some forced "Hi's" went around as Hammer told Christine Pepper was the new CEO of Stark Industries. Everhart said her editor would kill her if she didn't grab a quote for their Powerful Women issue, amusing Pepper.**

"Oh my how the tables have turned." Scott said and everyone laughed.

"Trash walks back in sometimes." Hope said.

"Yeah, but it's still trash." Pepper said and everyone chuckled.

**Hammer said she was doing a big spread on him in the Vanity Fair and she had done for Tony the previous year.**

"She had!" Rhodes said and all chuckled.

**Pepper walked away in spite of Tony's protests as Hammer and him took a picture, to Tony's displeasure and Everhart tried to ask them questions and Tony said Hammer had got his contract revoked, to which he said it was on hold. Hammer deflected and said he wanted to present something at Stark's Expo, surprising him. Tony said if Hammer made something that worked, he would get him a slot as Natalie pulled him to the table and Hammer said he had a slot.**

"Now that was one presentation." Tony muttered to himself.

"I know." Pepper sighed.

"Worst presentation ever." Rhodes groaned.

**As Hammer told Christine him and Tony were kidders, Stark checked his blood toxicity in the bathroom and found it at 53%.**

"That high already?" Steve asked in shock.

"And you didn't tell anyone?" Sam said.

"I was dying." Tony said.

"And that doesn't entitle you to be stupid-" Rhodes started.

"And reckless." Pepper said.

"Guys!" Benjamin said and everyone focused on the recording.

"**Got any new bad ideas?" Tony asked his reflection.**

"Worst one." Tony muttered.

**Tony was then surrounded by guards, photographers and fans as he walked towards the race track in a blue and black jumpsuit with "Stark" stitched on it. He jumped to the race track.**

"This was it." Natasha sighed.

"The worst." Pepper said.

"I am the worst." Tony said.

**Hammer was giving his interview to Christine when the TV showed Tony on the race track to his shock. Pepper beckoned Natalie and asked her about it but she said she hadn't known about it until now.**

"New bad idea." Tony groaned.

"I would stay still if I were you and sitting next to Pepper." Loki said.

"Yeah, I agree." Thor said.

Tony shut up as Pepper shot him a glare.

**One of the racers stormed off angrily after throwing off his helmet as Stark had taken his place and Pepper said she needed Happy to get there. **

"God Bless Happy." Steve said.

**Hammer tried to give his interview to Christine but she walked off on getting a phone call and she needed to cover Tony's latest screw up. Hammer looked at the TV again.**

"His thunder keeps getting stolen." Odinson said and all laughed.

"Nice thunder joke." Thor said.

"Wouldn't expect any less from you." Tony said as the laughter stopped.

**After revving the engine, Tony gave his assistant a thumbs up and the race began as everyone cheered. A figure dressed in orange walked up to the tracks with "Intervention" on his helmet along with the assistants. It was Ivan.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"Just watch." Tony said.

**Pepper was waiting for Happy to arrive as Ivan walked onto the track, to everyone's shock while Hammer watched him with interest. Tony and the others raced out of the tunnel as Ivan emerged and his whips came out while his jacket was burnt off by his suit. He swung his whips skillfully.**

"Oh God!" Steve said.

"That is not good!" Bruce said.

"For him." Tony said.

"Because of me." Pepper added.

"I know he is a bad guy and all but that still looked awesome." Peter said and everyone shook their heads.

**Ivan then hit a car with his whip, destroying it as Pepper and Happy drove over to the tracks with Tony's suit. Tony drove over but Ivan hit his car with his whip, sending it flying off as Tony fell down and took off his helmet to look at his opponent. Ivan walked towards him as the cars blew up behind him.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"How are the cars blowing up?" Rhodes asked.

"No idea." Natasha said.

**Pepper took the case from Happy as they struggled to drive while Ivan cut off Tony's car, only to see he wasn't there. Tony hit him from behind with the broken door but was sent flying off as Ivan tried to hit him but he dodged, one strike almost hitting his- thing!**

"Close one." Pepper said.

**Tony tried to escape as the whip slightly hit his leg, making him fall down near a car whose fuel was leaking. Ivan swung his whips and hit the car as Tony jumped off while it exploded. He got up to see a bit of his shoulder was on fire and put it out as him and Ivan faced each other. That was when Happy hit Ivan with the car as Tony jumped to the railing where Ivan got pinned. Happy backed off as Pepper yelled at Tony, asking if he was out of his mind.**

"I was." Tony agreed.

**He said he needed better security and she was CEO while also not being very grateful to Happy.**

"You ungrateful son of a bitch." Fury said.

"You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Steve asked and everyone snickered.

"Just because you're dying doesn't give you the right to act like that." Hill told him.

"I know, I know." Tony said, "Dumb genius."

**Ivan woke up again and Happy hit him a few more times before his whips started damaging the car, breaking doors and the roof as Pepper finally threw the case out. Tony put his foot on the handle and then the briefcase opened to reveal many folded layers of red and silver.** **It unfolded partly as Tony bent down and grasped two more handles. He pulled the main part of the Suit up and put it on his chest, stretching out his arms as the gold-titanium mesh and outer shell fitted itself over his arms, down his back, around his legs, and finally, over his head. The Arc Reactor glowed brightly as the Suit connected to it.**

"Okay that was awesome!" Peter cheered.

"Yup." Rhodes agreed.

"Nice suit." Steve said.

"Ivan is so screwed now." Bruce said.

"That was a great suit-up." Thor said.

"Wait till you see my new one." Tony shrugged.

**Iron Man tried to fire but Ivan staggered him back with his whips a few times before deflecting a few blasts and wrapping his whip around Tony. Tony's monitors flared as he got up and wrapping more of the whip around himself, he moved closer and punched Ivan twice before slamming him to the ground. He ripped out his Arc Reactor and crushed it as a medical team arrived to take him away. Happy and Pepper watched in horror while Hammer watched with interest as Ivan said, "You-you lose! You lose. You lose, Stark!"**

"What does he mean?" Thor asked.

"Nothing good." Tony said.

**Tony walked with another man and some police in a prison as the man said they had got nothing off Ivan and weren't even sure he spoke English.**

"Oh he definitely speaks English." Rhodes said.

**Tony asked for five minutes and went inside alone as Ivan sat in a square box-like prison with only a cot and a bench.**

Wanda shuddered, reminded of her own imprisonment as Vision held her hand for comfort.

**Ivan wore nothing but a pair of boxers and had a lot of tattoos on his body. Tony commented on his suit, calling it a passable knock-off.**

"And now you're giving him ideas." Fury chided as everyone shook their heads.

**Tony told him he could have sold it around to some countries as he said Stark came from a family of thieves and butchers and was trying to rewrite his history like all guilty men, forgetting the lives his family had destroyed. Tony asked where he got the design, to which he replied from his father Anton Vanko. Tony said he had never heard of him as Ivan said his father was the reason Tony was alive.**

"Part of the reason." Fury said.

**Tony said the reason he was alive was that Ivan had a shot, he took it and missed. Ivan said if he could make God bleed, people would cease to believe in him and he had to sit and watch. Tony joked he would watch it from a prison cell and walked off, saying he would send him a bar of soap. Before he was gone, Ivan told him that Palladium in the chest was a painful way to die. Tony stiffened and walked out of the door, slamming it shut as Ivan gave a triumphant laugh.**

"How the hell did he know?" Pepper asked.

"No idea." Tony said.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Sam said.

"You're right to, bub." Logan said.

* * *

**And another chapter done. Tony really was a poor protagonist in this movie. Really now that I think of it, as much as I love Tony, he is a poor protagonist in all movies except Iron Man, The Avengers, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.**

**[1] Sam Rockwell, who played Justin Hammer, and Leslie Bibb, who played Christine Everhart, are a couple in real life since 2007. **

**Hope everyone enjoyed and are looking forward to the next chapter.**


	14. Drunken brawl

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thank you for the review. Oh I absolutely agree that RDJ portrayed Tony to perfection and is the MCU's Godfather. While Tony is a poor protagonist at times, that doesn't make him bad. I enjoy seeing him screw up and then finally set things right in the end. You will see on everything else. Marvel themselves pretend the Inhumans garbage doesn't exist so if they exist in this, they would be different versions. Glad you loved the Winter Widow moments. Sam Rockwell and Leslie Bibb aren't married. They're just in a long term relationship. Enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 14- Drunken brawl

"I have a feeling the government will us this to their advantage." Steve said.

"Right you are, Cap." Tony said.

**On the TV, Stern was berating Tony for the incident at Monaco and his statement of the Suit not being invented for 5 to 10 years which was wrong. Tony muted the TV and told Pepper that Stern should give them a medal.**

"He did eventually." Rhodes said.

"Yup. I remember that." Tony smirked.

"It was amusing to watch." Fury remembered as everyone snickered.

**Pepper asked about the food which Tony said was her in-flight meal. She asked him if he had made that, to which he told her it had taken three hours.**

"Awwww." Natasha, Hill and Aunt May said at the same time as Tony and Pepper blushed.

"That was nice of you, Tony." Steve said and Tony shrugged.

**Pepper asked Tony what he wasn't telling her.**

"The fact that you're dying." Sam said dryly.

"Due to metal poisoning." Logan added.

"From the thing that's supposed to keep you alive." Bruce said as Tony winced.

**Tony said he didn't want to go home and that they should take a holiday but Pepper said as CEO she needed to be there. Tony then said as CEO she was entitled to a leave or as he called it- company retreat. Pepper said this wasn't the time due to the mess but Tony said that made it the best time.**

"You're not making much sense." Peter said.

"When do I?" Tony shrugged.

"At that time, you made even less sense than usual." Pepper told him.

"Apparently, almost dying brought out the worst in Mr. Stark." Vision noted.

"Pepper as a CEO can take a leave but not that early." Natasha said and everyone nodded.

**Tony said they needed to recharge their batteries but Pepper told him not everyone ran on batteries and both smiled.**

"I thought you were going to give another quip." T'Challa said.

"Wasn't in the mood." Tony shrugged.

**Ivan was sitting in his cell when the guard put a food tray on his cell. He picked it up and saw a message on it that said "Enjoy the potatoes." Ivan turned the white lump to see a bomb with a timer.**

"Okay, those are not potatoes." Sam said.

"Duh!" Tony said as if it was obvious.

"I have always wondered how he escaped." Natasha said.

"Well, we're about to find out." Clint said.

"Damn right." Fury agreed.

**Another prisoner was shoved inside and his inmate number was the same as Ivan, which caused Ivan to smirk. **

"Oh my God!" Aunt May said in horror as everyone realized what was going to happen.

**Ivan smashed the man's head around, killing him before fitting the bomb near the wall as the guard left a key. He unlocked the door and walked out.**

"That man must be an infiltrator." Thor said.

"Right you are, brother." Loki agreed.

**As he walked, a real guard tried to stop him but he snapped his neck.**

"Oh God!" Wanda said in shock.

"Good thing he didn't fight you in hand to hand." Rhodes said and Tony paled as he thought of the possibilities.

**He walked as the bomb exploded but two guards shut the gate so he turned around, only for some infiltrators to grab him and put a bag over his head as they shut him in a truck.**

"So this is how it happened." Hill noted.

"A pretty smart plan." Fury said.

"So Hammer isn't as dumb as he appeared." Tony noted.

**Later, the bag was taken off his head and he saw Justin Hammer sitting in the middle of a magnificent room, ready to eat.**

"I always wondered how they met." Tony said.

**Hammer told the guards to get the cuffs off Vanko and after some hesitation, they did as told and tried to argue a bit with Hammer but he sent them off before asking Vanko to sit, saying he would like to do business with him and apologizing for bringing him in the way he did.**

"Is he being serious here?" Steve asked incredulously.

"Apparently." Professor Hulk said.

"I still don't get how he thought he would get a man like Ivan to work for him." Benjamin said.

"He was a fool." Odinson said.

"Yes. He is a vain fool." Thor agreed.

"Yup. And a dumb person." Tony said.

**Hammer's men then brought some delicious food on his order.**

"Okay, now I'm hungry." Wanda said as her mouth watered.

"We will have dinner." Xavier simply said.

**Hammer told Ivan how him standing up to Tony in front of everyone was great.**

"Nothing new about that." Tony shrugged.

"Hammer saw things the way he wanted to." T'Challa said.

**Hammer said that instead of trying to kill Stark, he should be trying to kill his legacy and that the two of them were alike in a lot of ways with one difference- Hammer had resources and Ivan needed them. He could be Ivan's benefactor.**

"Another difference is that Ivan has brains." Bruce said.

"Along with brawn." Peter noted.

"A very dangerous combination." Steve said grimly.

"And he will now try to do both- kill me and destroy my legacy." Tony said grimly.

**Ivan laughed what seemed to be a mocking laugh and said something in Russian.**

Natasha suddenly started laughing as everyone turned to her in shock.

"What is he saying?" Aunt May asked.

Struggling to control her laughter, Natasha said, "He says "When I die, do not wake me. It is better to be dead than live in your world.""

Everyone laughed as they realized how Ivan was mocking Hammer.

**Hammer asked if he needed a translator but Ivan then said in English it was all good and the two shook hands happily and raised a toast before Vanko said he wanted his bird. Hammer asked if he wanted a bird but Ivan said he wanted his bird and Hammer finally agreed as he asked if the bird would be found in Russia.**

"Yup." Natasha said.

"And now he will send men there too." Clint said dryly.

**Pepper was talking to an anchor on the news as she asked her questions as Natalie worked next to her. Pepper told the anchor that Iron Man had never stopped protecting them as Rhodes asked where Tony was and she told him to go downstairs.**

"It is obvious I tried." Pepper said.

"I never said you didn't." Tony told her.

"Don't ever say that." Pepper and Rhodes said simultaneously.

"Now that is going to be an interesting conversation." Hope said.

"Not that interesting." Tony sighed.

"You should have told me!" Rhodes said again.

"Yeah, yeah." Tony sighed.

"Not telling anyone was pretty reckless of you." Scott said.

**Tony was sitting in front of his computers as JARVIS was telling him about Anton Vanko, a Soviet physicist who had defected to the US in 1943 but was accused of espionage and deported in 1967 and his son Ivan, who is also a physicist, was convicted of selling Soviet-era weapons-grade plutonium to Pakistan, and served fifteen years in Kopeisk prison. No further records existed.**

"Family of crooks." Loki said.

"On point, Reindeer Games." Tony agreed.

"My records have been updated since then." Vision said.

**Rhodes arrived and asked him to handle the situation, telling him they were sick of his games and were going to take his suits. Tony had said nobody would possess the technology for 20 years but someone else had it the previous day so it wasn't theoretical anymore.**

"I said 5 to 10, Hammer 20." Tony said and everyone rolled their eyes.

**Rhodes asked Tony if he was okay. Tony tried to get up and fell down as Rhodes supported him to his desk on his request. Tony ripped out his Arc Reactor and Rhodes was shocked that it was smoking.**

"It is depleted." Tony said.

**Tony then took the new Arc Reactor and put it in himself as Rhodes asked him about the high-tech crossword puzzle on his neck which he called a road rash.**

"Yeah right." Bucky said.

"You really should have told someone." Fury said.

"Yeah, I get it. I should have." Tony said.

**Rhodes wasn't convinced but let it go and told Tony that his lone gunslinger act was unnecessary. Tony said contrary to the popular belief, he knew what he was doing.**

"Contrary to your popular belief, you did not know anything." Scott said and everyone nodded.

**In Queens, New York, Hammer lead Ivan into his workshop, telling him he could work in peace.**

"Not with Hammer pestering him." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

**Hammer showed him the Suits which had a rushed prototype and weren't combat ready as Hammer started typing.**

"Of course you rushed them." Thor said scornfully.

"This man talks more, works less." Odinson said.

"I can see that." Loki agreed.

"So he's hacking." Tony said.

"What is h hacking?" Bruce asked.

"Just watch." Professor Hulk said.

**Ivan managed to access the computers as many lines of code appeared and he said their software was shit.**

"Did he just say that to Hammer's face?" Pepper asked with a smirk and everyone nodded.

**Hammer was about to show him his workplace when Ivan climbed up to see a suit but accidentally broke the head as Hammer assured he would fix it while Ivan climbed down.**

"Clearly, he has his own ideas of where to work." Sam said.

**Ivan asked what Hammer wanted the suits to do, to which he said he wanted them to put him in the Pentagon for the next 25 years so he could take a dump in Stark's yard.**

"The dump would be more useful than anything you make." Tony said and everyone laughed.

"How he managed to run his company like that, I'll never know." Natasha said.

**Ivan agreed and the two laughed as Hammer said he had a feeling.**

"Of course you did." Hill sighed.

**A long line of cars pulled up in front of Tony's mansion.**

"The party." Pepper whispered as her and Rhodes already looked stressed while Tony looked embarrassed.

"Let it be known that I tried to stop him." Natasha said in her defense.

"Yes you did." Tony agreed.

**Tony was looking at his blackened veins in the mirror and now his toxicity level was 89%.**

"Damn!" Sam whispered.

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone?" Peter asked this time, shocked by how careless his mentor really was.

"Dumb genius." Tony shrugged.

"This time, just dumb." Wanda said and everyone nodded in agreement.

**Natalie arrived and asked what watch he would like to wear to which he replied he would take a look and asked if he should just cancel the party, to which she said he probably should.**

"Look!" Natasha said, "Evidence."

**Natalie told it was ill-timed. Tony said it sent the wrong message and Natalie agreed it was inappropriate as he drank and she asked if it was dirty enough for him. He then asked her to bring him a watch as he sat down and she brought the entire case and sat on the arm of his chair, looking at him with a smile as he smiled back.**

"Still ogling me." Natasha said.

"I didn't know you could kill me." Tony said.

**Natalie started covering Tony's face with makeup compact as he said it was hard to get a read on her and asked her where she was from and she said legal. He then asked her a hypothetical question- If this was her last birthday party, how would she spend it. Natalie smiled and said, "I'd do whatever I wanted to do. With whomever I wanted to do it with." She left the room as Tony started considering.**

"No, no, no, no, no…." Rhodes said.

"Out of all the things Miss Romanoff said, those were the ones you decided to act on." T'Challa said as he shook his head.

"With whomever you wanted to do it with?" Bucky asked Natasha flirtily.

"Whatever too." She responded with a flirty smile of her own.

"Guys!" Steve said in an annoyed tone and they looked away again, blushing with embarrassment.

**Later, the party was going on in full swing as Tony, drunk out of his mind, danced in his Iron Man Suit with the DJ playing music next to him as several well-dressed men and scantily clad women stood around. Pepper was watching in astonishment as Tony did a fist pump with the DJ, hurting the DJ's hand.**

"Oh my God!" Steve said as everyone shook their heads.

"Aren't you something?" Fury said sarcastically as Tony winced.

**Rhodes arrived, assuring his superiors Iron Man would be under watch again in 24 hours. He walked inside to see the drunk Tony tripping away and was astonished. Rhodes was about to call someone as Pepper tried to stop him and said she would handle it. Tony slurred that the question he was asked most was how he peed in the suit.**

"Really?" Steve asked in disgust.

"Don't tell me I peed in the Suit." Tony blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh my God!" Aunt May said as everyone shook their heads.

"Definitely don't want to be like you now." Peter said to Tony.

"Don't be." Tony agreed.

**He then leaned forward and straightened again before saying "Just like that!"**

"Ewww!"

"You peed in the Suit." Vision said as Tony put his head in his hands.

**Pepper walked up to the stage and announced the party was going to be over, telling everyone to go home as Tony tried to protest but she pointed out he was out of control.**

"I was." Tony agreed.

"If you had a little more alcohol, you would have killed yourself." Bruce said.

"Yet you would have had it." Professor Hulk said.

"Dumb genius." Tony shrugged again.

**Tony tried to smooch her but she refused.**

"Nope, nope, nope!" Pepper said.

**Pepper said he had peed in his Suit and it wasn't sexy as he said his Suit had a filtration system and she could drink that water.**

"Ewww!" Hope said, "Seriously?"

"What the hell was wrong with you, man?" Scott asked.

"Gross!" Clint said too.

"Yeah, I'm an idiot." Tony agreed.

**Pepper then handed him the mic and took the bottle.**

"And now you've handed him something." Rhodes said as everyone was a bit uncomfortable.

**Tony first appeared serious, saying Pepper was right and the party was over, but then revealed his true colors, saying the party had been over for him an hour and a half ago and the after party was going to start in 15 minutes and if anyone didn't like it, there was a door. He then blasted a glass pane as everyone including Pepper ducked to avoid the glass shards.**

"What are you doing?" Steve asked, shaking his head.

"It was a bit funny till now. Now it isn't." Sam said.

**The women threw up wine bottles as Tony blasted them while Rhodes walked off angrily, looking at three Suits.**

"How did you get one?" Wanda asked.

"He was authorized." Vision said.

"So that's how he just took it." Fury said.

"Someone could have died!" Steve told Tony.

"I know! I'm an idiot!" Tony agreed.

**Tony blasted more bottles, using mirrors and then used his Unibeam to shatter a melon as everyone turned on hearing Rhodes' voice, "I'm only going to say this once. Get out!" Everyone ran off as Tony and Rhodes faced each other.**

"You left me with no other choice." Rhodes said.

"I didn't." Tony agreed.

"Before trying to control others, maybe you should learn to control yourself, Mr. Stark." T'Challa told Tony.

"Yes, your Highness." He said.

**Rhodes told Tony he didn't deserve to wear the Suit as Tony asked the DJ to play a tune to which he could kick Rhodes' ass. The DJ played Queen's Another One Bites the Dust as Rhodes grabbed Tony in a chokehold but he flew up and they crashed through a glass pane into a gym.**

"Ouch!" Hill said.

"How embarrassing." Aunt May said.

**Tony walked away, telling Rhodes to put it back where he found it but he threw the removable cylinder of a weightlifting dumbbell on Tony's head and he turned around, avoiding another one that went into the shower stall. Tony grabbed a dumbbell and shaking the cylinder off one end, smashed Rhodey with it, sending him flying off.**

"I didn't know how to use it." Rhodes said.

"You were a better fighter but Tony knew how to use the Suit." Steve noted.

"So kind of a fair fight." Sam said.

"Not really." Benjamin said.

"But it was needed to prevent you from being an idiot, Stark." Logan told Tony who winced in shame at his behavior.

**Tony said Iron Man didn't need a sidekick as Rhodes hit him with a post, telling him to sidekick that. Rhodes then threw Tony onto an upper floor as Pepper berated Natalie, telling her she was onto her.**

"I tried!" Natasha said.

"I know." Pepper sighed.

**Tony and Rhodes crashed down as everyone backed off in fear. Tony slammed Rhodes back down as Happy led Pepper away and Natalie walked away.**

"Briefing Fury?" Bucky asked.

"She was." Fury said.

"Yup." Natasha agreed.

**Tony and Rhodes continued fighting, Rhodes gaining the upper hand for a moment before they traded blows and Tony slammed him into a table. Tony looked at the crowd watching them from outside through the glass doors and screamed angrily, making them run off in fear.**

Tony looked down in shame.

"That's the worst you did?" Steve asked.

"Yes." Tony said and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, at least no one died." Sam said.

"Someone could have and it would have been on me!" Tony said, "I'm an idiot!"

**Rhodes smashed Tony with a table, sending him across the room. Rhodes tried to reason with Tony but he refused and raised his hand, firing a ray as Rhodes fired his own.**

"Why did you do that?" Thor asked.

"To die." Tony sighed.

"You wanted me to do it?" Rhodes asked, appalled.

"Yup. I'm a horrible person." Tony said.

**There was an explosion and all the glass shattered. When the dust cleared, Tony was lying still but his Suit lit up and he saw Rhodes looking back at him sadly before taking flight, flying into the night sky.**

"The first flight of the War Machine." Sam said.

"And the downfall of the Iron Man." Hill noted.

"Yup." Tony and Rhodes said at the same time.

"Your behavior at the time made matters even worse." Xavier told Tony.

"I know. I know." Tony said, "I should have handle stuff better."

"Well, let's watch further." Benjamin said.

* * *

**And another chapter done.**

**I love Tony but he still needs to be called out for his behavior in this movie. I feel for Pepper and Rhodes more than him really.**

**Now yes, he was dying and I definitely feel bad for him due to that, but this behavior isn't the best.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed.**


	15. Howard's greatest creation

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**It was pointed out to me that I was a bit overly harsh on Tony in the previous chapter. He needed to be called out for the party but I guess I had the others say something about him in every third line the entire chapter.**

**So I will cut it down in this one. To be honest, after the chat with Fury, Tony started cleaning up his act so not much to call him out on.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thank you for the reviews. Glad you enjoyed. I actually agree on Tony so I will cut it down in this chapter. I think Tony was trying to get Rhodes to kill him painlessly. Agreed on the movie. Thank you for pointing out the mistakes. I will correct them later. Yup, Marvel isn't afraid. Enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 15- Howard's greatest creation

"What did you do next?" Sam asked Rhodes.

"You will see." Rhodes said.

**In the Air Traffic Control room at the top of a tower, Major Allen and several other cadets stood as Rhodes flew down in his War Machine armor and landed while they all looked at him in awe.**

"Nice landing." Natasha said.

"Thanks." Rhodes told her.

**Major Allen was awed as Rhodes said they should take it inside and they did.**

"Well, you're getting popular." Tony said and Rhodes sighed.

"Why did you fly away with the Suit?" Peter asked innocently.

"Because by giving them one suit, I'm preventing them from barging into Tony's house to take away all of them." Rhodes said.

"Thanks mate." Tony said and Rhodes shrugged.

"Even though you were a dick to me and Pepper, though you had a reason for that, I got your back." Rhodes said.

"Me too." Pepper said as the two held hands and Tony nodded at both of them.

**Tony was sitting somewhere, still wearing his Suit, with the exception of the helmet, eating donuts.**

"That is a lot of donuts." Steve said.

"I was hungover." Tony shrugged.

"Maybe you should try some water." Bruce told him.

**Then it was revealed that Tony was sitting inside an actual huge donut of a restaurant called "Randy's Donuts." **

"Now that is a big donut." Thor said.

"Biggest one I have seen so far." Odinson agreed.

**A very familiar voice asked Tony to 'exit the donut' as he looked down to see Fury standing in his trench coat. He looked at Tony and walked off.**

"And our Director is here." Hill said with a smirk.

"Never thought I'd tell you to exit a donut." Fury told Stark.

"And I never thought I would exit a donut." Tony said.

"How do you exit a donut?" Pepper wondered.

**Later, Tony was sitting in an empty restaurant with Fury and a cup of coffee. Tony told him he didn't want to join Fury's band as Fury asked sarcastically how that was working out.**

"Pretty terrible." Aunt May said.

**Tony asked if he should look in the eye or the eyepatch and asked if it was a hallucination.**

"You shouldn't ask that." Clint told Tony.

"Look at the eye. Never at the eyepatch." Fury said and everyone wondered what that was about.

**Fury leaned forward across the table and said, "I am very real. I'm the realest person you're ever gonna meet."**

"Can't argue with that." Tony said.

"Me neither." Steve agreed.

"Well, I think about every possibility." Fury shrugged.

**As Tony asked where the staff was, Fury turned his head to see the alarming veins on his neck and a woman in some kind of a black suit entered.**

Bucky whistled as everyone turned to him and Natasha, who was smirking.

**Natalie Rushman, clad in SHIELD attire said that they had secured the perimeter.**

"Well, hello Natalie." Steve said as Natasha winked at him.

**Tony just looked at her in shock, struggling to form a witty retort as Fury smirked at him. Tony tried to say she was fired but she said it wasn't up to him.**

"Of course it isn't." Tony shrugged.

"It is actually very amusing to see you at a loss of words." Loki said in amusement as Tony glared at him but he didn't back down.

**She sat next to Fury who put an arm around her and introduced her as Agent Natasha Romanoff as Tony greeted her.**

"Hi Natasha!" Steve, Bucky, Clint, Sam, Thor and Bruce said at the same time as Natasha smirked while everyone except Fury clapped.

**Natasha told him she was a SHIELD Agent monitoring him as Fury told him how he had made Pepper the CEO and given Rhodes his Suit, to which Tony replied he had taken it, much to Fury's shock who asked him if Rhodes had kicked his ass and taken it.**

"That's what happened." Bucky said.

"It did." Fury agreed.

"Rhodes is the only one who can." Benjamin said.

"Yup." Tony agreed.

**Natasha said there were redundancies to prevent unauthorized usage as Fury glared at Stark.**

"Colonel Rhodes was authorized." Vision said.

**Tony asked Fury what he wanted from him but Fury turned the question on him in annoyance, telling him contrary to his belief, he wasn't the center of Fury's universe.**

"All of them are." Hill said and Fury shook his head.

**Natasha then pushed a syringe into Tony as he gasped as Natasha looked at his neck while he joked if they were trying to steal and sell his kidney.**

"Wasn't that too much force?" Pepper asked.

"He wasn't cooperating." Natasha said.

"Nope." Tony said.

"That was actually very satisfying." Fury said as everyone smirked.

**Fury said the lithium dioxide was abating his symptoms as Tony said he had tried every known permutation and combination of every known element but nothing worked.**

"Then how?" Peter asked.

"Just watch." Professor Hulk said.

**Fury said he hadn't tried them all.**

Tony smiled as Logan said, "And now you will see."

**Ivan was working as Hammer and Jack brought a cage covered with a cloth and revealed the bird inside it but Ivan said it wasn't his bird. There was some arguing before Hammer told Ivan he shouldn't get too attached to things and learn to let go.**

"He won't." Tony said.

"It looks like the same bird to me." Natasha said.

"It is." Clint said as he squinted his eyes.

"Right you are, Agent Barton." Xavier told him.

"So Ivan was screwing with Hammer." Bucky said.

**Justin then noticed the suits didn't have heads and asked Jack to put it on in confusion just to display in front of Ivan it wasn't a head.**

"And that is why this guy sucks." Tony said.

"I can see that." Pepper said as everyone watched in amusement.

**Hammer said 'drone better' as people make mistakes. Hammer protested until Ivan told him not to get too attached to things and learn to let go, just like he had said to him. Justin told him the drones better rock the show.**

"Burn." Sam said as everyone laughed.

"The drones did rock the show." Tony said.

"Yup." Pepper said.

"A little too much." Rhodes said.

"Let's not talk about it." Natasha said and they all nodded.

**At the army base, a General was pleased with Rhodes as the Suit would get the Senate off his ass and said he wanted Hammer to weaponize it for a presentation at the Expo. Rhodes protested but the General said the world needed to see that.**

"No, the Senate needed to see that." Fury said.

**He told Rhodes that was an order and he accepted as the General said he had made his country proud.**

"Right." Sam muttered as him and Rhodes exchanged a look.

**In Tony's house by the sea, Tony and Fury sat in a lounge as two agents stood on the balcony. Fury said the thing in his chest was based on unfinished technology.**

"Unfinished?" Thor asked.

"You had to show that!" Tony said to their future friends.

"Well, we didn't cut my worst moments either." Odinson said as he remembered his 'Bro Thor' phase with a shudder. [1]

Thor assumed Odinson was talking about his embarrassing moments at Sakaar.

Loki did too, "I remember those."

**Tony tried to protest as Fury said the Arc Reactor was a stepping stone to something greater. Howard was about to kick off an energy race that would have dwarfed the arms race and made the nuclear reactor look like a Grade-A battery.**

"Whoa!" Steve said.

"I didn't know that." Natasha said.

"Because you're only supposed to act like you know everything." Fury told her and she shrugged.

"What stopped him?" Peter asked.

"Technology of his time." Tony said.

**Tony asked Fury about Anton Vanko as Fury said they were two sides of the same coin, telling him why he had been deported and then raised his son in a vodka-fueled rage.** **Tony asked Fury what he meant by him not having tried everything as Fury said Howard had said that only Tony had the knowledge and resources to finish what he had started.**

"Wow!" Pepper said.

"Yeah, he said that." Tony shrugged.

**Tony was shocked as Fury told him that if he was what Howard said, he could solve his heart's riddle. Tony protested how Howard wasn't his biggest fan as his happiest day had been when he had shipped Tony off to boarding school and Fury said it wasn't true. Tony then said Fury must have known his father better than he did, which Fury said was true.**

"Lot of people did." Tony said with a look at Steve and Bucky who didn't say anything.

"He was a good man who couldn't handle parenting." Fury said as Tony nodded.

**Fury then revealed Howard had been a founding member of SHIELD.**

"He was?" Wanda asked in shock.

"Yup." Tony and Fury said simultaneously.

**Two more agents brought a grey case in front of a shocked Stark as Fury said he needed to go.**

"You're leaving us on a cliffhanger?" Clint asked.

"I got an intelligence organization to run." Fury shrugged.

**Tony asked Fury about the grey case but Fury said he had got it as Tony protested.**

"You did figure it out." Fury said unrepentantly.

"Yeah." Tony snorted.

**Fury said Natasha would remain a floater at Stark Industries as her and Phil Coulson arrived.**

"Coulson." Tony said fondly.

"Yeah." Steve shared his sentiments.

"I never knew him. He seems like a nice guy." Bruce said.

"He was." Clint said.

**Fury went off after inclining his head at an angle with Tony and telling him he had got his eye on him.**

"When he does that, he is being serious." Hill said.

**Natasha told him they had disabled communications and there would be no contact with the outside world before wishing him luck and walking off.**

"Got a job to do." Natasha shrugged as everyone chuckled.

**Tony tried to get Coulson on his side but he said he would tase him and watch Supernanny while he drooled on the carpet as Tony decided not to mess with him and he walked off, telling him to enjoy his evening's entertainment. Tony looked at the box which was his father's property.**

"Okay, not so nice." Tony said.

"I wasn't expecting him to be that savage." Aunt May said.

"That nice look is to fool you." Natasha told her.

"Appears so." Peter said.

"You have no idea." Fury said as he remembered some of Coulson's exploits with his team.

**At the army base, Rhodes took out the Arc Reactor with Major Allen as Hammer arrived happily with two cadets pushing a large metal box behind him as he drooled over the Suit.**

"He appears to be happy." T'Challa said.

"He is going to orgasm or something?" Tony joked.

"Wouldn't be surprised if he did." Benjamin said.

"Me neither." Scott said.

"Me neither." Hope agreed.

**Hammer said he would change the software as Rhodes said he wanted weapons and Hammer popped the lollipop in his mouth.**

"Don't touch the software!" Tony protested before turning to Rhodes, "Thanks man!"

"No problem." Rhodes said.

"Don' blame you for your reaction." Scott agreed.

"This guy is full of himself." Hope said about Hammer, "But he is more entertaining that Cross and Stane. I will give him that."

"Yeah. That is true." Scott agreed.

"At least try to look professional." Natasha said to Hammer.

"He is too much of an idiot to notice." Bucky said.

**Hammer then presented his weapons to them- Clearage high-tech semi-automatic nine-millimeter pistol, which he then called too downtown, M-24 shotgun, pump action five-round magazine, but dismissed that too as they weren't hunters, F-N-2000, from Belgium, but it wasn't disco enough, mill-four military grenade launcher which had tear gas, smoke, hippie control. Rhodes and Allen didn't laugh at joke.**

Everyone was laughing at how pathetic Hammer was though.

"Not disco enough?" Aunt May said between laughs.

"Really? Not a hunter?" Sam said.

"Trust me. You're not." Benjamin said as he remembered Kraven the Hunter.

"This is the most unprofessional man I have ever seen. And I'm counting myself." Logan said.

"And hippie control?" Pepper said as everyone continued laughing.

"I was composed there but I was laughing inside at the guy." Rhodes said.

"And he thought he could give a presentation." Scott said.

"He should just take a dump instead." Hope shrugged.

**Hammer took out an M-134 762 minigun but got no response so he then took out his best weapon- the ex-wife.**

"How angry was she?" Natasha wondered.

"A lot." Clint said.

"Wouldn't blame her. The guy eats everyone's head like candy." Tony joked.

"That could have worked with kinetic energy." Rhodes said.

"So the only thing of his that worked." Peter concluded and everyone nodded.

"But with a condition." Wanda reminded him and he nodded.

**Rhodes said he would take all of it, stunning Hammer.**

"Oh boy!" Tony said.

"I know." Rhodes agreed.

"This must be his lucky day." T'Challa said.

**Tony opened the case and looked at its contents, including blueprints and newspapers and books. He then put on a video of Howard where he was about to give some kind of speech.**

"Looks like behind-the-scenes footage." Peter commented.

**Howard said how everything was achievable through technology, including the possibility of world peace as Tony flipped the pages of the book. Howard started fumbling.**

"One mistake and back to square one." Pepper said.

"Yup." Steve agreed.

**Howard began again but a young Tony appeared in the background behind the model.**

"Hello." Pepper said sweetly with a wave.

"Hey kiddo." Rhodes said.

"I'm a riot." Tony said.

"You look cute." Scott said.

"All kids do." Aunt May said.

**Before Howard could continue, he noticed Tony and saw him holding a circle.**

"Oops!" Steve said.

**Howard told him sharply to put it back as the adult Tony watched the footage of his younger self putting it back and a worker took him away to Maria. **

Tony winced at that as Pepper held his hand for comfort. While Tony's childhood hadn't been the worst, it wasn't rainbows and sunshine either.

Steve and Bucky wondered how much Howard had changed from when they knew him.

* * *

In the nearby room, Morgan Stark, Cassie Lang and Lila Barton were eating their dinner when they heard the recording from the next room and Morgan realized there were some tears in her eyes.

"What happened?" Lila asked kindly.

"Nothing. Just remembered something." Morgan said as she wiped her tears.

"What?" Cassie asked.

"When I was a kid, I interrupted my dad the same way he interrupted his in the video." Morgan said with tears, "He had just discovered time travel. But unlike his father, my dad didn't tell me to go away. He indulged me instead." [2]

With that, her tears returned as Lila and Cassie hugged her to offer comfort. Tony may not have been a perfect man. No one was. But he had been a great father to Morgan for the first five years of her life. The best she could ask for. And she still loved him 3000.

* * *

Back in the viewing room, everyone continued watching.

**The videos continued, with Howard fumbling and even saying he wanted to show his ass in one of them.**

Everyone laughed hard at that.

"Oh my God!" Sam said.

"I don't think anyone wants to see that." Thor said.

"Nope." Loki agreed.

**Finally, he addressed Tony in a recording and the grown up Tony looked at the video as Howard said he was limited by technology of his time but Tony could figure it out. And when he did, he would change the world. He finished with, "What is and always will be my greatest creation - is you." Tony and Howard stared at each other, separated in reality by 35 years.**

Everyone watched silently as they absorbed the emotional scene and Pepper held Tony's hand for comfort. Once again, the most sensitive people in the room- Wanda, Peter, Aunt May and Pepper sniffed.

**Tony drove in his car, stopping to buy strawberries from a man who said they believed in him.**

"And I have just brought strawberries." Tony sighed.

"It's okay." Pepper told him.

**At Stark Industries, Pepper was talking to someone about maintenance of propriety ownership while on the news the anchor criticized both Tony and Pepper, asking for the qualifications of the latter as Tony entered, with an old woman saying she had tried to stop him as Tony muted the TV.**

"Thank you." Pepper said.

"Don't mention it." Tony shrugged.

"That channel looks biased and lacking."" Fury said.

"This is terrible news though." Hill said.

"Yeah, it's like he personally hates you or something, Pepper." Hope told her.

"Most of these guys are like that." Pepper shrugged.

**Pepper continued talking as Tony took his seat. Pepper was asked if Tony would attend the Expo. She glared at him and said he won't, in spite of his protests. Tony asked if he could get 30 seconds to which she started counting down.**

"Savage." Natasha said.

"I have my moments." Pepper shrugged.

**Tony then said he was working on apologizing and asked to move the revolving object on the desk, but she refused.**

"To be honest, it is distracting." Bruce said.

"Yes it is." Professor Hulk agreed.

"Yes. Such images can distract the mind." Xavier said.

"Thank you!" Tony said gratefully.

"I had it removed." Pepper reminded him.

"Yes thank you." Tony said to her too.

**Tony tried to tell her about his condition but he fumbled a lot and an annoyed Pepper stopped him, saying she was putting out his fires and taking the heat for it. She then noticed the box on her desk as Tony looked up hopefully but she said she was allergic to them and he deflated.**

"Sorry." He said.

"It's okay." Pepper shrugged.

**Tony said this was progress as he had known there was a correlation between her and strawberries before Pepper told him to leave.**

"Oh boy!" Rhodes said.

**That was when a professionally dressed Natasha entered with Happy as Tony realized they were both under Pepper now and joked how he lost both kids in the divorce.**

"Bad joke?" Tony asked.

"Tasteless." Natasha said and he paled.

**Tony asked 'Natalie' if she was blending in well as he realized her and Pepper didn't care for him much currently. Pepper and Happy walked out of the office as Tony complimented Natasha and asked her if she spoke Latin. She spoke a sentence and when he asked the meaning, she said he could either drive himself home or she could have him collected.**

"And I'm being very lenient." Natasha said as Tony sighed.

**Natasha walked out as Tony stopped the revolving device with scotch tape and threw the strawberries in the dustbin after putting one in his mouth. He then noticed the Expo model and removing the cloth, looked at it carefully. It had a small plate that said- "THE KEY TO THE FUTURE IS HERE."**

"The key to the future?" Steve asked.

"Just watch." Tony said.

**Tony stared at the model after shutting one eye and later drove back home with the model. In his workshop, him and JARVIS started manipulating the projection.**

"You can do that too?" Peter asked excitedly.

"I can do a lot of stuff." Tony said before turning to Vision, "And we're at work now."

"I believe you would give me twelve percent of the credit." Vision said as Tony and Pepper laughed while Wanda look confused.

"What?" She asked.

"I will tell you later." He said.

**Tony manipulated it a bit more as his eyes fell on the great globe which looked like an atom so Tony looked for the nucleus and had JARVIS highlight the unisphere. JARVIS asked him what he was trying to achieve, to which Tony said he was trying to rediscover and element as he removed all the background stuff. He clapped his hands and threw them apart and commented how Howard was still taking him to school in spite of being dead for almost twenty years.**

"I don't say this often but that was awesome." Steve said.

"Thanks Cap." Tony said gratefully.

**Tony stared at the hologram as JARVIS said it would be a good replacement for Palladium and Tony said, "Thanks dad." JARVIS said it wasn't possible to synthesize it though when Tony looked at Dum-E and said they were on hardware mode again.**

"Hi Dum-E!" Wanda said fondly as everyone chuckled.

"Well, someone is going to work." Loki commented.

"Work very hard." T'Challa realized and Tony nodded.

**Tony then worked hard, hammering stuff around as music played and he set up more stuff, setting up huge pipes from many angles.**

"Always a pleasure to see you work, Stark." Thor said.

"Thanks, Point Break." Tony said.

**Coulson arrived, saying Stark had broken the perimeter as Tony asked him where he had been to which he said he had been doing stuff.**

"New Mexico?" Thor asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes." Fury said with a nod.

"Wasn't that a coincidence." Hill said.

**Coulson then saw Captain America's shield and asked him why that was there and if he knew what it was.**

"Always the Captain America fanboy." Natasha smiled.

"Don't blame him." Bucky said.

**Tony said that was what he needed as with Coulson's help he put it under a pipe to support it.**

"So I just got symbolically relegated to supporting Stark?" Steve asked.

"And now you have blown up his ego." Rhodes said ad Tony smirked.

**Coulson then said he had been reassigned to New Mexico and walked off saying they needed him. Tony joked that they needed him more than they knew but he said not that much and walked out.**

"Yes that much!" Tony said as everyone rolled their eyes.

"And now he is off to New Mexico." Fury said.

"Where interesting things happened." Loki said.

**Tony went back to work, flipping a switch and running the pipes in a circle as they glowed with a bluish light and Tony turned a steering wheel as he managed to set some of the room on fire but finally hit the small triangle in the center and it glowed.**

"Ooooh!" Pepper said.

"You burnt stuff up but you did it." Bruce said cheerfully.

**Tony flipped a switch as the lights receded and he saw the triangle, commenting on the ease with which he had done it and removed it with a pair of pliers. JARVIS said, "Congratulations sir. You have created a new element."**

"Yeah!" Thor, Peter, Bruce and Professor Hulk cheered at the same time.

"Just like that?" Hope asked.

"Just like that." Tony said.

"Kind of anti-climatic." Scott said, "But still nice."

"We discovered the element, Viz." Tony told Vision.

"It appears I am getting credit after all." Vision said.

**JARVIS said the reactor accepted the element, to Tony's joy as the AI started running diagnostics. Somewhere else, Ivan worked on his own Arc Reactor.**

"My dark version." Tony said.

"He is working too." Thor noted.

**Hammer, who was playing golf with Stern called him, wanting to see the drones but he said they weren't ready and could only 'make salute' before cutting the call, making Hammer furious. Ivan was working on another whip though.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said.

"Make salute?" Steve asked.

"Let's not talk about it." Rhodes said.

"Temper tantrum incoming." Tony said.

**Hammer and 2 guards walked to Ivan, taking away his bird, pillows and shoes as Hammer asked if he felt bad for having his stuff taken, because he did. He wondered if Ivan was a genius or a fraud.**

"He's smarter than you." Tony said.

**Hammer said he had gotten a piece of Stark tech to save himself and Ivan was just paperweight now as he spoke Russian and Hammer lost his temper. He said they would renegotiate their terms or Ivan would die and then he walked off, leaving his two guards with him.**

"He hates his guards." Logan joked.

"What a tantrum." Pepper said.

**Tony and his bots were cleaning up the mess when he got a call from a blocked number. It was Ivan, who had killed and hung his guards.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said as everyone looked shocked.

**Tony was shocked as Ivan said he had taken his advice on the Suit.**

"Told you." Fury said as Stark shrugged.

**JARVIS tried to locate him as he said what his family had done to Ivan's family in 40 years, he was going to do to Tony in 40 minutes.**

"Come and try." Rhodes snarled.

**JARVIS failed to locate Ivan as Tony saw a picture of Hammer and spinning around, put the new Arc Reactor in, telling JARVIS to run tests right now as it glowed a bright blue color and Tony said it tasted like coconut and metal.**

"You can taste it?" Bruce asked and Tony nodded.

"The veins are getting normal." Clint noted.

**The blackened veins were healed as Tony screamed happily, feeling better as the light of the Arc Reactor engulfed the screen.**

"Things are about to take a turn." Fury said as everyone nodded.

* * *

**Hope everyone enjoyed.**

**[1] Fat Thor's official name is now "Bro Thor."**

**[2] Now I love Howard. He is a great character. But he is not a good father. Even if Tony doesn't know him the best, Howard is not a good father. Don't get me wrong. He is infinitely better than Odin, Ego and Thanos but nothing compared to the likes of Scott and Clint. And I think the part in Endgame where Tony indulged in Morgan when she interrupted him was a nice way of showing that he is a better father than Howard. Though I do understand why Howard reacted like that. He loved Tony. He just couldn't express it properly. Still, Tony is a better father and him indulging in Morgan instead of sending her off shows that he also knows how to express his love properly, which is the only thing poor Howard didn't know unfortunately. **

**Hope everyone enjoyed and is looking forward to the next chapter where Iron Man 2 ends.**


	16. Whipping the Whiplash

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

Chapter 16-Whipping the Whiplash

"So now we're going to see the Expo?" Tony asked.

"Yes." Benjamin nodded.

"Man that was embarrassing." Rhodes said.

"At least Hammer was caught." Pepper said.

"Yeah. I liked twisting his arm." Natasha said.

"It was satisfying to see." Pepper agreed, "I wonder what happened to him."

"You know Luke Cage used to be Carl Lucas, right?" Logan asked and they nodded.

"When he was at Seagate, he heard rumors of a millionaire there." Professor Hulk said.

"His imprisonment there was kept a secret from all the other inmates." Xavier said.

"Well, he isn't coming out I guess." Tony sighed in relief.

"No." Odinson agreed.

**At the Expo, Happy stopped the car as Natasha and Pepper walked out and into the Expo where Hammer was dancing on the stage. The two women exchanged amused looks.**

"What is wrong with this guy?" Tony said.

"He is arrogant and stupid." Natasha said.

"Though he is more amusing than Cross and Stane." Hope said.

"Yeah, he can give us some laughs at least." Rhodes agreed.

"Like he is giving right now." Sam said.

"His arrogance would be his downfall." Steve said.

"Right you are, Captain." T'Challa agreed.

**Hammer then gave a speech saying how their brave men and women had been suffering in war and criticized Tony for keeping the Iron Man technology out of reach before saying he had made Hammer Drones as the new face of the US military. And then several drones appeared on the stage on raised platforms- the army, the navy, the air force and the marines. Everyone applauded as Natasha looked emotionlessly while Pepper looked a bit shocked.**

"Taking credit for his friend's work." Tony said.

"Ex friend." Wanda corrected.

"Eh, that's all he can do." Clint said.

**Hammer then said that in spite of the revolutionary technology, a man needed to be present at war and welcomed Rhodes as Pepper was shocked. Ivan, on the other hand, was typing into the drones.**

"What is he doing?" Scott asked.

"He is trying to control the drones." Aunt May said as everyone looked at her in shock.

"I was there too." She said, shocking everyone again, "Along with Peter and my husband."

"Wow!" Pepper muttered.

"That's quite a coincidence." Fury said.

"Yeah, I remember being there." Peter said as he exchanged a look with Benjamin.

**Rhodes appeared in the War Machine Suit on a raised platform and saluted along with the drones and Hammer who was about to speak more when suddenly they all heard a soaring sound and looked up to see Iron Man flying in. Natasha and Pepper looked shocked as Iron Man in the Mark VI Armor flew up to the stage and landed on his knee. Everyone stood up and applauded as he stood up.**

"That was an awesome entrance!" Peter said.

"You always know how to steal the show." Hill said.

"Yup." Tony shrugged.

"And now it's all about to go to hell." Rhodes said.

"I can see that." Thor agreed.

"Yes. Ivan is up to something." Loki said.

"It isn't pretty." Bruce agreed.

**Tony walked up to Rhodes, telling him everyone was in danger and to trust him though Rhodes wasn't in the mood due to obvious reasons. Tony told Rhodes Hammer was working with Vanko, shocking him as he asked Hammer where Ivan was, who acted all confused until the weapons of Rhodes and all the other drones suddenly pointed themselves at Tony.**

"And this is it." Rhodes said.

"The ruining of the Expo." Pepper said.

"Yup. That was horrible." Tony said.

"Damn right." Fury agreed.

**Tony asked Rhodes if it was him as he said it wasn't. Ivan had hacked into his suit and all the drones and made them aim at Tony as he flew up and they fired above, shattering the glass, making all the civilians run off in fear.**

"Good thing they evacuated themselves." Vision said.

"And it's on." Sam said.

**Rhodes told Tony they had been locked onto him as the War Machine Suit and the drones fired at him and he dodged all of the shots, with some glass being shattered as the civilians ran off. Hammer went up to Jack and the technicians and asked to regain control of the drones as a technician said he had locked them out. Natasha and Pepper arrived, the latter asking who had locked him out.**

"You will soon find out." Natasha said as her and Pepper exchanged a look.

**Hammer said they had it handled as Pepper questioned him incredulously and he said it was Tony's fault.**

"Typical of Hammer." Tony shrugged.

**Hammer told her to go away before Natasha grabbed his arm and twisted it to Pepper's shock, making him grunt in pain as she asked him who was behind it and he finally said it was Ivan Vanko as she let him go and walked off, leaving a stunned Pepper behind.**

"You go girl!" Bucky said as Natasha smirked and Steve looked at her with a smile.

"That was just badass." Sam said.

"The first time I realized Natalie was something else." Pepper said.

"Which she was." Tony said.

"Thanks." Natasha shrugged at everyone's praise.

**Pepper then called the NYPD in spite of Hammer's protests.**

"Did he just call you 'honey?'" Tony asked.

"I didn't pay attention." Pepper said.

**She made Hammer move out of the way as she talked to the technician. Tony continued flying as the War Machine Suit and the drones fired at him and JARVIS failed in rebooting Rhodes' suit.**

"Sorry Colonel." Vision said.

"It's all right, Viz." Rhodes said.

**Ivan watched as the drones continued targeting Tony. Natasha walked out as Happy saw her and she asked him to drive her away. He said he wasn't so she asked if he wanted her to drive, which made him agree to drive her. He then sat on the driver's seat as Natasha sat on the backseat and he drove her off.**

"He doesn't like anyone else driving the car." Tony said.

"Yeah I know." Natasha said.

"That's why she said it." Fury said.

**Tony was flying around when the drones on the ground fired missiles, making the civilians run off in fear as more of them aimed at Tony but he avoided and a drone on his tail was hit, sending it crashing to the ground.**

"YES!" Thor, Bruce and Professor Hulk cheered.

"You have got some brains there." Loki said.

"Thanks Reindeer Games." Tony shrugged.

**Ivan diverted the drones and they all fired at the building, making some rubble crash as the people ran off in fear. One of the drones saw a kid in an Iron Man mask and assumed it was Iron Man, aiming at him as the kid aimed his palm at it.**

"THAT'S ME!" Peter yelled as he jumped out of the couch.

"What?" Steve asked.

"The kid! It's me!" Peter said excitedly. [1]

"Yes. It is us." Benjamins said as Aunt May widened her eyes in horror.

"PETER PARKER! HAVING A TOY MASK DOESN'T MAKE YOU IRON MAN!" She yelled as Tony, Pepper and Rhodes shifted away uncomfortably.

"Uhhhh…I'm so sorry." Peter started babbling, "It's just I was wearing the mask….and I was scared…and….."

"COME HERE!" She yelled as she hugged Peter tightly, almost suffocating him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Peter said.

"It's all right." She said as she let him go and finally started calming, "You were 10 and stupid. I'm just glad to have you with me. I love you."

"Love you too, May." Peter said.

"I love you too." Benjamin said and she smiled at him.

Everyone's hearts melted at the mother-son bond Peter and Aunt May had.

"Well, hate to interrupt but on with the show." Logan said.

**The drone aimed at the young Peter Parker who was aiming his palm at it when Tony flew behind him, firing at the drone and destroying it as Peter jumped and looked at him. "Nice work, kid." Tony said as he flew off and Peter looked after him.**

"Thank you. Thank you Mr. Stark." Aunt May said.

"No problem." Tony shrugged.

"I guess that's where your obsession with him began." Aunt May said to Peter.

"Yes." Peter said.

"I'm over the obsession now." Benjamin said, "I still look up to you, Mr. Stark. But that's that."

"Good." Tony agreed.

**Tony flew off and decided to get the drones away from the Expo as Happy drove Natasha to her location and she told him to watch the perimeter while taking off her dress, revealing her bra. Happy adjusted the rear view mirror to watch her change and almost collided with a truck as he steered the car away. Natasha told him to watch the road.**

"Perv." Natasha and Bucky said at the same time.

"Wasn't expecting this from him." Tony shrugged, "Perv."

Everyone chuckled.

**Tony flew around as the drones chased him and one of them collided into a pillar, getting destroyed in the process as Ivan watched. Rhodes told him they had been diverted back to the Expo as they fired at Tony and he avoided which destroyed the cars. Happy stopped his car near Hammer's warehouse as him and Natasha, now in her tactical SHIELD gear, stepped out. She told him to stay in the car as he asked her what she was wearing.**

"SHIELD uniform." Natasha shrugged.

**He said he wouldn't let her go in alone.**

"Dude she shouldn't let you go in alone." Tony said as everyone laughed.

"She has that effect on many." Fury said.

**Natasha asked him to keep the car running but he entered with her anyway as Ivan noticed. A guard tried to stop them but Happy punched him. Natasha slid to avoid a soldier's punch and threw two tasers under him, tasing his feet as he fell down.**

"That's my girl." Bucky said.

"Nice job, Nat." Steve said.

"Thanks." Natasha smirked.

"Happy is getting his education right now." Sam smirked.

"I would love to educate him myself." Hope said.

"I would love to see that." Scott smirked.

**Happy continued punching the guard but he started fighting back, gaining the upper hand.**

"I think he is already getting his education." Tony shrugged.

**Natasha flipped over a cart and kicked another guard on the neck, knocking him out. She ran further and slid between a guard's legs, hitting his thing as he fell down and she glared at the next opponent in her pose. As he rushed her, she flipped over the downed guard and wrapped her feet around the other one's neck, flipping him to the ground.**

"Been a while since I saw a good hand to hand fight." Steve said.

"Always happy to please the most skilled fighter." Natasha complimented Steve.

"Thanks." Steve said.

**Ivan saw Natasha coming up to his location as another drone collided into a building and was destroyed while another flew after Tony and Ivan then deployed them all after him. The technician said the drones were communicating in another language as Pepper asked him to focus on one and Hammer asked him to try Russian.**

"Because that will work." Natasha said.

"He is already spilling his beans now." Hill said.

**Happy was still getting beaten up as Natasha saw two more men and threw her flashbang discs at their feet. They exploded, blinding the two as Natasha swept one's feet from under him and leapt at the other, kneeing him on the face, knocking him out. Another attacked with a stick but she used a garrote to wrap it and wrapped his neck, knocking him out before blocking another's punch and punching him down while pulling the garroted one down. Another one got up but she wrapped her feet around his neck and flipped him to the ground before twisting the elbow of another one and elbowing his nose and then flip kicking him out. She then stood up and marched further, spraying the last guard's face with pepper spray.**

Everyone except Fury clapped at the scene.

"Badass." Peter said excitedly.

"Oh you have no idea kid." Bucky said as Natasha smirked.

"So Natasha used Pepper to get the last guy." Tony joked as Pepper smacked his arm.

"Pretty tasteless." Clint commented.

"What has happened to me?" Tony said.

"I can see why Matt and Elektra like your fighting style." Logan noted.

"Who's Elektra?" Steve asked.

"Matt's wife." Benjamin said.

"Well, Daredevil has a pretty good fighting style too based on what I've heard." Natasha said.

"You are a very resourceful woman, Miss Romanoff." T'Challa said as Natasha nodded in appreciation.

**Happy was getting beaten up before he bit the guard on the ear and he screamed in pain as Happy punched him in the abdomen and finally knocked him out with a uppercut, yelling to Natasha he had got one, only to notice all the others already taken down, to his shock.**

"Looks like he got his education." Tony said.

"Now he knows he isn't one of those 'Men in Black.'" Thor said as everyone looked at him. [2]

"Jane made me watch the movies." Thor shrugged.

"So you know 'Men in Black' but you don't know casual sex." Loki sighed as everyone laughed.

**Ivan was still working and finally started up another suit.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said.

**Natasha kicked the door open with Happy behind her and pointed both her guns around but saw no one there except the dead guards and realized Ivan was gone. Tony was still flying and told Rhodes to be prepared as he flew into the globe of the Expo. The other drones followed but were destroyed as they collided with it.**

"That was a good plan, bub." Logan said as Tony shrugged.

"Not a fan of that." Rhode said.

"Sorry pal." Tony said.

**Tony told Rhodes he had to thin out the herd as Rhodes slammed into him and onto the ground. The suit slammed him to the ground and tried to fire as Tony dodged and Natasha started rebooting Rhodes' systems. Tony flipped Rhodes away as Natasha finally rebooted the War Machine Suit and told Tony he had his best friend back, to which he thanked her.**

"Thanks Nat." Rhodes said gratefully.

"Don't mention it." Natasha shrugged.

"You just did it in here." Bucky said with a smile as she smirked back at him.

**Natasha told Tony his new vitals looked promising as he said he wasn't dying anymore. What he didn't know was that Pepper had been connected to the line too and asked when he was dying.**

"Busted." Hope said.

"She busts you in all of these." Scott said.

"Yeah that's her." Tony said.

"Yup." Pepper agreed.

**Tony told her he wanted to tell her but didn't as she got mad and he told her he would have made her an omelet and told her.**

"Awww." Natasha, Wanda, Hill and Aunt May said simultaneously.

**Natasha asked them to save it for the honeymoon as Tony had incoming and he told her they would talk after he had fended off the Hammeroid attack, to which she agreed. He then woke Rhodes up who apologized as Tony told him not to but he did anyway and they agreed to be partners.**

"I'm sorry too." Tony said.

"No problem." Rhodes told him.

**The two then argued about where to stand before the drones landed and the two lowered their visors.**

"And it's starting." Peter said excitedly as everyone watched with tense breaths.

**The drones started firing at them as Tony fired his repulsor beams while Rhodes fired his guns. Tony kneed a drone hard, shattering it before punching another and throwing another away as Rhodes continued firing and Tony punched two more away before JARVIS displayed a missile coming for him and he leaned sideways to dodge before firing three missiles that embedded into the three drones and destroyed them.**

"Badass." Peter said again.

"Really is." Sam agreed.

"Thanks Viz." Tony said to Vision about warning him on the missiles.

"It is my job, Mr. Stark." Vision said.

**Rhodes continued firing and kicking the drones as Tony punched them around before asking Rhodes to duck as he fired palladium powered lasers from the back of his hands. In a rotatory motion, the lasers cut all the drones into two and some trees as well.**

"Okay that looked great." Steve said.

"It was awesome!" Peter cheered.

"Yes. You are very resourceful Stark." Thor told him.

"Thanks." Tony shrugged.

**Rhodes complimented him but he said it was a one-off as police arrived to arrest Hammer. He pretended to be confused, saying how Pepper was thinking like a CEO and removing the competition as the cops lead him away and he told her he would see her soon.**

"Bastard." Pepper snarled.

"I would love to get my hands on him right now." Tony said.

"He was trying to get under your skin, Pepper." Steve told her and she nodded.

"Stop joking, bub." Logan said to Hammer, "You're not going to see Pepper. You didn't even see Luke Cage when you guys were in the same prison."

Everyone laughed at that.

**Pepper walked out with the cops and told them how to evacuate people as they agreed and asked if she'd like to come but she refused until the park was clear and they walked off.**

"You should have gone with them." Tony said.

"Yes." She agreed.

**Natasha told Tony another drone with a higher repulsor signature was headed at them and the Whiplash Armor: Mark II landed near them and the visor removed to reveal Ivan Vanko who said it was good to be back. He then brandished his electrical whips. Rhodes fired the ex-wife but it didn't gain enough energy before hitting his suit and fell down, fizzling out as Tony realized it was Hammer tech and Rhodes confirmed it.**

"The one thing of his that worked and even that didn't work." Rhodes said.

"That's Hammer tech for ya." Tony said.

**Tony fired some missiles as Ivan's visor came down and he defended himself before swinging his whips as the two flew off to avoid. Rhodes fired at him but Ivan cut off his big gun. Tony flew up but he wrapped the whip around his leg and smashed him into a rock. Rhodes fired again with his miniguns as Tony flew into him but was thrown away. Ivan wrapped his whip around Rhodes and pulling him closer, punched him off as Tony leapt at him with a roar and punched him. He punched twice before being head-butted back and wrapped in the whip as Rhodes tried to fire but Ivan stepped on him.**

"The guy's kicking both of your asses." Sam said.

"That was his life's mission." Tony said.

**Ivan wrapped his other whip around Rhodes until Tony said he could use a side kick and raised his palm. Rhodes realized what he was getting at and raised his too as their repulsor beams collided and exploded, shattering more glass.**

"So that's what you did." Fury said.

"Yeah. The same drill." Tony said.

"Yup. The same." Rhodes agreed.

"Good job." Steve said and they nodded.

**Tony and Rhodes looked at the battered Ivan who said, "You lose." They noticed something red beeping on him and all the drones.**

"Oh no!" Aunt May said in horror.

**Rhodes realized he had set them all to self-destruct as he flew off and Tony flew to where Pepper was. A drone exploded just when Tony grabbed Pepper and flew into the air.**

Everyone clapped happily.

**He put her on a roof as she said her body couldn't handle the stress and she was quitting as Tony threw his damaged helmet off and joked she was making excuses. He complimented her for taking care of him and she thanked him for understanding.**

"Awww." Hill and Aunt May said.

"Wait for it." Rhodes said.

**Tony and Pepper talked about how to clean up the mess when their lips met in a deep, loving, passionate first kiss.**

Everyone clapped happily.

"YES!" Thor cheered.

"Finally." Sam said.

"About damn time." Fury said too.

Tony and Pepper blushed.

**Tony asked if it was weird and she said it was good and they kissed again as Rhodes, who had been there the entire time, said it was as they were like two seals fighting for fish.**

"What?" Natasha asked in amusement as they all laughed.

"Drax can take some pointers from you." Benjamin told Rhodes.

"Drax?" Rhodes asked.

"I will tell you later." Odinson said with a smile.

**Tony asked him to get lost as he said he had arrived first and told Tony and Pepper to get a roof.**

Everyone laughed happily.

"Best one-liner ever." Hill said.

"Hey!" Tony said in mock offense.

**He then flew off with the Suit as his car had been destroyed in the explosion and Tony joked Pepper couldn't resign if he didn't accept and she laughed.**

"And so it begins." Steve said.

**Next day, Tony sat at a debriefing as he looked at his own preliminary report for the Avengers Initiative while footage of the Culver University Incident played around him.**

"Look my footage is playing." Bruce smirked.

"Yes." Professor Hulk said.

"Same week." Natasha shrugged.

"My big week." Fury said.

**Fury told him not to look at that but Romanoff's assessment of him. He read it as it said he had compulsive behavior. Tony defended himself by saying it was the previous week before reading it said he was prone to self-destructive tendencies. He defended himself by saying he was dying and joked they all were before reading that it called him a textbook narcissist. He agreed and read Iron Man was recommended. Fury told him to continue reading and he read that he was not recommended, confusing him.**

"How's that possible?" Peter asked.

"Just watch, kid." Fury said.

**As Tony explained himself, Fury said they would only keep him as a consultant. Tony joked how they couldn't afford him as the two shook hands and he asked Fury for a favor as he was being honored in D.C. to which Fury agreed.**

"You still can't afford me." Tony joked as everyone rolled their eyes.

"I think I know what the favor is." Rhodes said.

"You do, Colonel." Fury agreed.

**The next day, Tony and Rhodes stood as Senator Stern praised them and said they deserved the awards.**

"Oh my God!" Aunt May laughed.

"He is hating every second of it." Hill laughed.

"I made sure of that." Tony said.

**Stern gave them both their medals, thanking them for their distinguished performances and saying they deserved them as Tony did a mock 'ouch' at the medal being pinned to him as Stern joked how painful a 'prick' could be.**

"Yes, yes. You're very painful." Tony said.

"And Hydra." Steve added.

"And a prostitute." Natasha added and everyone burst into laughter.

**He then took a picture with them as Tony put an arm around him to make him more uncomfortable and Tony raised his fingers as the screen went black.**

"You're torturing the guy to death." Bruce joked as everyone chuckled.

"There's more." Professor Hulk said.

"What?" Steve asked.

"Just watch." Odinson said as he smirked at Thor who suddenly realized what they were talking about.

**In a desert in New Mexico, Phil Coulson drove his car somewhere and pulled up before coming out. He looked down at several people surrounding something.**

"Coulson!" Tony said happily.

"What're they making?" Aunt May asked.

"You will find out soon." Xavier said.

"I'm pretty sure I know." Thor said.

**Coulson then called Fury and said, "Sir, we found it." Down there lay an ancient hammer as the screen went black and thunder was heard roaring.**

"YES!" Thor cheered as loudly as he had cheered on seeing Hulk in Sakaar.

"I share your sentiments." Odinson said with a smirk.

"Point Break's lovely hammer is in this too." Tony said.

"So we're seeing this?" Peter asked excitedly.

"We will." Benjamin said.

"Same week, remember?" Natasha asked.

"My big week." Fury said.

"Now I wonder if you should have thawed me out earlier so I could be part of your week." Steve joked.

"No Rogers, I do not want to ruin my week even more." Fury joked as all laughed.

"You all must be really hungry again?" Odinson asked and they realized they were.

"Well, dinner time." Benjamin said, "After that, we will show you to your bedrooms and you can sleep for the night."

Everyone nodded and got up as they walked towards the dining room.

* * *

**And Iron Man 2 is done. Hope everyone enjoyed.**

**[1] Before Spider-Man: Homecoming was released, Tom Holland confirmed the kid in Iron Man 2 was actually a young Peter Parker.**

**[2] A reference to Chris Hemsworth's role in 'Men in Black: International.' I haven't seen it and I heard it's horrible but always nice to give a reference.**

**Hope you all enjoyed and are looking forward to the next chapter.**


	17. Break II

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thank you for both your reviews and glad you loved it. Also thanks for the help against Brady420. Really while I take criticism, I still don't get how he found Thor's origins boring in my story. It would amazing and epic at best and different at worst. That's it. I will reply to the rest of that review on that story. Sorry about the tears. Yes he did get a tutorial there. Jack Murdock was a pretty good father but I was only counting the movies there. Yes it was a very heartwarming moment. Tony wasn't a great dad to Peter in Civil War and Homecoming if you ask me but he won me over as Peter's dad figure in Infinity War and Endgame. But with Morgan, he was just amazing as her dad in all the scenes. I think this many kids are enough for now. We have a large cast anyway. I wish I could do the Marvel shows especially Daredevil, Agents of SHIELD, Jessica Jones, The Punisher and The Defenders but it would take forever. I'm only doing the movies in this one. Maybe in another story I will have them view the Netflix shows or AoS. Bro Thor is a pretty bad name and yeah, he was nerfed pretty badly when they made him fat and unstable. But let's be honest (not defending Bro Thor here), if they hadn't nerfed him, Tony wouldn't need to snap his fingers and yes, awakened Thor with Stormbreaker at his peak is among the most powerful beings in the MCU. Definitely the most powerful hero. Dr. Strange comes second and it is a tie between Carol and Wanda on third if you ask me. Thor overpowered a blast from the Infinity Gauntlet because at the moment Thanos was taken by surprise and failed to use the full power of the Gauntlet to stop Stormbreaker. Agreed on Tony. Yeah, it unintentionally entered bashing territory so sorry about that because I love Tony too. But then again I praised his daddy skills with Morgan in the chapter after that so damage control is done. Agreed on Whiplash, though Hammer was pretty entertaining as Sam Rockwell gave a nice performance. And now I have fulfilled a wish of yours in this chapter. And also good luck for your three weeks trip to Europe and hope you enjoy it fully. Yeah, booking can be a bitch. Enjoy the chapter for now.**

Chapter 17- Break II

Everyone sat in the dining hall again as food was brought for them by the workers. This time they again noticed some new individuals sitting around the table. A tall blonde woman, a shorter dark-haired woman with some Chinese features on her face, a dark-skinned man and a medium-sized dark-haired woman in a black leather jacket.

Of course the tall blonde woman was recognized by Natasha and Clint.

"Bobbi?" Clint asked as she turned to them while sipping her soup.

"Clint." She greeted him before turning to Natasha, "Nat."

"So you're an Avenger now?" Natasha asked and she nodded.

"How do you know each other?" Steve asked out of curiosity.

"She was a SHIELD Agent and our partner at times." Clint said.

"Honor to meet you, Captain America." Bobbi said and he nodded.

"They call her the Mockingbird." Natasha said.

"Really?" Tony said in amusement, "You mock people or something?"

"Very funny." Bobbi said sarcastically as she finished her soup.

"You're Luke Cage!" Peter said excitedly as he recognized the dark-skinned man and the woman next to him, "And you're Jessica Jones!"

"Pleased to meet a fan." Luke shrugged.

"You were right Peter. Little you is excitable." Jessica said to Benjamin.

"I know." Benjamin said.

"You're no less annoying either." She told him.

"Well, I'm on the young side." He joked as they all laughed.

"We met your sister." Pepper told Jessica.

"Yes, Trish." Jessica said before turning to Stark with a glare, ""Trish Screaming?""

Tony gulped as Pepper chuckled and everyone looked at him in confusion.

"What is she talking about, man?" Sam asked.

"I have an idea but I won't tell you." Tony said.

"So he made her scream or something?" Thor asked.

"I think you should stop talking." Odinson and Loki said to him at the same time.

"Wow, we agree on something." Loki smirked.

"I know right!" Odinson laughed as Thor shook his head.

"So what's the story?" Steve asked.

"I don't want to tell." Tony said as Jessica gave him a mock glare.

"I think I have heard it somewhere but I can't remember." Aunt May said with a smirk.

"Tony was once asked in an interview if he would ever visit "Trish Talk."" Pepper started.

"And what did he say?" Bruce asked with a smile.

"He said if he ever visited it, it would change its name to "Trish Screaming."" Pepper finished and in a second, there was laughter all around the table.

"So you really couldn't keep it in your pants." Fury said dryly.

"I can now." Tony said as Pepper stroked his elbow with an amused smirk.

"We know." Hill sighed.

"And who're you?" Wanda asked the last woman there.

"Daisy Johnson." She said, "You may know me as Quake."

"Quake?" Rhodes asked, "The vigilante."

"Yes. That's me." Daisy said, "I used to be in SHIELD too."

"Well, we're meeting a lot of people in the future it seems." Vision said.

"So this Kang guy or this Doom, is there any way to stop them?" Bucky asked.

"To stop Doom, you will have to wait a few years." Professor Hulk said, "Though with the changing of the timeline, it might happen earlier."

"Changing of the timeline?" Scott asked.

"By bringing us here and showing us some of the future, they have made sure the timeline might play out differently." Hope explained to him.

"Yes, while it was a risky move, some of us here felt it was the only way." Xavier said.

"And hopefully, it pays off." Logan said.

"I think you'll have to tell us a little more to make it pay off." T'Challa said.

"We will. In time." Benjamin said, "We still have many recordings to show you. And we will keep revealing more as time goes on."

"You're evil. You know that." Tony said jokingly as they all chuckled and continued eating.

"I don't trust people who do not tell me the full thing." Fury said.

"Well it appears we have beaten you at your own game then, Director Fury." Xavier said with a smile as Fury paled a little.

He found Bobbi and Daisy glaring at him as well.

"Any problem, Agent Morse?" Fury asked.

"No Director." Bobbi said, though Fury knew what both of them were trying to say, "And I'm not an agent now."

"And I'm not a Director." Fury said.

"Well, food's finished." Steve said.

"Bobbi and Daisy will show you to your rooms." Odinson told them as they nodded in appreciation.

They lead all of them to their separate rooms one by one.

"It is good to see you again, Bobbi." Clint smiled.

"You too Clint." She said as the two hugged.

"We'll catch up sometime." Natasha said.

"Oh yes we will. Later." Bobbi said as Natasha and Bucky went to their room while Clint lay on his bed.

Steve took a shower as well before sleeping while Peter immediately fell asleep on his bed.

Tony and Pepper fell asleep on their beds too.

It had been a long day and watching the three recordings had been tiring.

* * *

"Well Logan, I think I'm leaving for now." Xavier told him.

"I'm going to stay here though." Logan said.

"I understand." Xavier said, "Good luck."

"Good luck to you too." Logan said.

"Bye Logan." Jean said as she started wheeling Charles away.

"Bye Jean." Logan said as Scott Summer shook his hand.

"Good luck man." Logan said.

"Good luck to you too." Scott told him as he started walking away with Jean and Charles.

Storm made no move to join them though.

"You coming, Storm?" Scott asked.

"I think she is not." Xavier said.

"I'm staying for now." Storm said.

"Well, we will see you later." Jean said.

Scott and Jean then wheeled Charles away as Logan and Storm waved.

"I got some work to do as well." Professor Hulk said, "Gotta go."

"Good luck, Bruce." Logan said as he shook hands with him and Storm did too.

"Good luck." She said.

"Thanks guys." Professor Hulk said, "Good luck to you too."

With that he walked off.

"Well, I guess I'm staying for a while." Storm said.

"Good to know." Logan sighed.

* * *

Benjamin walked into his room where a young woman who was slightly older than him lay sleeping. She had brown hair.

He shook her and her eyes opened as she smiled at him.

"Peter." She said as he sat next to her.

"Wanda." Benjamin smiled.

The two kissed each other on the lips as Future Wanda asked, "So how's it going, Tiger?"

"Well, we are done with Mr. Stark's first two recordings and Dr. Banner's recording." Benjamin said.

"So twenty more to go." Future Wanda said.

"You want to meet them tomorrow?" Benjamin asked.

"No. I think we should wait before we drop any bombshells on past me." Future Wanda said.

"Yeah. I think its better that way. Don't want you to explode no do we." Benjamin joked and they both chuckled.

"So past self annoying you?" Future Wanda asked.

'Yeah, but he's just a kid." Benjamin said, "So we can look past that."

"You're still annoying though." Future Wanda joked and both chuckled.

"Only to the bad guys when I serve them their cups of baddie harm." Benjamin joked and both chuckled again.

"Good night Peter." Future Wanda said.

"Good night Wanda." Benjamin said as both of them kissed each other and went to sleep.

* * *

Tony and Pepper were asleep in their room when Morgan approached their sleeping form and stood over them with tears in her eyes as she looked at Tony.

"Daddy." She whispered in a quivering voice as she stroked his forehead lightly and lovingly. With tears, she kissed his forehead and whispered, "I love you 3000."

With that she walked out of the room as she wiped her tears and lightly shut the door behind her.

* * *

**And Break II is done. We got slightly more info on Doom and Kang as the "Trish Screaming" joke got some more screen-time.**

**And our heroes from the past have met Bobbi and Daisy in the future as well.**

**So Xavier and Professor Hulk are gone for now. Storm is staying so she will be viewing the recordings with Benjamin, Logan and Odinson.**

**I want two more characters from the future to view some of the recordings with them. So which two should I choose out of these options- Bobbi Morse, Daisy Johnson, Matt Murdock, Elektra Natchios, Frank Castle, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Trish Walker, Reed Richards and Susan Storm? Name any two of these.**

**Future Sam Wilson, Future Wanda and the daughters of the past heroes are off the table right now as I'm going to reveal them sometime later.**

**And yes, I paired Future Peter/Benjamin with Future Wanda. Now first of all, there isn't much of an age difference if you think about it. Wanda is a young adult so she would be 20 or 21 by Infinity War and Peter was already 17 by then which is one year from being an adult.**

**Plus, both of them are the youngest Avengers and have both lost a lot and underwent some major trauma, while also retaining some of their youthful innocence. Besides, not a fan of Wanda/Vision anyway even if their past versions are a thing right now in this story.**

**The relationship would have begun only after they were both adults. So I'm keeping them together in the future.**

**And while I wasn't a fan of Peter/Michelle Jones in Homecoming, Far From Home did win me over regarding that pairing. MJ was actually pretty likeable in that movie and behaved more like a normal person while the romance was handled pretty well. **

**Still, there are many exceptions to this rule but I don't think high school romances last forever. I know many of the high school romances do last forever or for a long time but many of them don't.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and next chapter we begin with Thor.**


	18. Banishment

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**So many of you suggested two characters to join and after seeing all the comments around, Bobbi and Daisy are the two who will join in the viewing. So thank you for options. But like I said, counting out Benjamin, Logan and Odinson, all the characters from the future are being rotated so after Bobbi and Daisy, it will be some of the Netflix characters.**

**And now we begin with ma boi Thor. And someone please keep Jason Aaron away from him.**

**Also, I saw some deleted scenes of this movie and I loved them as they fleshed out some of the characters and would have made the movie better if included. Really both this and the second Thor movie have some amazing deleted scenes that would have made the movie better on being added so it's a shame they weren't. Because of that, I'm adding some of those deleted scenes in the viewing of Thor.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoyed. Agreed on Thanos and Thor and glad "Trish Screaming" still gets you. I guess I'm a genie. You will see on Danny. And I think Bryan Cranston will be a fantastic Doom. And two characters are decided now and thanks for the options. Sorry about the tears again. Enjoy the chapter.**

**ninjarider1: Thanks for the review. Glad you're enjoying. I love Endgame to be honest except Steve's ending and a few other things but it was supposed to close the entire Infinity Saga of MCU so it can't satisfy everyone. I like Bucky/Natasha more to be honest and I don't think James Rogers would add much to this story. Sorry.**

Chapter 18- Banishment

The next day, all of them woke up and after cleaning themselves up and wearing some new clothes that had been put in their wardrobes, they had their breakfast. A pretty big breakfast as Benjamin had said they needed to get through the other recordings fast.

So the breakfast was big enough for the stomach to not bother anyone during lunch.

"Where's the Professor?" Tony asked.

"And future me?" Bruce asked.

"The Professor needs to run the school." Logan told them.

"And Bruce has gone back to his lab for some experiments." Benjamin said and they all nodded.

"So it is me we're watching today?" Thor asked.

"Yes." Odinson told him.

"Can't wait." Loki said dryly.

"This time I'm watching too." Storm told them.

"Us too." Daisy said as she gestured to herself and Bobbi.

"So we can finally catch up huh." Natasha smirked.

"Yeah." Bobbi said.

"Good to know." Clint said.

"So breakfast done?" Steve asked everyone.

"Yes Captain." Peter said.

"I think we should start viewing now Cap." Scott said.

"Still calling him Cap." Hope said in amusement as the two smiled at each other.

"Well, we do need to get it all over with." Fury said and they all got up and moved to the viewing room. Benjamin turned the TV on as everyone took their places. The same as before really with Storm, Bobbi and Daisy sitting with Benjamin, Odinson and Logan.

"So now we get to witness the origins of the God of Thunder." Hill said.

"Yeah. But they aren't pretty." Thor said.

**In the middle of a desert in Puente Antiguo, New Mexico stood a van. Inside the van were Erik Selvig, Darcy Lewis and Jane Foster, looking at their devices and calibrating them as Eric and Jane climbed out of the van and looked in the sky but nothing happened. Darcy asked to turn on the radio but Jane refused.**

"Jane." Thor smiled.

"You two broke up though, right?" Loki asked.

"Yeah we did." Thor said.

"I think it was for the best." Odinson said. While they had been good for a time, their relationship wasn't going to work out forever.

**Erik tried to dissuade Jane but she was sure there was some connection between the atmospheric disturbances and her research.**

"She is very determined. I can see why you liked her." Loki told Thor who nodded.

**That was when Darcy noticed something and directed Erik and Jane's attention to it. A wormhole was opening up in the sky, shocking Erik. Jane told Darcy to drive as they moved towards the wormhole and Jane started recording the event happily when it hit the ground in the form of a storm. Darcy tried to drive away but Jane snatched the wheel from her.**

"I do understand she is a good person but risking her and her friends' lives for research was pretty risky." Steve told Thor who nodded.

"Yes. She sometimes focused on her research too much to think about others." Thor said.

"Well, we all have flaws." Odinson said. [1]

"This guy here is a walking complexity filled with flaws and good traits." Pepper said as she gestured to Tony next to her.

"That I might just be honey." Tony smirked.

**She drove the van into the storm when a figure appeared in the middle of it and she accidentally hit him with her van, knocking him down as Darcy and Jane looked at each other in shock.**

"I'm guessing that's you." Bruce said and Thor nodded.

"Finally we're getting to see this play out." Fury said as he had always thought about how the Bifrost worked, never having seen it.

**Darcy, Jane and Erik ran out of the van and looked at the fallen tall man as Darcy told Jane it was legally her fault but she told her to get the first-aid kit. Jane looked at the downed man and begged him not to be dead as he stirred and they wondered where he had come from.**

"And now you're on Earth for the first time." Hill noted.

"Not the first time." Thor said.

"We did go to Midgard in earlier time periods." Odinson said.

"There's a reason the Vikings worshipped us as Gods." Loki pointed out.

"Good point." Hope shrugged.

**Tonsberg, Norway was seen in 965 A.D. as Odin's voice was heard narrating that mankind had long accepted the simple truth that they were not alone. They worshipped some of the people in the realms as Gods and learned to fear others.**

"How did you get this?" Thor asked.

"Basically they got how it played out in my head but it isn't that far from reality." Odinson said and they all nodded.

**Odin then narrated how the Frost Giants came down to Earth to conquer humanity. They were shown killing humans and breaking their boats as one of them froze a mother and her child to death.**

Wanda shivered on witnessing it as Vision put a hand on her shoulder for support.

Peter an Aunt May were scared too and held each other's hands.

**Odin's voice then said that the humans were not alone as the Bifrost came down and out stepped Odin Borson and the Einherjar in all their glory.**

"Father in his glory days." Thor said happily.

"And with both eyes." Loki joked.

"You look like him though." Odinson told Thor.

"How do you have both eyes though?" Thor asked him finally.

"It's a cybernetic given to me by my friend Rocket." Odinson said.

"Rocket?" Tony asked, "Does he look like a rocket or something?"

"You called him a build-a-bear when you first saw him, bub." Logan said.

"Really? He looks like that?" Bucky asked.

"You don't know what is out there in the Universe." Daisy said.

"Like what?" Sam asked.

"Kitson." Daisy sighed, remembering the place.

"Good thing I never accompanied you lot on any space trips." Bobbi said.

"And then there were those 'puffs'." Benjamin reminded Daisy who blushed in embarrassment.

"Do not mention that again." She said as he chuckled.

"On with the show." Storm said.

**The Einherjar and the Frost Giants charged at each other as a battle was fought. Both sides killed many on the other side as Laufey, King of the Jotuns froze some of the Einherjar while Odin stabbed and threw one away with Gungnir and killed another before using it to fire a powerful blast, killing many of the Frost Giants. His voice was heard narrating how they drove the Frost Giants back into Jotunheim and defeated their king. Odin was shown standing over a downed Laufey, pointing Gungnir at him as his right eye was missing with some blood.**

"And there goes the eye." Loki said.

"And he dons a pirate look." Tony joked.

"So I look like a pirate to you?" Fury asked and Tony paled.

"And I look like a pirate as well?" Thor asked and Tony paled more.

"Just because someone wears an eyepatch doesn't mean they are pirates, contrary to the popular trope." Pepper said.

**Odin narrated how they took the Frost Giants' source of power as an Einherjar lifted the Casket of Ancient Winters. Odin then narrated how they all returned to their home realm of Asgard, the realm eternal and remained as a beacon of hope. Then a view of Asgard was shown in all of its glory. **

"It looks so beautiful." Natasha said as everyone's jaws dropped at Asgard's beauty.

"It almost looks like Heaven to me." Aunt May said.

"It feels like a Heaven nowadays." Thor sighed sadly.

"Yes. Though there is New Asgard now." Odinson said as everyone looked at him in shock.

Thor then asked, "So we-"

"Yes. In Norway." Odinson smiled.

"Asgardians in Norway in modern day." Tony said, "So now I've seen everything."

"This Asgard looks like it can rival even Valinor." Scott said as Hope shot him a look.

"So you've read Tolkien's works?" Peter asked excitedly.

"Yeah. Huge fan." Scott said.

"Tolkien. He fought in World War I." Steve remembered, "His experience inspired him to write The Lord of the Rings."

"While I'm a science guy and all, those books are amazing." Bruce said.

"Yeah. The movies change some stuff but they worked out nicely too." Clint said, "And I wish to be better than Legolas."

"Keep dreaming." Tony joked.

"Then The Hobbit movies came." Sam sighed.

"I think they were pretty great as movies except some stuff but not that good as adaptations." Pepper said.

"Amen." Hill agreed.

"Yeah. And the Tauriel character was pretty nice." Hope said as Scott chuckled.

"Yeah. She won me over in a while." Scott said. [2]

"Guys, let's focus." Benjamin said.

**Odin said how they had fallen into man's myths and legends but it was Asgard and its warriors that brought peace to the universe.**

"After drowning it in blood first." Odinson sighed.

"What?" Steve asked in shock.

"I have just recently discovered that before my father became benevolent, he used to be a warlord." Thor sighed sadly, "And not a kind one."

"Jesus." Sam said, not believing it.

"So basically you're trying to tell us that he was as bad as he is in the 'God of War 4' game?" Tony asked in shock.

"I don't know what 'God of War 4' is but yes, he was a warlord." Thor said.

"I'm sorry." Steve said in sympathy as Thor nodded. Now suddenly some of Loki's behavior made sense.

"Though he did become a better man later. You've got to admit that." Storm said.

"Yes I do." Thor agreed.

**In the weapons' vault of Asgard Odin told the young Thor and Loki how one of them would have to defend the peace one day as Loki asked if the Frost Giants still lived.**

"Now that is the definition of irony." Loki said.

"So real power is the biggest case of irony then." Fury said in amusement.

"You two look pretty cute." Wanda commented.

"Thank you, little witch." Thor said and Wanda wondered how he could make 'little witch' sound sweet.

"I wonder what you will call me. 'Weather Witch?'" Storm asked as everyone chuckled.

"So you control the weather too?" Thor asked.

"Yes." She nodded.

"Maybe you should date her." Loki joked to Thor.

"Not a chance, bub." Logan said as he put an arm around Storm and glared at Loki while she smiled.

"So you've got two people controlling the storm and one that controls the Earth." Clint said as Daisy smirked, "That is great."

"What about me?" Bobbi asked with a mock glare.

"I'm pretty sure you ground them to reality." Clint said and she smirked.

**Thor said how he would hunt down the Frost Giants and slay them like Odin did.**

"If only he had corrected my behavior back then." Odinson sighed.

"But then you'd never have met us." Steve pointed out.

"Well then I guess a lot of things happen for a reason." Thor realized.

**Odin looked at both of them with his one eye and said, "A wise king, never seeks out war, but... he must always be ready for it." Thor and Loki both said excitedly that they were ready as Odin walked out and said that only one of them could ascend to the throne even though both of them were born to be kings.**

"I wonder sometimes if he wanted to tell me." Loki said.

"Perhaps he dead but never gathered the courage." Thor said.

"We'll never know." Odinson said.

"Not everyone knows their parents the best." Daisy said as she remembered Cal and Jiaying.

**As the three walked out, Mjolnir was shown sitting in a corner.**

"The hammer." Steve smiled.

"I miss it to be honest even if I have my power now." Thor said.

"I can understand. It has a special place in my heart too." Odinson said.

"I can't help but notice, but the handle is too short." Bobbi said.

"Yeah, why's that?" Daisy asked.

"Loki the prankster." Thor sighed.

"Yeah I pulled a prank." Loki said.

"So the origins of Mjolnir written Norse Mythology are true?" Bruce asked and they nodded.

"What is it exactly?" Hill asked.

"Loki once cut off Sif's hair as a cruel jest." Odinson said and Bobbi and Daisy glared at him, having briefly known Sif when she had come to Earth to help against Lorelei and Vin-Tak.

"I then threatened him." Thor said.

"Great." Daisy said happily as Loki shook his head.

"I then promised to get replacements and went to Nidavellir where I got new hair and the Dwarves also made a golden ship and spear with magical properties." Loki said.

"Asgardian culture is rich." T'Challa noted.

"It is, your Highness." Odinson said.

"I was convinced no one could challenge craftsmanship of the Sons of Ivaldi, who had made those treasures, so I challenged a dwarf named Eitri to make finer treasures." Loki said.

"You were a fool for doing that." Thor said.

"I didn't know it then." Loki said, "He created a golden boar spear with magical properties and it was so beautiful that I panicked so when they were forging Mjolnir in the heart of a dying star. I thought I would lose the wager so I transformed into a mayfly-"

"Okay what?" Tony asked.

"Yes I can transform." Loki said.

"Why didn't you transform in the fight against us?" Tony asked, "That way we could just squish you."

"Yeah, yeah I'm not stupid." Loki said dryly.

"Ant. Boot. Fly. Hands." Fury said with a smirk as Loki sighed.

"And then he, like the trickster he is, stung Eitri's assistant on the brow." Odinson said.

"Just when he was working on the bellows." Thor said.

"He stopped to wipe the blood and the bellows fell flat." Loki said, "So the handle was shorter than originally intended."

"And I could wield it only one-handed." Thor finished.

"Wow!" Daisy said in awe.

"That is an enlightening backstory." Vision said.

"So you've always been a prankster." Storm said.

"Not prankster. Trickster." Loki said, offended.

"What's the difference?" Bobbi asked.

"Pranksters play pranks. Tricksters deceive." Benjamin said.

"Not much of a difference." Daisy noted.

"On with the show." Logan said.

**Years later, Thor drank wine from a goblet as he walked towards the magnificent throne room and threw it off into the fire while holding Mjolnir in his hands, "Another!"**

"And you still haven't changed, bub." Logan told Odinson.

"With drinking partners like you, Frank and Jessica, I doubt I will." Odinson said as they all chuckled.

**Loki, in his helmet, met him near the throne room and asked if he was nervous, to which he laughed and asked him if he had ever known him to be nervous.**

"And then Sakaar happened." Loki smirked as Thor grunted.

"Sakaar?" Tony asked.

"Not in the mood." Thor said.

"I'd love to find out more about that." Tony said.

"I do know bits of it." Bruce said.

"That was just embarrassing." Odinson said as him and Thor exchanged a look.

"Not as embarrassing as those puffs." Daisy said and he nodded.

**Loki reminded him of Nornheim as Thor said that was the rage of battle while Loki reminded him of the smokescreen. Thor laughed and said how some did battle and some just did tricks.**

"I do both." Tony said.

"Because you're one of a kind." Thor said just to shut him up.

"I do tricks." Clint said, "With my arrows."

"I remember." Loki said with a disgruntled look as he remembered the explosive arrow while Clint smirked.

**A servant brought more wine in a goblet and also smiled at what Thor had said when Loki raised his hand and three snakes came out of the goblet, making the servant drop it in fear. Loki then started laughing as Thor chided him, calling it a waste of good wine.**

"Really Reindeer Games?" Tony asked.

"I can't believe your brother wasted wine." Logan told Thor and Odinson.

"It was just a prank." Odinson said.

"Yeah, I play snake-related pranks a lot." Loki joked.

"I remember." Thor said.

"The prank looks pretty mean to me." Natasha said.

"Well, I play mean pranks." Loki said.

**Loki said it was a bit of fun as the three illusory snakes disappeared and the servant went off as the two brothers laughed while an Einherjar brought Thor his helmet and presented it to him with a bow. He accepted it as the Einherjar went off and Loki commented on the wings as Thor chided him and he said he was being sincere, to which Thor responded with how he was incapable of insincerity.**

"I'm not." Loki said, "People just don't know when I'm being sincere and when I'm not."

"So I guess that's your real power." Fury commented.

**Loki said he had looked forward to this day just as much as Thor because he was his brother and friend and while sometimes he was envious, he didn't doubt him.**

"Why did you summon the Frost Giants then?" Thor asked.

"That was a prank." Loki said, "Fatal for them of course. But it was for fun."

"Your definition of fun is very different from ours." Daisy said.

"How do you have fun?" Thor asked.

"By putting whipped cream on people's faces." Bobbi said as both her and Daisy laughed, remembering when Melinda May had done it to Fitz.

"That is pretty funny." Steve said.

"And you have fun on the left, don't you?" Sam asked as Steve smiled and everyone wondered what that was about.

**Thor thanked Loki as he jokingly asked for a kiss. Thor laughed and told him to stop.**

Everyone laughed at Loki and Thor's banter.

**The two stood side by side as Thor asked, "Really, how do I look?" Loki turned to him and said, "Like a king." Thor nodded in appreciation as Loki said it was time and Thor told him to go, saying he will come later. Loki walked off as Thor looked after him.**

No one said a thing.

Steve, Tony, Bruce, Natasha, Clint, Fury and Hill realized how deep the brotherly bond between Thor and Loki truly was. And considering how long they had been alive, it would be deeper than most people thought.

Suddenly, Thor's earlier defense of Loki and him trying to reach out to him made a lot of sense.

"Good old days." Odinson said.

"I'm sure we don't get that in Norway." Loki said.

**Later, Thor, now wearing his helmet, raised Mjolnir high as all the attendees from the Nine Realms clapped and cheered and the Einherjar bowed to him.**

"Why don't you wear the helmet anymore?" Bucky asked.

"It's uncomfortable." Thor said. [3]

**Sif looked at Thor raising Mjolnir and was amused.**

"Well hello, Sif." Daisy smiled.

"You know her?" Thor asked.

"Yes." Bobbi said.

"She helped us beat an escaped Lorelei." Daisy told him.

"Okay when did Lorelei escape?" Thor asked Loki with a glare.

"It wasn't important." Loki said, trying to calm Thor down.

"Relax, they got her." Odinson told him.

"And then there was the time with the Kree." Bobbi said.

"The Kree?" Thor asked, "I heard rumors of a glowing woman who fights them."

"Pretty convincing ones." Loki said, "Though we've never met her."

"Trust me she is more than a rumor." Odinson said.

"And then you had to banish Sif." Thor told Loki.

"You should be thanking me." Loki said, "If I hadn't banished her, then Hela would have killed her too."

Thor nodded, "Good point. But you still banished her."

**Thor walked further as the Einherjar bowed to him and he kneeled in front of Odin while winking at Frigga who shook her head in disapproval and amusement.**

"Mother." Thor whispered, as her memories came to his mind.

Bruce and Loki both put their hands on his shoulder to offer comfort. Odinson closed his eyes and after a deep breath, looked back up.

**Thor then turned to look at the Warriors Three- Fandrall, Volstagg and Hogun.**

"My friends." Thor smiled sadly.

"I still miss them." Odinson said.

**Odin rose from his throne and tapped Gungnir on the ground, silencing the entire room as he spoke to Thor, calling him his first-born and telling him how he had been entrusted with the might hammer Mjolnir that had been forged in the heart of a dying star with no equal as a weapon to destroy or a tool to build. It was a fit companion for a King. Loki stood with a dull expression on his face as Odin continued his speech.**

"And now you mess up." Thor said.

"It was a fatal prank." Loki said again.

"Good thing no one plays those kinds of pranks on Earth." Steve said.

"Two guards died." Odinson pointed out.

"I thought the Destroyer would be deployed before that." Loki defended himself.

**In the weapons' vault, two Einherjar were walking around when the wall and ground started freezing. Odin asked Thor if he swore to guard the Nine Realms and preserve the peace as Thor swore. He then asked if Thor would pledge himself to the realms and Thor raised his hammer, swearing. Odin was about to proclaim him king when his Asgardian senses detected something. In the vault, the guards saw the freezing ground when suddenly three Frost Giants popped out and stabbed them to death.**

Thor glared at Loki.

"Sorry." He said.

**They ran towards the Casket of Ancient Winters and started getting away with it when Odin tapped Gungnir and the Destroyer walked out, killing all three of them with powerful beams before going back inside.**

"Oh that!" Fury remembered.

"Son of Coul made a weapon out of it." Thor remembered, "Though he didn't know what it did."

"I think he did." Fury said as he remembered the last fight against John Garrett.

"He definitely did." Daisy said as she glared at Fury but he didn't say a thing.

**Odin, Thor and Loki walked into the vault and saw what had happened as Thor was furious but Odin remained calm. Thor pointed out that the Frost Giants had broken through their defenses and Laufey had broken the truce. Odin asked him what action he would take, to which he said he would march into Jotunheim and break their spirits. Odin told him he was thinking as a warrior, not a king.**

"After finding out the truth about his past, my behavior makes sense." Thor said.

"I think he banished us so we wouldn't become the next Hela." Odinson said.

"Or maybe he could have tried correcting you right from the start." Storm told them.

"Yes. He could have." Odinson said with a nod.

**Thor wanted to take action as King of Asgard but Odin told him he wasn't King yet and he realized the ceremony hadn't been finished. Odin then walked off, leaving Thor and Loki behind.**

"Well, that sucks." Scott said honestly.

"It truly does." Peter said.

"And now you're king only because it's your duty." Loki noted.

**Later, a furious Thor toppled an entire table of food.**

"Whoa!" Scott and Hope said at the same time on seeing Thor's anger.

"He wasted good wine, you wasted good food." Pepper said.

"I know." Thor agreed, "I was too angry back then."

"And it had consequences." Odinson said.

"We know." Steve nodded.

**He then sat sadly as Loki sat next to him and comforted him while Sif, Fandrall, Volstagg and Hogun entered, shocked by the spilled food as Loki told Thor that he was right about the Frost Giants but they couldn't do anything without defying father. Thor then had a look in his eyes as Loki immediately regretted his words.**

"Aren't you the God of Lies and Mischief?" Hill joked.

"Subtly manipulating your brother right from the start." Natasha said.

"Since when did you go off the rails?" Fury asked.

"I had no idea father would banish you, Thor." Loki said as Thor shrugged.

"At least some good came out of it." Odinson said.

"Yes." Thor agreed.

**Thor announced they were going to Jotunheim. At first his friends tried to dissuade him but he reminded them of all they had done together, reminding Fandrall and Hogun he had led them to the most glorious of battles, given Volstagg the most succulent delicacies and supported Sif when she had wanted to become a fierce warrior so they all agreed.**

"You do have leadership qualities." Steve said, "Look how they listened to you."

"I do." Thor said, "But you're still the leader of the Avengers because you can lead better."

Steve nodded in appreciation on being praised by him.

"I think it is going to Hell now." Aunt May said.

"Oh you have no idea." Loki told her.

"It became such a huge mess that even Earth got involved in it." Fury said.

"Doesn't that happen every time?" Daisy asked as Fury shrugged, "Because we have saved the Earth too so many times."

"I know, Johnson." Fury said.

"Maybe you should share a bit more about it." Bobbi told him and he knew what she was talking about.

**The six rode on their horses on the Bifrost and reached Heimdall's Observatory.**

"I know I've already said it but this place is beautiful." Hope said.

"Thanks." Thor shrugged.

"Your people's culture is as rich as ours." T'Challa said, "That is something to be proud of."

"It is." Odinson agreed.

**A dark-skinned man stood guard there.**

"Is that-" Peter started.

"Heimdall. Gatekeeper of Asgard." Thor said as they all looked at the Norse God they had read so much about in Norse Mythology.

"Pretty nice guy." Bruce said.

"I think you lot should sue the Santa Monica Studios and Sony Interactive Entertainment for defamation." Tony joked as he remembered God of War 4 again.

**Loki tried to talk to Heimdall but the man already knew what their intentions were as Thor asked him if they could pass. Heimdall said he wished to know how an enemy got past him but he wouldn't open the Bifrost for them if their return spelled doom for Asgard. Fandrall asked if he could just leave it open, to which Heimdall replied that such a thing would destroy the planet.**

"Oh boy!" Sam said.

"No wonder you tried to use that trick." Storm said to Loki who sighed.

**Heimdall let them go as he twisted Hofund and the Observatory started rotating, activating the Bifrost which sucked them all inside. Soon, they were standing in the cold and chilling wastes of the dark Jotunheim. They looked around at the dark and desolate place, with so many tall icy buildings.**

"I'd love to ride through the Bifrost." Natasha said cheerfully.

"Well, now that can't happen unfortunately." Thor said sadly.

"I'd have loved to ride it too." Wanda smiled as she thought of herself standing on a rainbow.

"This place is creepy." Aunt May said about Jotunheim.

"Yeah, it's like a horror movie." Peter agreed.

"It's gonna get more creepy, bub." Logan said.

**The six moved around before Laufey's voice stopped them. He sat there on his throne with a bone-chilling glare.**

"Oh boy!" Peter and Scott said at the same time.

"The King of the Jotuns." Bobbi said.

"He doesn't look happy." Daisy said dryly.

**Thor asked him how his people had gotten into Asgard as he said the house of Odin was full of traitors, angering Thor as Laufey got up and called Odin a murderer and a thief.**

"And now it turns out he wasn't lying." Thor said sadly. Odin had changed but he still had been a warlord at first.

"Yes. And he wasn't lying about the traitors either." Loki said in shame.

**Laufey mocked Thor again, calling him a boy trying to prove himself a man as Loki tried to stop Thor while other Frost Giants surrounded them with weapons. Laufey allowed them to go for the time being. Loki accepted and Thor was about to leave when one of the Giants who stood close to them said, "Run back home, little princess."**

"Damn!" Tony said.

"**Damn!" Loki said as Thor smiled and turning around, hit the Giant with Mjolnir, sending him flying off. "Next!" He mocked before sending more flying off or tripping and smashing them with Mjolnir.**

"And this journey has officially gone to Hell." Clint commented.

**As more arrived, Hogun brandished his mace and hit one, knocking him out as Sif used her double-edged sword to deflect and knock another one down. Fandrall to brandished his sword and fought a Giant as Loki threw his knife at one, shattering his weapon. Volstagg was knocked back by a Giant but he hit him with his axe, knocking him down. Thor kicked a Giant away by many feet. "At least make it a challenge for me!" He mocked as more Giants jumped down. One of them punched the ground and the ice protruded from the ground, knocking Fandrall away.**

"All right that is not good!" Sam said.

"Good thing you didn't become king back then." T'Challa said.

"Yes. Clearly, I wasn't ready." Thor agreed.

**One of them roared at Thor and he roared back in mockery. The Giant head-butted him, staggering him slightly. He laughed and it kicked him away. Getting up, he said, "Thats more like it!" Near him, his brother and friends continued battling the Giants as he threw Mjolnir on the Giant's face, putting him down as Mjolnir returned to him.**

"So the hammer was connected to you?" Daisy asked.

"Yes, we shared a mental link." Odinson said.

**Sif was disarmed by a Giant but Hogun killed him with a knife throw while a Giant charged at Loki who backed, only to see a cliff behind him. The Giant leapt at him but passed through him, falling off the cliff. The real Loki smirked from a corner as his illusion faded. Volstagg was touched by a Giant and his arm froze a little before he killed him.**

"Sif is such a badass." Bobbi said, "The Warriors Three too."

"That is why people think of them as Gods." Storm said.

**Volstagg warned the others not to let the Giants touch them as Sif stabbed another Giant with her sword and blocked some ice shards with her shield as Thor knocked two of them away with Mjolnir while Loki's hand was grabbed by a Giant, breaking his armor. But to both his and the Giant's shock, the arm didn't freeze. Instead, it took on a pale shade just like a Frost Giant.**

"Oh boy!" Tony said, realizing what was happening.

"Busted." Hope said about Odin.

"Yes. The beans are spilled." Thor agreed.

"And I won't take it well." Loki said.

**Loki and the Giant looked at each other in shock before he stabbed the Giant dead. He again looked at his arm in shock as its normal shade returned. Fandrall was disarmed by a Giant but slid under him and picking up his sword, cut off his hand and stabbed him dead. Just as he turned around, he was stabbed by a pointed icy protrusion and screamed in pain. Loki killed the offender with a knife throw.**

"Things are getting worse." Bruce said.

**Volstagg and Hogun supported Fandrall away as Thor told them to go as he threw Mjolnir at a line of Frost Giants, killing them. Laufey raised his hand and a Jotunheim Beast woke up.**

"Oh my God!" Wanda said in horror.

**Thor twirled Mjolnir, hitting the ground as the pieces of the ground sent the Giants flying off. Thor then brought Mjolnir down and a huge, powerful lightning bolt descended, killing many Giants and destroying all the towers while the floor shattered.**

"Why didn't you use all that power in New York or Sokovia?" Tony asked.

"Too many civilians." Thor said.

"Yeah. Civilians prevent me from going all out as well on several occasion." Daisy said.

"Yes. People like you two are very careful." Bobbi agreed.

"Your lightning is powerful." Storm said.

"I'd love to see your powers." Thor said.

"You can see them sometime later." Logan shrugged.

"She is pretty powerful." Odinson said, "Not as much as I am though."

Storm didn't argue as that was true.

**Loki and the others continued running, avoiding the Beast as everything crumbled around them. Hogun asked Heimdall to open the bridge but nothing happened as the Beast rose to kill them.** **Thor twirled Mjolnir and pointing it skyward, flew towards the Beast, passing through its mouth, killing it with Mjolnir. It fell down, dead, as Thor descended in front of it. The hole in the back of its mouth was big enough to show the view behind it. It then fell off the cliff as Thor turned around with a laugh.**

"Badass." Peter said.

"Just wait kid." Benjamin told him.

**The smile vanished when he realized they were surrounded by an entire army of Frost Giants. The amount Thor and his friends had killed weren't even a fraction of their forces. Laufey glared at him as they all charged when suddenly a bright light hit the ice. It was the Bifrost!**

"Phew!" Bruce sighed in relief.

**The light faded as they witnessed Odin the Allfather, riding on his black eight-legged horse Sleipnir, Gungnir in his hand, looking as magnificent as in his glory days. Thor happily yelled they would finish the Giants together but Odin silenced him furiously as Laufey mocked him while rising to face him. Odin tried to reason with him but he refused and was about to stab Odin before he raised Gungnir and the Bifrost came down, throwing Laufey back and sucking in the Asgardians.**

"Well, now you're safe." Hill noted.

"From them." Odinson said.

**At Asgard, Odin berated Thor as Sif, Volstagg and Hogun took Fandrall to the healing room while Odin berated Thor more, calling him a vain, greedy, cruel boy while Thor retorted by calling him an old man and a fool.**

"Shouldn't have said that." Fury said.

"Especially considering your old man is much more prone to anger than mine." Tony noted.

"I was an idiot." Thor said.

**Odin agreed, saying he was a fool to think Thor was ready. Loki tried to talk to him but he roared, "NAY!"**

Almost everyone in the room jumped in shock.

**"Thor Odinson." Odin said as he twisted Gungnir and the Bifrost opened again, "You have betrayed the express command of your King. Through your arrogance and stupidity, you've opened these peaceful Realms, and innocent lives to the horror and desolation of war! You are..." Odin ripped off pieces of his armor, "unworthy of these Realms!" He ripped off Thor's cloak, "Unworthy of your title! You're unworthy... of the loved ones, you have betrayed."**

Thor and Odinson both looked away from the screen in shame. While they had deserved punishment, it was still an uncomfortable memory.

Bruce and Loki put hands on Thor's shoulder for support as Benjamin put one on Thor's shoulder.

**Thor looked down in shame as Odin raised his hand, "I now take from you, your power!"** **Mjolnir flew out of his hand into Odin's as he declared, "In the name of my father! And his father before! I, Odin Allfather, cast you out!" ****Odin fired a golden light from Mjolnir as Thor fell down and his armor shattered while he was sucked in by the Bifrost as Loki walked off in fear. Odin had turned Thor into a human.**

"And now you will make my week even worse." Fury said dryly.

**Holding the hammer, Odin whispered, "Whosoever holds of this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." He then let Mjolnir go as it was sucked in by the Bifrost. **

"So there was an enchantment after all." Tony realized.

"Yes there was." Thor said.

**Thor then collided with the van as Darcy told Jane it was legally her fault but she told her to get the first-aid kit. Jane looked at the downed man and begged him not to be dead as he stirred and they wondered where he had come from. He suddenly got up to their shock and started calling for his hammer and called out to his father as Jane took pictures of the marks left by the Bifrost.**

"Now that is fish out of the water humor." Tony joked, "And you have no regard for any maintenance."

Everyone chuckled.

**Thor asked Erik which Realm it was, naming Alfheim and Nornheim before Darcy pointed a taser at him and said it was New Mexico. Thor roared at her for threatening him with a puny weapon when she fired the taser and Thor was down as Erik and Jane looked at her in shock. She said he was freaking her out.**

"The God of Thunder taken down by a taser?" Natasha said in amusement as everyone started laughing while Thor and Odinson looked embarrassed.

"Now that certainly is ironic." Vision said.

"Let's move on." Odinson said as the laughter died down soon.

**Erik and Darcy put Thor in the back of the van as Erik told her the next time she tased someone, the person should already be in the van. The three then left in the van with the unconscious Thor as something crashed at a distance.**

"Mjolnir?" Steve asked and Thor nodded.

"And that's where Coulson has gone." Fury said.

"After ditching me." Tony joked.

* * *

**And we're done for the day. I loved giving references to Tolkien's works and Norse Mythology.**

**Hope you're enjoying Storm, Bobbi and Daisy in here.**

**[1] This wasn't a bash against Jane. I actually liked her in both the movies and I even liked the Thor/Jane thing in the first movie. The second movie made me dislike it though. But I think Jane sometimes focuses on research so much that she forgets there is a life beyond that. But like Odinson said, we all have flaws.**

**[2] A reference to Evangeline Lilly's role as Tauriel in the second and third Hobbit films.**

**[3] The helmet was supposed to be part of the look of MCU Thor but Chris Hemsworth found it too uncomfortable to wear.**

**See you all next time with "Another!" Chapter.**


	19. Worthy No More

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**I just realized when it was pointed out to me that Mjolnir's backstory from Norse Mythology wouldn't make sense in MCU as Hela also had it so let's just say after imprisoning her, Odin used his Odinforce to melt the hammer and returned the components to Nidavellir and later Eitri made it again with the same powers but a shorter handle.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoyed. Agreed on the deleted scenes. Thanks for pointing out the mistakes. I still love The Hobbit movies, though LOTR movies are still perfection. Thanks for pointing that out too about Mjolnir but I kind of fixed it with my A/N above. Actually Mjolnir has the same backstory in comics as in Norse Mythology. Bobbi doesn't need a pairing because she has got Lance Hunter and I love them together. Yes I know that about Black Widow. I'll see about God of War. I actually think Thor is a little overhated too, if you remember my rating for it. It wasn't the best but I found it great to be honest. But that's me. Still, Ragnarok is the best for Thor.**

Chapter 19- Worthy No More

"So how did you adjust to Earth?" Daisy asked.

"Very horribly." Thor said, "At least in the beginning that is."

**Erik, Darcy and Jane drove Thor to the County Hospital where the receptionist asked his name and Jane said it was Thor. She asked how they knew him but Jane said she had never met him before as Darcy interjected by saying until she had hit him with her car. Jane said she had grazed him but Darcy had tasered him, which she agreed to as it was true.**

Everyone present laughed at the scene.

"Darcy is always so amusing." Thor said.

"Yeah. She made life funnier." Odinson agreed.

"We all need some humor in our lives." Clint agreed.

"Yeah, my husband gives me the humor." Bobbi said.

"Who?" Clint asked.

"You know who." Bobbi said.

"Lance again?" Natasha asked, "Really?"

"We worked it out." Bobbi said.

"Trust me. They are as right as rain together." Daisy said, "Or FitzSimmons because those two are even more right than rain."

**Thor woke up on his bed as the doctor said they were just taking some blood as he assumed they were attacking him and started pushing them all of while getting up, He fought a little with the doctors and security, throwing them around before some guards pinned him to the door. He tried to say how they were no match for him but a doctor hit hi, with a sedative, knocking him out before he could finish.**

Everyone laughed again.

"When you said "horribly", you were downplaying it." Storm said to both Thor and Odinson.

"Like I said. Fish out of the water." Tony said and everyone nodded in agreement.

"I had no idea Midgard had changed so much during the years." Odinson said.

"And I found out the hard way." Thor said.

"Well, it's a good thing my situation never got this bad." Steve said, "Though I did fight my way out of a hospital."

"Yeah. I remember that very vividly." Fury said as him and Steve exchanged a look.

**A van drove through the desert of New Mexico as the man inside saw Mjolnir lying in the middle of a crater. He pulled up near it and getting out, tried to pick it up but couldn't even budge it, shocking him.**

"Yeah, keep trying." Tony joked, "You'll break your fingers."

"The two of us together with our gauntlets couldn't budge it." Rhodes said.

"Even Hulk couldn't lift it." Natasha remembered.

"And you didn't even try." Thor said.

"I wasn't interested." She said.

"None of us could lift it, could we?" Steve asked and everyone shook their heads.

No one noticed Odinson's smirk on that as Steve's question was pretty ironic.

"Viz did." Wanda reminded them.

"I am not 100% human so it doesn't count." Vision reminded everyone. [1]

"No it doesn't." Tony agreed.

"Which one out of us would be able to lift it?" Bucky wondered, "Not me."

"Me neither." Clint agreed.

"I wouldn't think about it." Sam said.

"Maybe Peter can." Aunt May said with a smile.

Everyone turned to him, wondering if he could as it did make sense.

After a sigh, he said, "No. I don't think so."

"We will never find out anyway." Benjamin said.

**At their home Erik, Darcy and Jane looked at their screens as Jane said it looked like an Einstein-Rosen Bridge. Darcy questioned about it as Erik explained it and Jane gave the short explanation that it was a wormhole.**

"She's pretty smart." Loki said.

**Jane showed Erik a picture and said the stars they were seeing weren't their stars as Ursa Minor wasn't visible and they were someone else's stars.**

"The Bifrost does that too?" Hill asked in shock.

"Yes it does." Thor said.

"Jane has a keen eye." Clint complimented.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to compliment someone's eyesight." Logan said with a smirk as Clint smirked too.

**Darcy called them over to see a picture and there they saw the figure of Thor in between the storm, shocking them as Jane walked off, saying she had left something at the hospital.**

"I think we all know what that thing is." Storm smiled.

**Back at Asgard, Odin was standing at the edge of the palace when Frigga walked up to him and asked how he could have done this.**

"She stood up for me?" Thor asked in shock.

"Yes." Loki said.

"Our father wasn't a good parent but our mother was." Odinson said, "She loved us and would have corrected our behavior better."

"Yes. I can agree to that." Loki said sadly.

"It's funny how my mother was more unstable than my father which says a lot considering my father gave himself a drug that gave him enhanced strength but drove him crazy." Daisy said sadly.

"I'm sorry." Steve said in sympathy and she nodded.

**Odin told her Thor had taken them to the brink of war but Frigga berated him for banishing him. yelling, "HE'S YOUR SON!" Odin asked what she would have done. She said she would not have banished him to a world of mortals to suffer as she wouldn't have the heart.**

"Oh mother." Thor said sadly, "Still trying to protect me from the harsh realities of the universe."

"I'm sure all parents are like that." Odinson said.

"Yes." Wanda agreed as she looked at Peter and Aunt May.

**Odin coldly said this was the reason he was king and that he too grieved the loss of their son but some things even he couldn't undo. She said he could bring Thor back but he refused. "His fate is in his own hands now." Odin said before walking away as Frigga stood alone, grieving.**

"And she failed." Tony noted, "Your old man really is pragmatic."

"That's why he was king for so long." Thor said.

"Yes. Kings need to think with their minds as well as hearts." Odinson agreed.

"Which makes me an unworthy candidate." Loki said and everyone was surprised. Perhaps he was redeeming himself after all.

"We all know how much of my fate was in my hands though." Thor laughed.

"Yeah, I think it was in my hands." Loki laughed too.

**Thor woke up in the hospital, strapped to the bed. He tried to break them but failed, which shocked him greatly.**

"Okay that is not good!" Sam said.

"Nope." Daisy agreed.

**Thor then slipped his hands out of the straps.**

"You definitely can be a SHIELD agent." Bobbi said.

"If you were human." Natasha told him.

"Yes. You have the skills." Clint agreed.

"No. Too short-tempered." Thor shrugged.

"Yes." Odinson agreed with him.

"How long until it goes to hell?" Rhodes asked.

"Not long." Thor said.

"Yeah. Pretty short time." Storm agreed.

"That's what happens when fish comes out of the water." Logan said.

"I know how long it took." Fury said.

**Erik, Jane and Darcy walked into Thor's room but to their shock, he was gone as they sat in the van, with Jane being frustrated by her most important piece of evidence missing. She decided to find him, amusing Erik. Just as she backed her van, she accidentally knocked down Thor again who was behind the van. The three ran out in shock as Jane promised she wasn't doing it on purpose.**

Everyone laughed merrily at the scene again.

"How many times did she hit you with her car?" Peter asked.

"I've never seen a romance beginning with a car accident." Aunt May said too.

"That is messed up." Wanda said.

"Not as much as you think." Thor said.

**In the desert, people had already gathered around Mjolnir, with everyone trying to lift it though it didn't budge while they scraped their fingers.**

"Yeah. Keep trying, bub." Logan said.

"I wonder if any of them read about Norse Mythology." Bobbi said.

"Norse Mythology doesn't mention the enchantment." Scott told her.

"Wow! You're a total nerd." Hope said and they both chuckled.

"Any problem?" He asked.

"No. I love it." She smiled and he smiled too.

**One of the people tied a chain to it and the back of a van as the man drove it, trying to pull the hammer off but instead the back portion of his van came off. The elderly man driving the van asked, "Did it work?" Everyone laughed at him.**

"And he's back." Steve said as everyone chuckled.

"So this guy showed up there too." Fury said.

"Well, if he's a watcher, why couldn't he lift the hammer?" Logan asked.

"He didn't try to lift it by himself." Benjamin said.

"Yeah, he used the van." Tony said.

"Van's not worthy." Peter finished.

"I guess now we know why he hated me enough to cut off my hair." Thor joked.

"Yeah. You cost him half of his van." Loki said.

**Then a car pulled up above and Phil Coulson walked out, looking down. He pulled out his phone and said to Fury, "Sir, we found it."**

"Ah that scene again." Tony said.

"Coulson." Daisy said sadly, "I miss him so much."

"You knew him?" Clint asked in shock.

"We will tell you about it later." Bobbi said as her and Daisy shot Fury a look and he looked away.

Clint and Natasha noticed it but decided to pursue it later.

**Thor put on some pants in Erik, Jane and Darcy's home as Darcy commented on his muscles.**

"That he is." Aunt May smirked as everyone chuckled in amusement.

**He then picked up a device but Jane stopped him as he could accidentally damage it. He then put on a shirt which had the I.D. of a "Donald Blake." He asked her what it was and she said it was her ex, good with patients and bad with relationships. She took off the tag.**

"I met the guy once." Odinson said, "Looks like a weaker version of us." [2]

"Interesting." Thor simply shrugged.

**Thor then said his mortal form had grown weak and needed sustenance as Erik, Jane and Darcy watched him in concern and confusion.**

"Yup. Definitely unnerving them." Tony said.

"I had no idea about the modern culture." Thor said.

"And now I know it very well." Odinson said.

"Good to know." Loki sighed.

**Back at Asgard, Volstagg said how they should never have let Thor go but Sif pointed out there was no stopping him and Fandrall said if the guard hadn't told Odin where they were going, they would be dead instead of Thor being banished. As Loki looked at his hand, Volstagg asked how the guard even knew, to which Loki said he had told the guard and that he should be flogged for taking so long.**

"The guard can't fly like I can." Thor told Loki who nodded.

**Loki pointed out that he had saved their lives and that he had no idea Odin would banish Thor.**

"Yes, that is the truth." Loki said, "But I used your banishment as an opportunity."

"Of course you did." Thor smirked.

"Conspiring, scheming, backstabbing God of Mischief." Tony said and he shrugged.

**Sif asked Loki to make Odin change his mind but he refused, saying that while he loved Thor dearly, he was reckless and arrogant and Asgard deserved better from its king before walking off.**

"While you're conspiring against Thor, you do have a good point about the arrogance." Steve said.

"Yes he does." Thor and Odinson said at the same time.

**Sif said Loki spoke of Asgard's good but he had always been jealous of Thor as Volstagg said they should be grateful to him. Hogun reminded them of Laufey's words about the House of Odin being full of traitors and how a master magician could bring three Frost Giants into Asgard undetected. Fandrall said Loki always had been mischievous but this was something else entirely.**

"Wasn't off the mark, was he?" Clint asked and Loki nodded.

"Yeah, Hogun was more perceptive than people gave him credit for." Loki said.

"And I think Volstagg is more dangerous than people give him credit for." Bruce said.

"Yes, his eating habits make him look harmless when he is far from it." Thor said.

**Loki walked over to the Casket of Ancient Winters and closing his eyes, lifted it up when Odin stopped him. He turned around, revealing his pale skin, asking if he was cursed. He asked what he was, to which Odin said he was his son.**

"Uh-oh." Aunt May said.

"And now the beans are spilled." Scott said.

Loki closed his eyes and took a deep breath, remembering the scene.

**Loki asked what more he had taken from Jotunheim after the war and Odin revealed that after the battle, he had found a baby in a temple too small to be a Giant's child. In a flashback, Odin picked up the baby and using his Odinforce, transformed his pale skin into normal, giving him Asgardian qualities. Odin then revealed Loki was Laufey's son.**

"Oh no!" Wanda said in horror.

"And I'm going to take it very horribly." Loki said.

**Loki looked like his entire world had been turned upside down and asked Odin why he had taken him, to which he said because Loki was an abandoned child. Loki had none of it and said Odin had a different purpose. When Odin didn't reply, Loki exploded, "TELL ME!"**

Everyone jumped at the scene and suddenly Steve, Tony, Bruce, Natasha, Clint, Fury and Hill found themselves having sympathy for Loki.

True he had killed many people on Earth and caused a lot of damage for which there was no justification, but they could see why he had started becoming like that.

**Odin said he had taken Loki so that he could make an alliance with the Frost Giants through him. Loki had tears in his eyes by now and told Odin he could have told the truth right from the start. Odin said he was trying to protect him.**

"There is no protection from the truth." Steve said sadly.

**Odin, visibly stressed, started collapsing as Loki exploded on him and said, "No matter how much you claimed to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!" The combined stress from Thor's banishment, the impending war with Jotunheim and Loki knowing the truth was too much for even the Allfather to bear and he lost consciousness. Loki immediately regretted his words and called for the guards as two Einherjar arrived to take him away.**

"Oh no!" Peter said as he watched in horror.

"Perhaps he could have told you right from the start." Logan said.

"At least when you were old enough to understand." Daisy agreed.

"Yes. He could have." Loki agreed, "Finding it out when I did made me snap."

"And you conspired against all of us then." Thor said.

"I'm sorry." Loki said.

"I know you are." Odinson said.

**At a restaurant on Earth, Jane asked Thor how he got inside the cloud as Darcy asked how he could be this hungry after eating an entire box of pop tarts. Thor drank a coffee and liking it, smashed the cup on the ground, "Another!"**

Everyone laughed hard at the scene.

"Wow!" Natasha said.

"Now that is something I've never seen." Sam agreed.

"We see it a lot during celebrations." Bobbi said.

**Jane asked him why he did that, to which he said he liked it and wanted another. She said he could have asked nicely and he said he meant no disrespect. She told him not to smash anything and asked, "Deal?" With a smile, Thor said, "You have my word."**

"Fish out of the water." Tony said as everyone laughed at Thor using archaic language in a modern setting.

"Don't worry, I use some normal language these days." Thor said.

**A man who had been on Mjolnir's crash site arrived and started telling the waitress about the satellite crash and how the feds had shown up in the end as Jane inquired about it while Darcy took a picture of Thor to post on Facebook. The man told them about the satellite and how it was heavy. Thor realized what it was and asked him which way, to which he replied 50 miles west. Thor then walked out.**

"And now you're coming to beat up my agents." Fury said dryly.

"Sorry about that." Thor said.

"To be honest, they took my property and I don't like it when someone does that." Odinson said.

"We know you don't." Hill sighed.

**Thor walked in the middle of the road, annoying the car drivers who cursed him and turned away.**

"Now you're causing traffic jams too." Bucky said.

"I was actually more shocked than you when I saw so many cars around me." Steve said.

"He doesn't look shocked at all." Daisy said.

"Yeah, he's just casually strutting around." Storm agreed.

"I just thought they were different kinds of chariots." Thor said.

**Jane, Darcy and Erik stopped him as Jane asked where he was going, to which he replied 50 miles west because the thing was his and if she took him there, he would tell her everything she wants to know.**

"I don't think you get enough credit for this but you too have a scientific brain." Bruce told Thor.

"Thanks." Thor and Odinson shrugged.

"Yeah, you were able to hold a conversation with Dr. Banner with scientific terms." Benjamin agreed.

"So you're also a science bro then." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

**Thor said he just needed Mjolnir first but Darcy misheard it as "Myeuh-myeuh."**

Everyone laughed at that.

"And a year later, she still called it that." Thor said.

**Jane agreed to take him but Erik called her to a side and told her he was a delusional believing himself to be a God from Norse Mythology and very dangerous.**

"Except he was a God from Norse Mythology." Rhodes said.

"No one had any way of knowing that." T'Challa said.

**Jane apologized to Thor and said she couldn't take him. He then said goodbye and taking Jane's hand, kissed it like a gentleman and she thanked him, feeling flattered. He addressed the three by their full names and bid them farewell with a bow as they bowed back and walked off.**

"They seem to like your style." Pepper said.

"People always find old culture interesting." Logan said.

**As the three were walking back, Jane saw her research equipment being taken away in a truck. The three ran inside and saw Phil Coulson and several SHIELD agents taking her equipment away as Coulson introduced himself. Erik tried to calm Jane down but she was having none of it.**

"You could have explained the situation to her." Steve said to Fury.

"We didn't have time." Fury defended himself.

**Phil gave her a cheque to help by replacements at radio shack but she said she had made most of it herself, to which he replied she could do it again.**

"Okay, wouldn't that take ages?" Daisy asked.

"It would." Bobbi agreed, "Though it's not like he took it forever."

**Jane said she would sue him as an agent took away her book. She tried to stop him but Erik stopped her as Coulson thanked them for their cooperation and drove away as they needed her equipment to investigate a security breach.**

"The breach being me." Thor said.

**Later, the three sat dejected as Darcy ranted about her I-Pod and Jane said they took all of their backups too and wondered who they were. Erik said there was a scientist who was a pioneer in gamma radiation but when SHIELD showed up, he was never heard from again.**

"I think they're talking about me." Bruce said.

"They are." Hill agreed.

"You were heard from again." Natasha said.

"Just not in the way you liked." Tony said.

"Yeah, that's true." Bruce said.

**Jane said she would get it back as Erik said he had a colleague who had dealings with SHIELD and could help them after Erik sent him an e-mail but Darcy said they had taken his laptop too.**

"Ouch!" Scott said.

"Who was this colleague?" Hope asked.

"It was your father, Hope." Fury said and she looked a bit shocked before realizing it made sense. [3]

**At Asgard, Sif and the Warriors Three arrived to speak to Odin but to their shock saw Loki there.**

"Uh-oh." Wanda said.

"Yes. 'Uh-oh' would be right." Natasha agreed.

**Loki said Odin was in the Odinsleep and Frigga wouldn't leave his side so he was King of Asgard and they could bring their matters to him. Sif asked him to end Thor's banishment but Loki said his first command couldn't be to undo Odin's last and their people needed a sense of continuity to feel safe for the good of Asgard. Sif looked like she was about to attack him when Fandrall restrained her. Volstagg asked him to reconsider but he ended their meeting.**

"If you want to be subtle, don't be a douche." Tony told Loki.

"Perhaps you're right." Loki shrugged.

**Erik sent an e-mail to Hank in a cyber café before picking up a book on Norse Mythology and reading the stories, chuckling at them. Jane waited in her van outside a pet place where Thor asked for a horse.**

"You've better chance of stealing one from a ranch." Sam shrugged.

"I love riding horses." Natasha said as she remembered how she used to go to the Montana ranch to ride horses as a leisure activity with some degree of privacy. [4]

**The man said they only had dogs, cats and birds so Thor asked for one big enough to ride.**

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "Even experimentation can't do that."

"My sister had a wolf big enough to ride." Thor said.

**Jane honked her horn and Thor decided to go with her. She said she had never done such a thing before as Thor said he had many times and she was brave to do it and far more clever that anyone in this realm, amusing her with the "realm" word. She found him strange. He asked if it was good strange or bad strange and she said she was undecided as she hit something and lost control of the van for a moment before regaining it.**

"Well, sparks are flying." Tony said as everyone chuckled while Thor and Odinson shook their heads.

**Jane asked who he was and he said she would know soon. She said he had promised her answers and he said she was looking for a bridge. She asked if it was an Einstein-Rosen bridge, to which he said it was a rainbow bridge. Jane hoped he wasn't crazy.**

"You are not but you sound like one." Fury said.

**At Asgard, Loki and Frigga watched Odin in his Odinsleep as Loki said he never got used to it while Frigga said it was unexpected this time. Loki asked why Odin hadn't told him the truth to which she said they didn't want him to feel differently.**

"Now that makes sense." Steve said.

"But I was too stupid to see it." Loki said.

**She said Loki was their son and that there was a purpose to everything the Allfather did as he walked off. On Earth, Jane and Thor looked at the entire facility that had been built around Mjolnir as Jane was confused by SHIELD's actions. Thor gave her his jacket, saying she would need it as he would get her stuff out. Jane was skeptical though but Thor said he would fly out while lightning cracked in the sky.**

"You didn't." Clint said.

"Nope." Thor agreed.

**In the facility, the agents were monitoring everything using the tech with Jasper Sitwell looking around.**

"Sitwell." Steve snarled angrily.

"He was Hydra, wasn't he?" Tony asked and they nodded.

"Yes he was." Fury said.

"And a very condescending man." Hill said as she remembered how he had talked down to her after Fury's 'death' in spite of her being his second-in-command.

"I would've loved for him to fight me there." Thor said.

"Don't worry, I kicked him off a roof." Natasha said and everyone chuckled.

"So you killed him?" Loki asked.

"No, I just kicked him off." Natasha said.

"He died pretty horribly." Steve remembered and Bucky winced as he remembered his brutality as the Winter Soldier but Natasha held his hand for comfort.

**They noticed a breach in their fence as two agents went to check it out in a truck but Thor punched one out before hitting the other with the gun, knocking him out too as Jane watched via binoculars in shock.**

"And so begins the humiliation of SHIELD." Bobbi said dryly.

"Yes, that was embarrassing." Fury said.

"You kicked serious ass without your powers." Clint said, "I was there. I saw it."

"Didn't know that." Thor said.

"It's a small world." Daisy shrugged.

**Thor walked around in a hoodie as Jane backed to avoid detection and calling Erik, asked him to come by the crash site and apologized while Mjolnir hummed and it started raining, making Thor smile as he started running inside and agents ran after him.**

"Stealth isn't your strong suit, is it?" Hill asked.

"Nope." Thor and Odinson said at the same time.

"It's mine." Loki said.

**Thor ran inside and grabbing an agent, flipped him over. Another attacked from behind and threw off Thor's hoodie as Thor deflected his kick and grabbing him, threw him into the previous agent, knocking them both out.**

"Nice moves." Steve said, impressed by Thor's skills.

**Thor ran around as Coulson said he needed eyes up high with a gun. One agent moved to grab a sniper rifle but changed his mind at the last second and picked up a compound bow instead.**

"I think we all know who that is." Natasha said.

"Yup." Clint agreed.

**Bow in hand, Clint Barton ran and jumped to his vantage point as Thor jumped down some ladders and kicked an agent out.**

"Tom Cruise would be proud of that move." Tony said.

**Thor punched another agent out and kicked another out before running the other way on seeing many agents run after him. He ducked to avoid another agent and punched him down before flipping the other one down. He then grabbed the support above and leaping up, kicked another agent away.**

"And now you even used his move." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

**Barton moved up on his vantage point as Sitwell told Coulson systems were barely coping with Mjolnir's electromagnetic surge. Barton's face was revealed as he asked Coulson if he could slow Thor down or if he would send more men for him to beat up.**

Everyone clapped on seeing Clint's face.

"And Hawkeye is here." Bobbi declared.

"It's more of a cameo really." Benjamin said.

"Oh." Clint said.

"But a good one." Daisy told him.

**Thor saw Mjolnir and walked towards it with a smile when a big agent threw him down.**

"Well, he looks pissed." Fury said.

"Toughest opponent I fought as a human." Thor said.

**Thor smirked, "You're big. Fought bigger."**

"With your powers." Loki said and Thor shrugged.

"Doesn't change the fact." Odinson said.

**Thor punched the agent who punched him back a few times and tackled him outside where they both got drenched in mud as Clint aimed from above. The agent grabbed Thor in a chokehold but he elbowed him thrice, making him let go before the agent flipped him away. The two got up and Thor leapt in the air, kicking him away with both feet. He then kicked him out.**

"That was awesome!" Peter said excitedly.

**Thor walked towards Mjolnir as Clint said he was starting to root for Thor.**

"Don't blame you." Bobbi said.

**Thor looked at Mjolnir with a smile as Clint said it was the last chance and Coulson said he wanted to see this.**

"Sir had perception." Daisy said.

"That's why I recruited him." Fury told her.

**Thor then grabbed Mjolnir's handle to pick it up but to his horror, he couldn't even budge it. He grunted, trying to lift it with all his strength but failed. Looking up at the sky, Thor roared, "WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!" **

Everyone watched the scene with wide eyes, their greatest sympathies going out to Thor.

Thor and Odinson sighed sadly. True they weren't worthy back then, but it was still a huge shocker to them.

**Jane watched in shock from outside as Coulson asked the ground units to move in while Barton lowered his bow. An agent hand-cuffed Thor as several others pointed their guns at him to prevent him from making a move. He didn't even resist, just looking at Mjolnir sadly as he was lead away while Heimdall watched the scene from his observatory at Asgard.**

"Can't imagine how that would have felt." Scott said.

"And you never should." Thor said.

"How did you regain your worthiness?" Bucky asked.

"Keep watching." Odinson said.

* * *

**And chapter done. I'm on fire right now with this story. And I used another deleted scene of Frigga confronting Odin for banishing Thor. That one was so amazing.**

**[1] I personally think Vision can only lift Mjolnir because he is not 100% human. And really, counting out Infinity War, his actions don't scream "I am worthy" to me.**

**[2] Like you all know, Donald Blake is Thor's human identity in the comics as Odin put him in Donald's body after banishing him and turned Mjolnir into a cane which helps him transform on tapping. And you know Donald from my "Thunder and Steel" too.**

**[3] In a deleted scene, it was confirmed that Erik's colleague was Hank Pym.**

**[4] A reference to Scarlett Johansson's role in The Horse Whisperer where Robert Redford also starred.**

**And that's it for now.**


	20. Worthy Again

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. I can understand not liking the movie but yeah, Thor beating up the agents was awesome. Yeah, MCU Thor is a lot like the Ultimate Comics version. Glad you agree on Vision. That would be a good date. Thank you for pointing that out on Hawkeye. I actually didn't notice it was Hawkeye until Coulson called him Barton. Yes things got intense and yeah, why did they delete the scene with Frigga? Though she did leave an impression in Avengers: Endgame even if she was only in one scene. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. Glad you liked it. And yeah, that was why Steve asked first. Glad to hear it.**

**ninjarider1: Thanks for the review. It's okay you disagree but I am the author and I know best what works for my story. Thank you and I will.**

Chapter 20- Worthy Again

"What did you do before becoming worthy again?" Steve asked.

"Hung out with Erik, Jane and Darcy." Thor said.

**Erik told Jane Thor was in jail for committing a crime as she argued. Darcy pointed to "Myeuh-myeuh" in the book as Jane asked him where he had got it to which he said in the children's section to show them how sill his story was.**

"Except it wasn't." Loki smirked and everyone nodded.

**Jane pointed out how Erik told her to follow all the leads as he said he was talking about science, not magic. Jane said science was just magic they didn't understand.**

"Damn right." Fury said.

**She cited Arthur C. Clarke who wrote science fiction that was a precursor to scientific facts and that if there was an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, advanced beings could have crossed it as Darcy said a primitive culture like the Vikings could have worshipped them as Gods.**

"Now they're just harassing the poor guy." Steve said.

"They can be persistent." Thor said.

**At the SHIELD base, Coulson said how Thor made his men, some of the most highly trained professionals in the world look like a bunch of minimum wage mall cops which was hurtful.**

"And very embarrassing too." Fury said.

"Like I said, the humiliation of SHIELD." Bobbi said.

**Coulson asked Thor where he had gotten his training and who he was but got no reply due to how shocked Thor was. He said they were good at getting info but got a call so he walked off, telling Thor not to go anywhere.**

"I'm sure you would go somewhere if you weren't in so much shock." Logan said.

"Oh absolutely." Thor agreed as everyone laughed.

"SHIELD would get even more humiliated in a single day." Daisy said.

"Which is not something he would want." Hill said about Fury.

"Yes, it would make my week even worse." Fury said.

"And I wouldn't want to do that." Odinson said.

**Loki then appeared, shocking Thor.**

"Oh boy!" Sam said.

"This wasn't pretty, was it?" Storm asked.

"Nope." Thor and Odinson said at the same time as the former glared at Loki.

"Sorry." He said.

**Thor asked him why he was here, to which Loki replied their father had passed away, shocking Thor as tears fell out of his eyes.**

"Jackass." Tony said to Loki.

"I know." He said.

**Loki said how Thor's banishment and the threat of the war was too much for Odin to bear and that it was cruel to put the hammer within Thor's reach, knowing he couldn't lift it and that the burden of the throne had fallen to him now.**

"Burden?" Steve asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He is a good actor." Thor shrugged.

"Thanks." Loki said.

"I can see that." Natasha said.

**Thor asked if he could come home but Loki said the truce with Jotunheim was conditional upon his exile and mother had forbidden his return.**

"Now that I look back, I knew that was a lie." Odinson said.

"But I was too depressed to think about it." Thor said.

"I know." Loki said, "And I'm sorry."

**Loki said this was goodbye and apologized as Thor apologized too and said goodbye as Coulson returned, puzzled, saying he had just got back.**

Everyone chuckled lightly,

"He always had a good sense of humor." Daisy said with a sad but fond smile.

"He did." Bobbi agreed.

**Some scientists were working near the hammer when Loki tried to lift it with one hand but failed so he tried using both hands but it didn't even budge so he gave up.**

"Well, this is embarrassing." Loki said.

"You deserve it to be honest." Bruce told him, "After the stunt you pulled in there."

"Guess so." Loki shrugged.

"Yes, it was pretty cruel." Bucky said.

"I know." Loki sighed.

**Sitwell told Coulson Thor had a visitor who was none other than Erik Selvig, and he told Coulson the man was called Dr. Donald Blake. Coulson told him he had dangerous co-workers but he said Donald was distraught on having all of his research taken away by a big faceless organization with their jackbooted thugs. Coulson gave him a look and he said that's how Donald had put it.**

Everyone chuckled lightly.

"Big faceless organization with jackbooted thugs." Fury said, "Now that's actually hurtful."

"To be honest, their actions made them look like that to Erik, Jane and Darcy." Steve said.

**Coulson asked how he had beaten their security, to which Erik said he had been on steroids. Sitwell told Coulson the data was falsified and Coulson said their data said he was an MD. Erik said he had switched careers to become a brilliant astrophysicist. Coulson just looked at him.**

"He bought it?" Sam asked.

"Nope." Daisy said, "Sir was smart."

"Yes." Bobbi agreed, "He knew something was up."

**Later, Erik walked into the room where Thor was and calling him 'Donny', led him away. Outside, Thor discreetly picked up a book of Jane.**

"Okay, I take back what I said about stealth." Hill said, "You're decent at it."

"Perhaps." Thor told her.

**Coulson told Erik to keep Thor away from the bars and they walked off. Thor asked where they were going, to which Erik said they were going to have a drink. Coulson told two men to follow them.**

"What happened to those men?" Fury asked.

"Our friends just knocked them out when they arrived." Odinson said.

"Oh." Hill sighed.

"Unlucky agents." Loki smirked.

**Later, Thor and Erik sat in a bar as Thor told him he had it all backwards and wrong and that he didn't know what to do for the first time in his life.**

"Not a bad start actually." Pepper said.

"Yeah, sometimes that can be enlightening." Rhodes said.

"That's what he said." Thor told them.

"Well, he's a smart guy." Scott said.

**Erik said it wasn't a bad start. Thor thanked him but he said he had only done it for Jane with whose father he had taught at the university and that he had been a good man who never listened. Thor said he hadn't listened either as his father had been trying to teach him something important and he had been too stupid to see it. Erik told him he didn't know if he was delusional or a con but he cared about Jane and he had seen the way she looked at him.**

"Well, someone has seen the sparks." Hope said and everyone chuckled.

"It's rather obvious." Bruce said as Thor shook his head.

**Thor told him that he meant her no harm so Erik said he would buy him another round and then he can leave town the very same night.**

"I think we all know how that turned out." Natasha said and everyone chuckled.

**Erik got two boilermakers and poured them for both of them. Then they started drinking heavily as Erik gave Thor a look.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said in amusement.

"I share your sentiments." Benjamin told him.

"There goes the plan of you going away that night." Aunt May said with a chuckle.

**Loki arrived on Jotunheim using the Bifrost and walked marched towards Laufey who was on his throne as the Giants stood around him. He ordered the others to kill Loki but Loki revealed he had done a lot for them and Laufey realized he had shown them the way to Asgard.**

"So the beans are spilled." Clint said.

"Yes." Thor, Odinson and Loki said simultaneously.

**Loki said he had done it ruin his brother's big day and save the realm from his idiotic rule a little longer.**

"So it wasn't just a prank?" T'Challa asked.

"A bit of a prank, a bit of something for the good of the realm." Loki said.

"While your methods were too much, the realm definitely didn't need the rule of someone like me." Thor said.

"So you're basically Lord Varys." Scott said to Loki and everyone chuckled.

**Laufey decided to hear Loki, who said he would conceal him and a few more Frost Giants so they can come to Asgard and kill Odin. Laufey asked why he wouldn't do it himself, to which Loki said the Asgardians wouldn't take kindly to a king who had murdered his predecessor.**

"You planned to kill your father?" Tony asked incredulously.

"Yes." Loki said, "But not that father."

"Oh no!" Steve realized which father Loki was talking about.

"So what was the plan?" Natasha asked.

"Much worse than it looks right now." Loki said as he looked down in shame before looking at the screen.

**Loki told Laufey he could kill Odin and he would return the Casket using which Laufey could return Jotunheim to its former glory. Laufey got up and with a smile, accepted. Loki then returned to Asgard and asked him why he looked so troubled, to which he said he had turned his gaze upon Loki in Jotunheim but could neither see him nor hear him. He had been concealed like the Frost Giants that had snuck into Asgard.**

"Of course he would suspect you." Clint said.

"He was smart." Loki said.

"That's why you banished him, right?" Thor asked.

"Yes." Loki said, "That and his gaze."

**Loki told Heimdall his senses had probably dulled and asked if Odin feared his power. Heimdall said he didn't because he was his king and he was sworn to obey him. Loki reminded Heimdall he was his king now and he was sworn to obey him. Heimdall reluctantly accepted as Loki walked inside, telling him not to open the Bifrost to anyone until he had fixed the mess his brother had made.**

"You mean make it even worse." Natasha said dryly.

"Yes." Loki sighed.

"You were a huge schemer back then." Logan told him and he nodded.

"The God of lies and mischief and deception." Loki smirked.

**Jane was reading when there was a knock and she opened the door to see Thor with Erik over his shoulder. They had drank and fought and Erik had made his ancestors proud. Thor put Erik on the bed and he said in a drunken state how he still didn't believe Thor was the God of Thunder but he ought to be.**

Everyone laughed again.

"Poor Erik." Storm chuckled.

"Don't worry, I held back a lot." Odinson said.

**Thor asked Jane if these were her chambers and she said it was a temporary living situation where she never had guests. She put her cornflakes and a plate in a cabinet before realizing the plate wasn't supposed to be put there and apologizing to him, put it in the sink, asking if they could go outside.**

Everyone laughed at Jane's antics.

"Not the best social skills but understandable." Bruce said.

"I knew you would understand." Thor told him with a smile.

**The two sat outside near the fire as Jane told Thor how many times she came outside. He thanked her for her kindness and that he wasn't as grateful as she deserved but she said she had hit him with her car a few times so they were even.**

"Now that's a funny love story." Storm said and everyone laughed.

**Thor then realized he had her book and gave it to her. She was thrilled as he apologized for not getting as much as she asked for but she said she wouldn't have to start from scratch now. He asked her why she was worried and she said SHIELD would make sure her research never saw the light of the day.**

"Hey!" Fury said in offense.

"While I love Coulson, he didn't leave the best first impression." Daisy said.

"No he didn't." Bobbi agreed and Fury sighed.

"Yeah. I can understand they didn't have time to explain but he definitely didn't leave a good first impression." Steve said.

**Thor told her she shouldn't give up because she was right. Thor then took her book and drew branches around the realms, saying her ancestors called it magic while she called it science and he was from a place where they were the same.**

"Asgard is more advanced than myths give it credit for." Hill said.

"Myths were written at the time people considered it magic." Odinson said.

**He drew branches around the realms and said how the Nine Realms in the cosmos were linked by Yggdrasil the World Tree and that they saw it daily without knowing through the 'Hooble' Telescope. Jane corrected him by calling it Hubble Telescope and he acknowledged her as the two laughed.**

Everyone laughed at Thor's pronunciation.

"Still fish out of the water." Tony smirked.

"I still don't know enough about earthly customs." Thor said.

"You haven't lived here as long as I have." Odinson said.

**Thor told her the names of the realms and she listened. Later, she was asleep as Thor put a blanket around her and thanked her.**

"You're really sweet, you know that?" Wanda asked with a smile as Thor and Odinson shook their heads.

"And you really do have a scientific brain." Tony said.

**On Asgard, Volstagg was eating as an angry Fandrall berated him for eating under such circumstances and threw his plate away as Volstagg roared at him to not mistake his appetite for apathy while Sif and Hogun pulled them away.**

"Fandrall is a bit short-tempered." Steve said.

"Yes, he was the most short-tempered and reckless out of those three." Odinson said.

"And Volstagg had the best appetite." Thor said.

"Which makes him look harmless when he is far from it." Loki said.

**Hogun said they needed to find Thor as Fandrall said it was treason while Volstagg said it was suicide. Sif said Thor would do the same for them as Volstagg told her Heimdall might be watching. An Einherjar arrived, telling them Heidmall was waiting and Volstagg said they were doomed.**

"I think Heimdall has a plan." Bucky said.

"Yes, he is definitely not on your side, Prince Loki." T'Challa told him.

"You would be right." Loki said.

"Yup." Thor and Odinson said at the same time.

**Heimdall asked them if they would commit treason and break their oaths to bring Thor back and she said they would. Heimdall said it was a good thing and walked past them as he asked if he would help them. Heimdall said he was bound by honor to their king and wouldn't open the Bifrost to anyone as he walked off as Fandrall said he was complicated and Volstagg wondered what to do now.**

"So what did he do?" Peter asked.

"I think I know what he did." Steve said as he exchanged a glance with Thor.

**The four saw Heimdall had left Hofund on the Bifrost twisted and gone off, like a careless person so the Bifrost opened while Loki watched in anger.**

Everyone clapped happily.

"And he outwitted me." Loki said.

"Was he the first one?" Natasha asked.

"Yes, and you were the second." He said as everyone chuckled more.

"This guy just found a loophole. I love this guy." Tony laughed.

"Of course you like anyone who finds loopholes." Pepper said and everyone laughed.

"Yes. Those are his favorite people after you." Rhodes told her.

**Sif and the Warriors Three landed near the city as Coulson and Sitwell detected the energy reading and decided to investigate it. Erik and Darcy were sitting on their dining table as Jane made their breakfast and Thor served it to them with a smile, not finding the task beneath him this time as the two thanked him.**

"Now you look like you're adjusting." Bobbi said.

"I thought I'd have to live here, until a few minutes later." Thor said as him and Loki exchanged a look.

**The two agents watched from outside as Loki summoned the Destroyer in Asgard and told it to ensure his brother didn't return, telling it to "Destroy everything."**

"With that, you made my week worse." Fury said.

"And caused a lot of damage." Hill told him.

"I'm sorry." Loki simply said, not that it covered it which he knew.

**Sif, Fandrall, Volstagg and Hogun walked through the streets of the town as everyone shot them strange looks due to their attire.**

"Being discreet isn't the strongest suit of Asgardians, is it?" Tony asked.

"Nope." Thor, Odinson and Loki said simultaneously.

"It is in their genetics." Benjamin said and everyone chuckled.

**The two agents wondered if a Renaissance fair was in town and told base they had got Xena, Jackie Chan and Robin Hood.**

Everyone laughed almost hysterically at that.

"They forgot Gimli." Peter said about Volstagg and the laughter increased.

"Yes, Gimli if he was taller." Scott said and everyone laughed more.

**Erik told Jane her theory was beautiful but she wouldn't be able to convince the scientific community without hard evidence when there was knock and they saw Sif, Fandrall, Volstagg and Hogun standing outside as Erik dropped his mug in shock while Jane and Darcy just watched with wide eyes as they walked inside and Thor hugged them happily.**

"Now that's a reunion." Steve smiled as everyone clapped happily.

"And they have got their hard evidence." Natasha said.

**Thor said he was happy to see them but said they shouldn't have come as his father was dead because of him, which made Jane look at him in sadness. He said he must remain in exile when Sif told him his father still lived. Thor then had an expression of realization on his face.**

"And busted." Hope said again.

"That was pretty cruel." Bucky said.

"I know. I was a greedy, power-hungry bastard." Loki said, "But I am not anymore."

"No he isn't." Thor agreed and everyone nodded.

**Loki walked up to Heimdall who asked how he had gotten the Giants into Asgard as he said the Bifrost wasn't the only way and that he was blind even with all of his gifts which he no longer needed due to his treason and stripped him of his position as gatekeeper and banished him.**

"Not the best move, bub." Logan said.

"I had a backup plan." Loki said.

**Heimdall told Loki he didn't need to obey him then and was about to attack him with Hofund when Loki summoned the Casket of Ancient Winters and froze Heimdall in place, with only his eyes visible.**

"Aren't you a bastard?" Tony said as Loki sighed.

**Coulson, Sitwell, other agents and some technicians were investigating the Bifrost site when the clouds darkened. Everyone from the town walked out to see it as Darcy asked if someone else was coming. Everything shook as a cup of coffee in an agent's car fell down while the Destroyer appeared. Sitwell asked Coulson if it was Stark's but he said the guy never told him anything.**

"Because you ditched me." Tony said and everyone chuckled, "And now I want to make something like that."

"NO!" Everyone said simultaneously and he shut up.

**Coulson thought it was a human using unregistered weapons technology and asked the person to identify themselves. Some of its facial layers went up and Coulson thought he would see Stark until it fired a beam and they all avoided as it destroyed their vehicles and wounded them.**

"You almost killed my agents." Fury snarled at Loki.

"I apologize for wounding them." Loki said, "But they're alive, right?"

"They are." Hill said, "Others aren't."

Loki sighed and just didn't make eye contact as they looked at the screen.

**Sif, Fandrall, Volstagg and Hogun decided to fight as Thor said he was only a man now and needed to get the people to safety while Jane said she would help him.**

"She is brave." Steve said.

"And noble." T'Challa added.

"Why do you think my brother was attracted to her?" Loki asked and everyone chuckled.

**Thor, Erik, Jane and Darcy started evacuating the people as Sif asked the Warriors Three to keep it distracted while it fired at some more buildings, destroying them. Fandrall and Hogun threw Volstagg at the Destroyer as he roared "FOR ASGARD!" but the Destroyer smacked him away and he fell on a car.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said in shock.

"Shit!" Sam said.

"This is not going well." Scott said.

**It was about to fire at him when Sif leapt at it from above and stabbed it through the neck with her double-edged sword and it died down. Volstagg sighed in relief while Sif smirked when it started again and turning its head around, fired at her and she dropped down to avoid while it freed itself from the sword.**

"Oh no!" Bruce said as everyone watched in horror.

**The four ran as the Destroyer fired after them and Sif was thrown down. It fired again at the charging Warriors Three but they were thrown back. It continued firing around as Thor ran up to Sif and told her she had done all she can. She said she would die a warrior's death and that stories would be told of this day but he told her to live and tell those stories herself.**

"You're going to do something now." Natasha realized and Thor nodded.

**Sif gave Thor her shield and ran off as Thor told the Warriors Three to go and that he had a plan. Sif, Fandrall, Volstagg, Hogun, Erik, Jane and Darcy were about to go off when Thor threw down his shield and they all stopped to look.**

"Your plan was to die?" Aunt May asked.

"If it saved the town, yes." Thor said and everyone realized why he had become worthy.

**Thor walked towards the Destroyer as everyone wondered what he was doing. Walking closer, he said, "Brother, whatever I have done to wrong you, whatever I have done to lead you to do this, I am truly sorry. But these people are innocent. Taking their lives will gain you nothing. So take mine... and end this."**

Everyone watched in awe as they witnessed Thor's bravery.

Loki looked down in shame, not wanting to look anyone in the eye.

**The Destroyer's flames died down as it turned away but then turning around, it hit Thor hard and he was sent flying back.**

Everyone flinched hard.

"Whatever I have done to wrong you all, I am truly sorry." Loki said emotionally as tears fell out of his eyes and everyone realized that he was truly being sincere.

Thor put an arm around him for support as Loki cried, "Forgive me."

"It's okay, Loki. I forgive you." Thor said as everyone watched the scene emotionally.

**Thor fell down wounded as Jane ran towards him and he told her it was over and she was safe. She said they would be all right but Thor closed his eyes and she wept over him as everyone watched the scene sadly.**

Everyone watched sadly as Peter, Wanda, Aunt May and Pepper sniffed again. Loki too because of what he had done.

**The Destroyer walked away as Loki walked to his throne while a tear fell out of the sleeping Odin's eye.**

Thor and Odinson watched that scene with heavy sighs as they knew their father did care for them in spite of having banished them.

**That was when the hammer's pressure started spiking as Odin was seen saying in a flashback, "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor."**

"Oh boy!" Sam said as everyone watched in anticipation.

"It appears your power is about to return." Vision said.

"This is it." Benjamin said.

"My return." Odinson said.

"Glorious one." Thor said.

**Mjolnir flew off and towards where Thor lay as Erik saw it and pulled the protesting Jane away. Thor's hand caught Mjolnir as lightning flashed in the entire area. Sif and the Warriors Three looked at the scene happily as the Destroyer turned around.**

"YES!" Peter cheered happily as everyone clapped at the scene.

"YOU GUYS ARE SO SCREWED NOW!" Bruce roared while clapping.

"I am." Loki said as everyone continued clapping.

**Thor stood in the middle of the lightning with Mjolnir raised as Jane said, "Oh! My! God!" The Destroyer fired at him but he threw his hammer and its beam was thrown in a random direction before the hammer hit it again, making it fall down. Thor was revealed standing in his full battle armor and cape as Jane smiled happily.**

"KICK HIS ASS!" Rhodes yelled.

"Turn it into scraps!" Tony said and everyone laughed.

**Thor summoned a powerful tornado as the others moved away while the Destroyer was lifted into the air along with several cars that hit it. Thor twirled Mjolnir in the air and deflected two beams fired at himself before blocking a third and flying towards the machine. Then there was an explosion and the Destroyer fell down along with the cars as the winds died down and Thor walked out of the cleared dust.**

Everyone clapped happily again.

"Now it's time for the real thing." Sam said.

"Your weather control is even better than mine." Storm said.

"Don't be offended." Thor and Odinson shrugged.

"That was awesome!" Peter said.

"It was." Daisy agreed.

"And now the true colors are revealed." Bobbi said.

**Jane asked if this is how Thor looked and he said it was as she said it was a good look. Thor said they needed to go to the Bifrost and he would have words with his brother. That was when Coulson arrived and told Donald he hadn't been completely honest with him.**

"No sir he wasn't." Daisy said and everyone chuckled.

**Thor said they both wanted to protect the realm and he was their ally if he returned the items he had taken from Jane. She said he had stolen them but Coulson said they had borrowed the items and she could have her equipment back to continue her research.**

"We borrowed it." Fury said.

"Could have told her." Hope told him.

"No time." Hill sighed.

**Thor then asked Jane if she would like to see the bridge he had told her of and she agreed as he held her with his left arm and lifted her off the ground, startling her as she flew off while Coulson said he hadn't debriefed him.**

"About the Avengers Initiative?" Thor asked.

"Damn right." Fury said.

"You lifting her up like that was sweet." Scott said and everyone chuckled.

**At Asgard, Loki took Gungnir out of the device as Laufey and several Frost Giants stood there. He welcomed them to Asgard as they walked past the frozen Heimdall and two Giants stood guard near him and he grunted, cracking the ice.**

"You underestimated him." Steve said.

"I did." Loki agreed, "And it's a good thing."

"Let's finish this up." Benjamin said.

* * *

**And the next chapter will finish up this movie.**

**The scene where Thor fought the Destroyer was awesome, even if the Destroyer was nerfed in the MCU.**


	21. Battle of Brothers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And I'm so happy that Thor 4 is official with Taika Waititi returning to direct. I loved Thor: Ragnarok so this movie already has me excited. And I hope Beta Ray Bill shows up, though I wonder what weapon he will use considering Thor got Stormbreaker. Maybe Jarjborn can be made magical in the MCU. And I hope we get to see characters like Mangog, Gorr the God Butcher and Jormungandr the World Serpent. Who would have thought Thor would get a fourth movie considering his franchise was the weakest out of Cap, Iron Man and Thor?**

**But he is getting one in Phase 4 because of how awesome he was in Ragnarok and Infinity War and I am so happy. When I started the viewing of Thor, I said how Jason Aaron should be kept away from Thor. Now I will just say that keep Taika Waititi closer to MCU Thor for a long time.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Also, I heard of Loki being brainwashed but I think it's a load of crap to please the fanboys and fangirls of Loki. Really, something like that ruins his character arc for me. I think the Mind Stone did make him a little more unstable and sadistic than before but he was in control of himself. That would make his redemption carry a lot of weight. He actually turns from good guy to bad guy to good guy. So I won't be doing that brainwashed thing here. So Loki was in control of himself but like I said, he redeemed himself later. That's a great character arc for him.**

**Jason Hunter: No spoilers. And can you please stop posting reviews that are not about the story? At this point I am pissed really, no matter what your intentions were when posting them. If you want to have a chat, make an account and message me.**

Chapter 21- Battle of Brothers

"Now we're going to see a battle between you two?" T'Challa asked Thor and Loki.

"Yes." Thor said, "Unfortunately."

"I am not very proud of my actions." Loki sighed.

"I know." Odinson said.

**Sif, Fandrall, Volstagg, Hogun, Erik and Darcy reached the Bifrost site in Erik's van while Thor flew down there with Jane, asking Heimdall to open it. The frozen Heimdall roared as the ice cracked more.**

"Good thing you underestimated the guy." Tony said dryly.

"Yeah, saved the Nine Realms a lot of trouble." Storm said.

"Many things happen for reason, I guess." Logan said.

**Thor continued calling out to him as the others walked closer when Heimdall broke free and swiftly dispatched the two Giants before twisting Hofund, opening the Bifrost.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

"Thank God for Heimdall." Steve said.

"Good thing he recovered when he did." Natasha agreed.

**Thor and the others watched as the Bifrost came down. Thor told Jane he was going back to Asgard for now but he will return to her. Kissing her hand, he asked, "Deal?" She pulled him into a deep passionate kiss.**

Everyone clapped and cheered at the scene.

"Finally!" Scott laughed.

"Looks like you kids love shipping." Pepper said and everyone chuckled.

"Yeah, Scott's a kid at heart." Hope said and he gave her a mock glare, "I dig it."

Everyone laughed more.

"Well, glad I managed to entertain." Thor said with a laugh.

"You still do." Benjamin said as Odinson chuckled.

**The two pulled away and Jane said, "Deal." Thor, Sif, Fandrall, Volstagg and Hogun then walked into the Bifrost and reached Asgard, where Thor told his friends to get Heimdall to the healing room and leave Loki to him. The door to Odin's bedchambers froze and broke down as a Frost Giant walked inside. Frigga dispatched him effortlessly but Laufey had been behind the Giant, waiting to strike at the right moment. Before Frigga could even react, he knocked her down.**

"Bastard." Thor snarled.

"Oh don't worry. I took care of him." Loki sighed, "Though I'm not very proud of what I did during this time."

"I know." Odinson sighed.

"So what is your plan exactly?" Pepper asked.

"Keep watching." Bobbi said.

**As Thor flew towards the palace, Laufey opened Odin's eye and said how he had heard Odin could sense everything transpiring around him. "I hope it's true." Laufey said as he brandished an ice dagger, "So that you may know, your death came at the hand….of Laufey." Just before he could bring it down, a blast hit him and he was sent flying off. It was Loki. "And your death came by the son of Odin." Loki said as Laufey watched in horror and betrayal before he fired another blast from Gungnir, disintegrating Laufey.**

"Once again proving yourself to be a two-faced traitor huh." Fury said dryly.

"No wonder you played us all against us." Hill said.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Loki said dryly.

"So you two are going to fight now?" Peter asked.

"Yes they are." Daisy said before they could reply, "And it won't be pretty."

"I can only imagine." Aunt May said.

"I can relate." T'Challa said, "A little."

**Frigga hugged Loki for saving Odin as he said the Frost Giants will pay when Thor arrived. An overjoyed Frigga hugged him as he glared at Loki, daring him to tell the truth that he had sent the Destroyer to kill him and his friends, shocking Frigga.**

"Busted." Hope smirked.

"I think it is your favorite word." Scott said and she chuckled.

"Yeah, she has said it a lot." Bucky agreed.

"By my calculations, she has only used it four times." Vision said.

"Wow you must be really fun at parties." Sam said dryly and everyone laughed.

"What do you see in this guy, Wanda?" Rhodes asked her dryly before saying to Vision, "No offense."

"None taken, Colonel." Vision said.

Wanda suddenly realized she didn't have an answer to the question.

"I have no idea." She sighed. What no one knew was that this one joke question had made her start thinking about her relationship with Vision more deeply.

"Now we're going to fight." Loki said.

"Don't worry, I have forgiven you." Thor said.

"Yes I have." Odinson said.

"Doesn't mean it's easy to watch." Loki said and Thor put a hand on his shoulder to provide support.

**Loki tried to lie, saying the Destroyer was enforcing Odin's last command but Thor was having none of it.**

"Still trying to lie to save your ass huh." Bruce said and Loki sighed.

"It's what I do." Loki said.

"You play the game really well." Scott said and everyone chuckled again.

"Yes, you were a two faced traitor so you played the game really well." Fury agreed and everyone chuckled.

"I did, didn't I?" He said dryly.

**Loki said he had to destroy Jotunheim and blasted Thor with Gungnir, sending him flying out as he rode towards Heimdall's Observatory.**

"So that was your plan?" Natasha asked.

"Yes." Loki said.

"Have the Giants try to kill Odin, then betray and kill them instead before using it as an excuse to destroy Jotunheim." Steve realized and everyone paled.

"You were one sick bastard, you know that?" Daisy asked and he shook his head.

"I was." Loki said, "I am not anymore."

"We know you are not anymore." Bobbi said.

"Must be hard to watch." Logan said.

"Very." He told him.

"Don't worry, we're watching it with you." Thor said.

**Loki used Gungnir to open the Bifrost again before using the Casket's power to freeze its powers, directing them at Jotunheim as Thor flew and stopped near him. Loki told him he couldn't stop it as the Frost Giants ran around on Jotunheim in fear while their lands were destroyed. Erik, Jane and Darcy watched the Bifrost in action from Earth in horror.**

"Oh no!" Steve said in horror.

"They're dying like flies hit by a spray." Wanda said.

"What did I do?" Loki said in shame as he saw them running for their lives. While they weren't a benevolent race, they didn't deserve to be wiped out like this.

"You were too blind to see you were wrong." Thor told him.

"I was." He agreed.

"And you thought this was the right thing to do when it wasn't." Odinson said.

"Yes. And I am truly sorry for everything I have done." He said in shame.

"Sorry won't be enough, bub." Logan told him, "But you will have to prove yourself when we send you lot back."

"I will." He said sincerely.

**Thor tried to smash the ice but Loki blasted him away with Gungnir. Thor asked why he was doing this and he said he was doing this to prove he was the worthy son. When Odin would wake, Loki would have saved his life and destroyed the race of monsters, which will make him true heir to the throne. "You can't kill an entire race!" Thor told him. Loki asked why Thor had such newfound love for the Frost Giants as he could have killed them all with his bare hands.**

"It is called empathy." Thor said and Loki nodded.

"We hope you're learning something." Daisy said and he nodded.

"Yes. I am." Loki said.

**Thor said he had changed and Loki said he had too before striking Thor's face, asking him to fight. When Thor didn't, Loki hit him again and he was sent back.**

"Why aren't you fighting him?" Peter asked.

"Because he is his brother." Aunt May said.

"And even if he has betrayed them all, he still cares about his brother." Wanda said and Peter nodded.

**Thor started getting up as Loki said he never wanted the throne. He only wanted to be Thor's equal. "I will not fight you, brother!" Thor said. "I'm not your brother. I never was." Loki snarled. "Loki, this is madness!" Thor said. "Is it madness?" Loki asked, "Is it? Is it?" He asked Thor if the woman on Earth had turned him soft. Seeing his expression, he realized she had and said after this was over, he would pay her a visit himself.**

"Bad idea, bub." Logan said.

"Real power if full of them." Fury said dryly.

"THIS-IS-ASGARD!" Scott said in reference to 300 due to Thor's 'this is madness' line, only to see everyone glaring at him.

"Just trying to lighten the mood." He said, "You know what? I'm not here. Look at the screen."

Everyone turned back to the screen.

**Thor and Loki leapt at each other and he pinned Loki down before being kicked away. Loki tried to bring Gungnir down on him but he tripped him before trying to hit him with Mjolnir but Loki blocked with Gungnir and kicked him away. Mjolnir and Gungnir clashed twice before Loki pushed Thor down and leapt at him with the raised Gungnir before Thor blocked with Mjolnir.**

"Oh no!" Aunt May said in shock.

"How did you stop the Bifrost?" Pepper asked.

"Keep watching." Thor, Loki, Odinson, Benjamin, Logan, Storm, Bobbi and Daisy said simultaneously, causing them all to chuckle a little in spite of the situation.

"Now that's how you lighten the mood." Hope told Scott and they both chuckled.

**Thor tried to hit Loki but he avoided before using Gungnir as a lever, kicking Thor away with a laugh. Their weapons clashed again before Thor elbowed Loki and threw him off. Loki tried to fire a blast from Gungnir as Thor leapt at him and both crashed out of the Observatory onto the Bifrost and Loki rolled over the bridge, clinging to the edge, begging Thor to save him. As Thor tried to save him, he disappeared, revealing himself to be an illusion as the real Loki hit Thor from behind with a blast from Gungnir at point blank range, sending him down.**

"Are you ever not going to fall for that?" Loki asked dryly.

"I didn't the last time you did it." Thor said and Loki's smirk vanished.

"Always nice to one up you." Odinson said with a smirk.

"Always nice to see it happening." Fury said dryly.

"You should have been there when I one-upped him." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

"I am sure we will see that." Loki said.

"We will." Benjamin said.

"Awesome." Tony said.

**Many Lokis appeared as Thor roared, "Enough!" He slammed Mjolnir down and the impact sent the real Loki flying off as the illusions disappeared. To prevent Loki from getting up, Thor put Mjolnir on him. Loki tried to get up but couldn't due to the hammer on him.**

"Oh boy!" Natasha said, failing to suppress her chuckle in spite of the situation.

"And that is why Thor is smarter than people give him credit for." Bruce said.

"I know." Daisy said.

"Yes, you have brains." Bobbi said too.

"Thanks." Thor and Odinson said simultaneously.

"This is embarrassing." Loki said and everyone chuckled at him.

**Thor moved towards the observatory as Loki said he couldn't stop it. Seeing no other choice, Thor summoned Mjolnir to him and started smashing the Bifrost while Odin's eye opened.**

"And that's the moment the old man wakes up." Tony said dryly.

"You both were creating a huge ruckus." T'Challa said dryly.

"Why did you decide to destroy the Bifrost?" Vision asked.

"Because that's what heroes do." Thor said as him and Odinson shared a look.

**Loki told Thor he would never see Jane again if he destroyed the Bifrost.**

"Low blow Reindeer Games." Tony said.

"Well what do you expect?" Loki sighed.

"**Forgive me, Jane." Thor said as he leapt at the Bifrost with Mjolnir raised as Loki leapt at him with Gungnir but Thor smashed the Bifrost hard with Mjolnor, destroying it as an explosion of light engulfed the space around Asgard while Heimdall's Observatory died down.**

"Oh boy!" Steve said.

"This is something." Bucky said.

**Thor and Loki were both falling as Gungnir found itself in Thor's hand while Loki grabbed it to save himself and Odin grabbed Thor's leg.**

"Just in time." Storm said.

"Yup." Odinson agreed.

**Loki told Odin how he could have done it for all of them but Odin simply said, "No Loki." Loki looked at them both and in spite of Thor's protests, let Gungnir go as Thor screamed, "NOOOOOOOO!"**

Thor and Odinson turned away from the screen with sadness in their eyes as Loki said, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, bub." Logan said as he put a hand on Odinson's shoulder, "He knows he was wrong."

"I know." Odinson said.

"Doesn't make it easier to watch." Steve said with sympathy.

**Loki fell into an abyss, being sucked in by the wormhole created by the Bifrost's destruction as Thor and Odin watched in despair.**

"I'm sorry." Steve said to them all and they nodded in acknowledgement.

"I don't even know what to say about this." Wanda said.

"Let's just say our family is…..complicated." Thor said.

"That doesn't even begin to cover it." Rhodes said.

"Damn right." Fury said.

**On Earth- Erik, Jane and Darcy watched sadly as the Bifrost was gone. Erik and Darcy walked back towards the van. Jane looked down sadly and walked back too.**

"Heartbreaker." Tony said and Pepper smacked his arm.

"Be nice." She said.

"I know." Thor sighed.

"Love is a complicated thing." Bruce told him.

"Yes." Steve agreed.

**Days later, there was a feast on Asgard as Volstagg narrated how he had laid the Destroyer low and everyone laughed while Fandrall said he had fallen on his ass.**

Everyone laughed at Volstagg's tale.

"He is a good story-teller." Steve said.

"Just wait till you meet Luis." Scott said and Hope started laughing.

"I miss him." Thor said, "I miss all of them."

"Me too." Loki said.

"I wish we could change everything but alas." Odinson said.

**Thor walked past the table as Sif watched him in concern. Thor exchanged a loving look with his mother as they held hands before moving away as Sif walked up to Frigga and apologized for her loss. Frigga patted Sif's shoulder as she inquired about Thor. Frigga said Thor mourned for Loki and missed the mortal.**

"You know, it's not my place to say, but I think she is into you." Daisy said as Thor's eyes widened.

"Yes, it has been years and now I realize she had feelings for me all the time." Odinson said.

"Oh no!" Thor said with a wide eye as everyone chuckled at his expression.

"Oh she absolutely had a thing for you, brother." Loki said, "I still can't believe you failed to see it."

"I am dumb." Thor realized.

"No. Just not the smartest." Bruce said and everyone chuckled.

"It's never too late." Bobbi said.

"She is right." Odinson said and Thor considered.

**Thor walked up to Odin who told him he would be a wise king but Thor said there would never be a wiser king than Odin or a better father and he would make him proud. Odin turned around and putting a hand on Thor's shoulder, told him he already had.**

"You were brave and selfless, Thor." Steve said and he nodded in appreciation.

"That is high praise coming from you, Captain." Thor said.

"If the Bifrost is destroyed, how did you return to Earth a year later?" Clint asked.

"Father used dark magic to send me." Odinson said.

**Thor walked up to Heimdall, asking if Earth was lost to them as he said there was always hope. Thor asked if he could see her, to which he chuckled and replied yes.**

"That's like asking me if I'm a good archer." Clint said.

"Or asking me if I'm good with tech." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

**On Earth- Erik, Jane and Darcy were shown working as Thor asked how she was and Heimdall said she searched for him. Jane looked up and smiled and at the same time, Thor smiled. The screen went black.**

"What a coincidence." Tony said.

"Love works in strange ways." Aunt May said.

"All right, one more scene before this ends." Benjamin said.

"Let's see what that's about." Loki said.

**Erik walked around in a SHIELD facility as a familiar voice called out to him.**

"Look who it is." Hill said cheerfully.

"And you were accusing me of invading other people's recordings." Tony said dryly and everyone chuckled.

"Yeah, I know. I'm a hypocrite." Fury said with a chuckle.

"So we are watching this." Loki realized.

"I guess you had something to do with this." Thor said.

"Yup." Loki said.

**Erik realized Fury was the one behind all of this and said the place was like a labyrinth, joking that he had thought he had been brought down there to be killed. Fury said he had heard about the New Mexico situation and Erik's work had impressed a lot of people smarter than him. Erik said he had a lot to work with, including the Foster Theory.**

"They named a theory after her?" Bucky asked in shock.

"Yes." Thor and Odinson said at the same time with pride.

"Best way to put a mark on the scientific community, have a theory named after you." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

"I wish I could do that." Peter said.

"You will, Peter, one day." Aunt May said before looking at Benjamin, "Has anything like that happened?"

"Not yet. Sorry." Benjamin said and she shook her head.

"**Legend tells us one thing, history another. But every now and then, we find something that belongs to both." Fury said as he opened a box to reveal a glowing cube inside it as Erik watched with wide eyes.**

"Oh boy!" Bucky said.

"So this is what it was about." Natasha said.

"Yes, Agent Romanoff." Fury said.

"I remember that." Clint said.

"Of course you would." Hill told him.

"The Teserract." Steve breathed.

"A pain in our ass." Tony said.

"Yes it really was." Thor agreed.

"Sorry." Loki said.

"Well, we did do something about it in the end." Bruce said.

"Yup." Tony said.

**Erik asked what it was and Fury said it was unlimited power if they figured out how to tap it. That was when Loki's reflection was seen in the mirror alongside Erik.**

"What?" Pepper asked in shock.

"Yes, it's me." Loki said.

"Oh boy!" Scott said as he shook his head.

"**Well, I guess that's worth a look." Loki smirked. "Well, I guess that's worth a look." Erik smiled.**

"So you're influencing him already?" Hope asked and Loki nodded.

"And that is the end of this." Logan said.

"So next is…." Daisy trailed off.

"Captain America!" Bobbi said with a smile.

"Yes!" Daisy said before turning to Steve, "I'm a huge fan."

"Thank you." He said, feeling flattered.

"So now it's time for you to shine, huh." Tony said.

"We need to see that." Fury said.

"Yup. Can't wait." Hill said.

"I guess I am in it too." Bucky said.

"You are." Storm said.

"So are you in it too?" Tony asked Logan.

"Nope." Logan said, "We cut out my part because it made it too long."

"Oh!" Peter said.

"I want to see it." Scott said.

"Of course you do." Hope said as everyone chuckled.

"Well." Benjamin said, "Let's get started."

* * *

**And now it's time for Captain America: The First Avenger, a very great movie, though still the weakest of the Cap Trilogy. But that's because the other two were a lot better.**

**See you all next time with the first chapter of the Star Spangled Man with a Plan.**


	22. The kid from Brooklyn

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize.**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoyed. Thank you for tipping your imaginary hat to me. I think the last time we saw all the Avengers on-screen and happy together was the party in Age of Ultron. Yeah, I get that on Loki so in The Avengers, he will show more backbone except during Coulson's death. Glad you loved Scott's line and thank you for pointing it out. You will see the reactions. I liked the first movie too. It was great. Enjoy.**

**Jason Hunter: Apology accepted and please refrain from doing so again. If you want to chat, do it while also talking about the story. Yes it would have hurt Thor. Enjoy.**

Chapter 22- The kid from Brooklyn

"I really wanted to see something like this." Natasha said with an evil smirk.

"I feel so embarrassed already." Steve said.

"Well, prepare to be more embarrassed, Cap." Benjamin said and everyone chuckled.

"Yeah, and they cut of my part, so you can't even look cool." Logan said and the laughter increased.

"And I don't have my long hair in this, so you lose all your chances of looking cool." Bucky said and there was even more laughter while Steve shook his head.

"Don't listen to them, Captain." Daisy said, "I found it very inspiring."

"Thank you." Steve nodded.

"I am sure it will be." Sam said.

"It was." Bobbi said, "And a little funny too."

"I can only imagine." Tony said, "I want to see it."

"Yes, of course you do." Storm said.

"Well, without further ado." Odinson said and the recording was started.

**A truck drove through a frozen wasteland as it stopped near a man and two men walked out. The man asked if they were from Washington and they said they were as it was revealed something had been hauled out 18 hours ago. The guys from Washington wondered why no one had spotted it before as the man said it was probably a weather balloon.**

"It's definitely not that." Natasha said, having put two and two together.

"Where is this happening?" Tony asked.

Fury and Hill exchanged a glance.

**The three decided one hell of a crane was needed to do the job as something large loomed up through the mist, surrounded by many men as one of them stood over it and shined a flashlight over it, revealing what it was.**

"Oh my God!" Steve said as his eyes widened.

"Is that…." Sam started.

"The Valkyrie." Bucky finished.

"The Valkyrie?" Thor questioned in confusion, "They were an elite warrior unit of Asgard comprised solely of women."

"No, not that Valkyrie." Odinson said.

"What is Valkyrie then?" Peter asked.

"The Hydra plane where they found Cap." Clint said.

Loki started, "And I'm guessing they named their plane after the Valkyrie unit because-"

"Their leader believed he walked in the footsteps of the Norse Gods." Fury said.

"And he wanted their power." Hill told them.

"Must be very crazy." Thor said.

"Yes he was." Natasha said.

"And Hydra wanted to impose their rule all over the world." Steve said.

Bobbi and Daisy exchanged a look, deciding to tell them about Hydra's true goal later.

**The men drilled their way inside the great plane and two had lowered themselves inside. They searched the space which was covered in a thick layer of snow. One of them saw something colorful through the ice and called the other as they looked at it carefully. The other one was shocked and called a man known as Bates, asking him to call the Colonel, not caring what time it is as this one had waited long enough. They looked at the thing in the ice. Captain America's shield.**

Tony watched with wide eyes.

"Oh boy!" Scott said in excitement.

"Your shield!" Bruce said.

"Which means you won't be far off." Aunt May said.

"Nope." Steve agreed, "So they're fishing me out huh."

"Yes, Captain." Fury said.

"I always wondered what that would have been like." Peter said.

"Now you will see." Benjamin told him.

**Tonsberg, Norway was shown in 1942.**

"Isn't that where your father fought the Frost Giants?" Wanda asked Thor.

"Yes, he did." Thor said.

"I remember our father once brought us there." Loki said.

"And that is why you are worshipped as deities." Vision said in realization and they nodded.

"A lot is being revealed today." Aunt May commented.

"Tell me about it." Hope said.

**A very old church was shown as a man ran inside, telling an older man that they had come for it in full force.**

"Is it just me or does the guy look like Argus Filch?" Peter asked as he pointed at the old man.

"Which would mean he looks like Walder Frey too." Scott said. [1]

"It's not just you." Tony said.

"Uncanny resemblance." Rhodes said.

"I wonder if I could join Hogwarts." Wanda muttered.

"I think Hogwarts is nothing compared to you really." Storm told her.

"Yeah, you are far more powerful than that universe." Clint said.

"Let us focus." Benjamin said.

**That was when a great block of stone barged through the door, shattering it as the younger man fell down with debris falling on top of him. The old man removed a piece of debris to see him lying dead.**

"Oh no!" Aunt May said as she covered her mouth with her hand.

**Outside the church, a man pulled up beside a great tank in a black '40s motorcar on which sat a medallion which was a symbol of a skull with tentacles.**

"Hydra!" Daisy snarled as she glared at the symbol with hatred, remembering the face of the one after whom the symbol had been modelled.

"Attacking a small village. What a bunch of sadists." Steve snarled angrily.

"Bunch of self-righteous morons." Tony said.

**The man walked inside as his men tried to open a coffin while he walked inside. His face slowly came into view as he said how this place had taken him a long time to find and that the old man should be commended.**

"Schmidt." Steve snarled as he stared at the screen with hatred.

"With the mask." Bucky added.

"So that's the guy." Bruce said.

"Yup." Steve and Bucky said simultaneously.

"Hydra's leader during World War II." Bobbi said.

**Schmidt told him men to help the old man up. They did as he said the old man had a great vision so the two of them were alike.**

"Does he have to praise himself every other sentence?" Scott asked.

"Classic villain behavior." Sam said.

"Especially when it is Hydra's head." Natasha said.

"Yeah, he always did stuff like that based on what I have heard." Fury said.

**The old man said how he was nothing like Schmidt as he agreed and said what the others thought of as superstition, the two of them knew it to be science.**

"Of course." Thor said.

**The old man said what Schmidt wanted was just a legend but he asked if it was, then why they had tried to conceal it. He took off his hat and gave it to his man before shoving aside the lid of the coffin, revealing a skeleton clutching a cube in its decayed hands. Schmidt picked up the 'Teserract', saying how it was the jewel of Odin's treasure room, before shattering it.**

"Is that it?" Peter asked.

"No. It is not the real one." Thor said.

"Yeah, it looks too plain." Clint said.

"And it broke." Tony added.

"Yup. The last time we saw it, it wasn't." Natasha said.

"And did he just say jewel of Odin's treasure room?" Aunt May asked.

"Yes. Father kept it in his treasure room as a prized possession." Thor said.

"And later, he gave it to devotees of Asgard for safekeeping." Loki said.

"Until Hydra found it." Odinson sighed.

"So wait, when you had both the Scepter and the Cube-" Hill started to Loki.

"You were in possession of two Infinity Stones simultaneously." Vision said.

"Oh shit!" Bruce said.

"Is that why you were refusing to listen to reason?" Thor asked.

"I don't know brother." Loki sighed, "But I did feel a little off."

"What was it?" Wanda asked.

"Well, normally I would never threaten people I don't know intimately." Loki said as he glanced at Natasha, "And I wouldn't enjoy ripping out a man's eye."

"Oh, that!" Clint sighed.

Daisy started, "So you weren't in cont-"

"Oh no!" Loki said, "I was in control of myself. But I feel I was a bit more unstable and sadistic than usual."

"You were being affected by both the stones together." Bobbi realized and he nodded.

"Well, I am sane now." Loki smirked, "As sane as I can be." [2]

**Schmidt said something like that wouldn't be buried even if the replica was a good one. The old man said he couldn't help him but Schmidt said he could help his village as people he cared about would be in it and he didn't need to kill them.**

"You bastard!" Tony snarled angrily.

"Showing power over people who don't have it." Steve said.

**As a tank rolled up outside, the old man looked at a nearby engraving as Schmidt turned to it. It was Yggdrasil, tree of the worlds, Guardian of wisdom and fate. Schmidt touched the engraving.**

"And now he has defiled it by touching it with his filthy hands." Thor snarled.

**Schmidt pushed an eye on a small serpent and a small drawer sprang out as he looked at it triumphantly.**

"That is not a good job of hiding something." Natasha said.

"I don't think they were expecting the Red Skull himself." Hope pointed out.

**He opened the lid as a bright, dazzling blue light shone upon his face.**

"The Teserract." Bucky breathed.

**Schmidt commented how the Fuhrer looked for trinkets in the desert.**

"What can you find in a desert?" Fury asked.

"A hammer maybe." Hill said as Thor and Odinson chuckled.

"Or a long-lost billionaire." Tony said and everyone laughed.

"Now that was a good one." Rhodes said.

**The old man said how it was not for normal men to look upon and Schmidt agreed as he closed the lid, asking his men to open fire.**

"What the hell?" Pepper said angrily.

"He is a rat bastard." Logan said, "His words mean a rat's ass to me."

**The old man called him fool and said he would burn as Schmidt said he already had and shot him in the chest, killing him.**

"Oh no!" Aunt May said in horror.

"And the Teserract burnt him again." Steve said in anger.

"Yes it did." Odinson said as he shared a look with the others.

**He then adjusted his face as there was blood on his pin.**

"Is that his face dripping?" Natasha asked in disgust.

"Yes." Steve and Bucky said simultaneously.

"That's really gross." Scott said.

**The scene changed as many shirtless men were shown being called.**

"Here we go." Steve sighed.

**The name "Rogers, Steven" was called out as a frail, short, sickly man put away his newspaper, revealing the face of Steve Rogers.**

"Oh my God!" Natasha said.

"Punk." Bucky said and Steve smirked.

"Really?" Tony muttered.

"That's you?!" Thor asked incredulously.

"I didn't expect you had it this bad!" Wanda said.

"I can't believe it!" Peter said with a wide jaw.

"Long story." Steve sighed.

**The soldier next to Steve said how stuff made them think twice about enlisting.**

"No." Bucky said.

"Of course not." Fury said.

"**Nope." Steve said as he stood in a line and the man in the platform called out his name. He looked at his thin frame and asked how his parents had died. Steve said his father, who had been in the 107****th**** Infantry, had died of mustard gas, while his mother, who had been a nurse in the TB Ward, had been hit by the disease.**

Everyone looked at Steve in sympathy.

"I'm sorry, Cap." Tony said as Steve nodded in appreciation.

"You wanted to honor them." Thor realized.

"Yes. And also to defend my country." Steve said.

Wanda wondered how a man like Steve, who himself had been in pain for such a long time, could take care of his friends while putting aside his own personal feelings.

**The man looked at Steve's many ailments on his form and apologized. Steve asked for a chance but he said he was ineligible due to his asthma alone. Steve asked if he could do anything and the man said he was saving his life as he stamped a '4F' on his form.**

"Bummer." Scott said.

"With all due respect, how did you think you were going to enlist with all of those ailments?" Bruce asked.

"There are even visual standards." Clint said.

"One can hope." Steve said.

"No one can hope more than you." Bucky said and both chuckled.

**Later, a black-and-white screen appeared in a movie theater as a voice-over said how war continued to ravage Europe while the Nazi flag was shown and then soldiers marching in formation were shown as the voice-over said how every able-bodied man was being called to serve and even children like little Timmy were doing their part by collecting scraps. **

"Awww." Rhodes said.

"He is so sweet." Aunt May said as she patted Peter's shoulder, reminded of him when he was very little.

**A man said he didn't care and to start the movie as everyone glared at him and Steve asked him to show some respect.**

"What the hell?" Sam asked angrily.

"Jackass." Tony said.

"The man is disrespectful of his own fellow countrymen who are risking their lives so he can live." Thor said.

"Ungrateful bastard." Loki said.

"A bully." Steve told him.

**The announcer commended the brave boys as he said to start the cartoon and everyone glared at him again as Steve asked him to shut up. That moment, the man got up and looked at Steve threateningly.**

"Uh-oh." Natasha said.

"Well, that isn't good." Sam said.

"Nope. Steve is dumb." Bucky said and everyone chuckled as Steve shook his head.

"He was being a jerk." Steve said.

"Yeah, he is a coward asshole." Logan snarled.

"Noble gesture Captain, and I am sure everyone appreciated it." T'Challa said.

"Thank you." Steve said.

"I think you did a great thing." Daisy told him.

"It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay." Scott said, "Small acts of kindness and love."

"Hobbit reference." Hope realized.

"Yup. It just fit." Scott said.

"It did." Benjamin told him.

"I appreciate your gesture to, Captain." Thor told him.

**Later, the man was beating Steve in the alley as he fell down all the time.**

"I can't believe Captain America went through the same thing as me." Peter said as he watched the screen while Aunt May patted his head.

"Yeah, I didn't either at first." Benjamin said.

**Steve then picked up a trashcan lid and held it as a shield.**

"Look, the prototype shield!" Tony joked.

"I am practicing my hold." Steve joked too.

**The man threw the lid aside and punched Steve down again. Steve staggered up to his feet and prepared to fight again as the man said, "You just don't know when to give up, do you?" With determination on his face, Steve said, "I can do this all day."**

"Of course you can." Tony grumbled.

"Yup." Bucky agreed.

"You have no idea what he was about to do all day a few years from your time." Storm said as she remembered seeing him ready to fight Thanos' army alone during the Battle of Earth.

Everyone wondered what she was talking about.

"Cap is one immovable object." Logan said.

**That was when a man grabbed the bully, telling him to pick on someone his own size. The idiot swung at him but he boxed his ear before literally kicking his ass, sending him off.**

"Look who it is!" Sam said.

"Hi Bucky!" Natasha said as Bucky smiled and everyone except Tony clapped.

"Go Bucky!" Peter cheered.

"Punk got a nice lesson." Logan said.

**Bucky joked how Steve loved getting punched as he said he had the bully on the ropes.**

"We can see that." T'Challa said dryly.

**Bucky looked at the new form, wondering how many times this was and saw Steve had given his hometown as Params. He told him it was illegal to lie on the enlistment form.**

"Whatever it takes." Steve said.

"Nothing could do that." Natasha said.

**Steve then saw Bucky's uniform and asked if he had got his orders. Bucky said he was Sergeant James Barnes of the 107****th****, shipping out for England the next day.**

"107th? Wow!" Rhodes said.

"Thanks." Bucky sighed.

**Steve said he should be going as Bucky pulled him away, saying it was their last night in the city and they were going to 'the future' and handed him a newspaper which had the caption- "1943: The World Exposition of Tomorrow."**

"Stark Expo." Pepper realized.

"Well, looks like we'll be seeing some stuff after all." Tony joked.

**The globe was then shown as Steve and Bucky strolled the grounds. Bucky wondered what the problem was as Steve was going to be the last eligible man in New York with 3 and a half million women as Steve said he would settle for just one.**

"You couldn't get even one girlfriend?" Tony asked.

"Look at me." Steve said.

"We are." Natasha said.

"The Serum didn't change your face, Captain." Bobbi said.

"Yeah, your face looks good." Daisy agreed.

"Don't tell me some women in 1940's were that shallow." Natasha said.

**Bucky said he took care of that as he waved to two girls, one blonde and one brunette and they waved back.**

"Connie and Bonnie." Steve remembered with a smirk.

"I remember them now." Bucky said.

"Did people always have rhyming names back then?" Tony asked.

"Many did." Steve said.

**Steve asked what Bucky had told her about him and he said only the good stuff. A voice over the loudspeaker welcomed everyone as the four went to check it out, making their way past exhibits as the stage was lined with girls in little black uniforms with a red car behind. One of them welcomed Howard Stark on the microphone.**

"Isn't that-" Steve began.

"The car." Bucky finished and both chuckled.

"Did it ever work?" Steve asked Tony.

"It did." Fury said as they all looked over at him.

**Howard Stark took the microphone from the woman with a smile.**

The smile reminded everyone of Tony's as Steve, Bucky and Tony looked at the screen with a pang.

**Howards kissed the woman on the lips as she and the others filed behind the car Howard wiped his mouth with handkerchief before saying how in a few short years, their automobile wouldn't touch the ground at all. Steve offered his date popcorn but she refused.**

"Rude!" Aunt May said.

**The girls removed the tires as Howard said that with Stark gravitic-reversion technology, their automobile would do that as he started it and the car hovered for a few seconds and everyone watched in excitement before sparks flew off and it crashed. Everyone laughed and clapped as Howards told them he had said a few years.**

Everyone laughed at that.

"Nice save, dad." Tony said.

**Steve looked behind to see at a US recruitment sign that said "I Want You." Bucky said how they should take the girls dancing but saw Steve wasn't there at all. At the US Armed Services Recruitment Center, Steve paused to look at his own face in a mirror-picture painting of a soldier's hat and uniform after another man and barely came above the painted collar.**

"You're small." Thor said.

"Very." Odinson added.

"I can go smaller." Scott said and everyone chuckled.

"So can I." Hope said as the laughter increased.

**Bucky arrived, telling Steve he was missing the point of a double date as Steve told him to go ahead and he will catch up.**

"Didn't look like much of a double date to me." Tony said dryly.

**Bucky asked Steve if he was going to do this again as Steve said he was going to try his luck. Bucky told him they would catch him and even arrest him. Bucky told him this wasn't a back alley but a war as Steve said people were laying down their lives and he had no right to do any less. Bucky said there were more important jobs. Steve asked if Bucky wanted him to collet scrap.**

"If it keeps you alive." Bruce said.

"Nobody wants to do it." Rhodes said.

"I know." Sam said.

**Steve said he wasn't going to sit in a factory as men were laying down their lives and he had no right to do any less. It wasn't about him. Bucky said he had nothing to prove.**

"A sickly warrior is a danger to his allies." Thor said.

"Thank you!" Bucky said.

"But appreciate the efforts." Daisy said.

"Yes, you are very persistent." Fury said.

**An old man with gray hair and glasses listened to their conversation.**

"Dr. Erskine." Steve said sadly.

**The girls called out to him, asking if they were going dancing and he said they were.**

"Spare the charm, Sarge!" Natasha said with a flirty smile.

"If it pleases you, my lady!" Bucky said.

"Oh God!" Steve shook his head.

**Bucky turned to Steve and said, "Don't do anything stupid until I get back." Steve retorted jokingly, "How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you." Bucky called him a punk as Steve called him a jerk and both hugged.**

Steve and Bucky just smiled, reminded of the old times as everyone watched the scene, feeling the bond between the two.

**Steve asked Bucky to be careful and said, "And don't win the war till I get there!" Bucky gave him a salute and walked off with Connie and Bonnie.**

"I didn't. Bucky said, "I followed your orders, Captain."

Steve shook his head in amusement.

"So you got both of them?" Hope asked. Bucky flashed her a grin.

**Steve walked off to enlist again as the old man followed him. Later, Steve was sitting in the doctor's office on the table as a nurse came in and whispered in the doctor's ear. He asked Steve, who wondered if there was a problem, to wait. As they walked off, Steve fidgeted nervously, looking at the sign behind him that said it was illegal to falsify on the enlistment form.**

"Epic fail!" Peter said and everyone chuckled.

**Steve was about to wear his shoes when a guard entered. Steve looked at him in fear when the old man arrived and thanked the guard. The guard went off as the man asked Steve if he wanted to go overseas and kill Nazis and introduced himself as Dr. Abraham Erskine and that he represented the Strategic Scientific Reserve.**

"Hi doctor." Bucky said.

"SHIELD's predecessor." Fury said.

"Yup." Tony said.

"The SSR." Hill said.

**Steve introduced himself and asked Erskine where he was from as he said he was from Queens, 73****rd**** Street.**

"Queens? Wow!" Peter said happily.

**Before that, he was from Germany and asked Steve if it bothered him but he shook his head. He then looked at Steve's folder and asked where he was from, noting he had given five exams from five different cities.**

"Uh-oh." Scott said.

"Not really." Steve told him.

**Steve said it was the wrong file but Erskine said he wasn't interested in the five exams but the five tries, asking if he wanted to kill Nazis. Steve asked if it was a test and Erskine said it was. Steve said at length, "I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from."**

"Classic Steve." Bucky said as everyone chuckled.

**Erskine said they had many big men fighting the war so they needed a little guy.**

"You're the Frodo Baggins of this story, Captain." Scott said happily and everyone nodded in agreement.

"A Frodo Baggins who turned into Aragorn." Hope said and everyone nodded again, as it was true.

"I'm guessing Cap is a combination of the two." Tony said and a third time, everyone nodded.

**Erskine drew the curtains and said he could offer Steve a chance which Steve said he will take. Erskine then asked where he really was from and he said Brooklyn. Erskine stamped on his form and congratulated him before walking off. Steve looked at his form on which Erskine had stamped '1A.' Steve looked at it with determination.**

"And there you have it, Cap." Sam said.

**In the Bavarian Alps, in which sat Castle Klaufmann, Schmidt asked a doctor with glasses if it would work.**

"Arnim Zola." Steve snarled.

"Of course we would see him." Bucky sighed.

"In the flesh." Natasha snarled.

"So he was the one whose artificial version you two met?" Tony asked.

"Yes." They said simultaneously.

**Arnim Zola said his machine required the most delicate calibrations so he may seem overcautious as Schmidt asked if his conductors could withstand the energy long enough for transference while putting down an old engraving featuring the Cube.**

"I don't think so." Tony said.

"They can't." Vision said.

**Zola said he wasn't certain with this artefact and it might not work at all as Schmidt opened the box and his face was bathed in the Cube's bluish-white glow. Zola put dark goggles over his glasses for protection as Schmidt picked up the Cube with a metal of 4 arms and handle on top and put it into the receptacle.**

"Going okay so far but I hope it doesn't." Peter said.

**Everything around the Cube began glowing as Zola looked at the Control Panel which stabilized at 70% but Schmidt pushed it further as he hadn't come all this way for safety as the machine vibrated and the light went scorching up.**

"Oh boy!" Bruce said.

"Idiots!" Hill said.

"Power hungry." Daisy told them.

"And self-righteous." Bobbi added.

"Rat bastards." Logan said.

"Yup." Storm agreed.

**The surge of energy ended as everything was dark and smoky. Zola wondered what it was as Schmidt congratulated Zola and said his designs didn't disappoint even if they needed slight reinforcement. Zola was amazed that the exchange was stable and the energy could power his designs and change the war. Schmidt said it would change the world.**

"Oh God!" Steve sighed.

"Of course that's what he wants." Bucky said.

"Lord Elrond lookalike wants to change the world." Scott said.

"And rule it." Hope said, "He is worse than Agent Smith." [3]

"Well, it's going to get worse before it gets better." Benjamin said.

"For everyone." Odinson added.

* * *

**And that ends the first chapter of Cap 1. Next chapter will be the transformation part.**

**[1] The old man in the tower was played by David Bradley and I was referencing his role as Argus Filch in the Harry Potter movies (I hate them except the first three because they ruined ma boi Ron and made Hermione a Mary Sue) and also referencing his role as Walder Frey in the Game of Thrones show. What a rat bastard that guy was. "My name is Arya Stark. I want you to know that. The last thing you're ever going to see is a Stark smiling down at you as you die." *Slices throat***

**[2] It was confirmed that Loki was brainwashed to do what he did in The Avengers but I find it a load of crap to please the fanboys and fangirls of Loki. It ruins his redemption arc really. So while I feel the stones together did make him a bit more unstable and sadistic than before, he was in control of himself.**

**[3] A reference to Hugo Weaving's role as Lord Elrond in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and The Hobbit Trilogy and also as Agent Smith in The Matrix Trilogy.**

**See you all next time with another chapter.**


	23. The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**It is confirmed that Season 7 will be the final season of Agents of SHIELD, one of the best shows I've seen and the second best comic book show after Daredevil. So I just wanted to say, I loved this show with a passion, all the seasons, and it had a great run. This season is rocking it and I'm sure the next one will too. I'll miss this show truly when it ends. It was amazing.**

**And now I've got over 200 reviews which I have never gotten before. So thank you all!**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes he was. Agreed totally. We'll see on the flirting. Ah okay. Thanks! Glad I'm rocking this story and you will see what it's like. Good luck with your trip.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Yes Steve is the Peter Parker of the 40's and yes, they are from 2 weeks before Infinity War.**

Chapter 23- The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!

"So I'm guessing there's training now." Sam said.

"Yup." Steve said, "It's pretty embarrassing."

**Steve was shown standing in a line of soldiers as a sharp British female voice asked them to stand in attention.**

"Well, well, well." Bucky smirked as Steve blushed.

"So what do we have here?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"Something very nice." Natasha smirked as Steve blushed more.

**A woman walked up to them, introducing herself as Agent Carter. She supervised the operations for this division.**

"Peggy." Steve smiled sadly as he remembered carrying her coffin. Both Bucky and Natasha put their hands on his shoulder for comfort as Sam nodded at him. He nodded back appreciatively.

"Peggy Carter." Fury said, "One of SHIELD's founders.

"A very important figure in our history." Hill said.

"I know." Daisy said.

"She was an inspiration to us all." Bobbi said.

"The way you all speak of her justify Sharon's decision to hide her surname." Steve commented.

"Don't blame her." Clint said.

**One of the recruits mocked her accent by calling her Queen Victoria and she asked him his name, to which he replied Gilmore Hodge. She beckoned him and asked him to put his right foot in the front. He did and said she would like some of his moves.**

"Bad idea." Loki said.

"Do you not know death when you see it?" Thor asked and everyone chuckled at the reference.

**Peggy punched him hard, sending him to the ground.**

Everyone clapped happily at the scene.

"And that's why you don't mess with Peggy Carter." Natasha said.

"I know. No one should." Steve sighed.

"I like her already." Tony said, "Wish dad introduced me to her."

"If he did, I don't think she would take kindly to your behavior." Pepper told him.

"She's right man." Rhodes said.

"Which would be a good thing." Tony simply said. [1]

"She's such a badass." Peter said.

"Yeah, she sure is." Scott said.

"And she knows how to teach bullies a lesson." Hope said.

"I learnt it from her." Steve smirked.

"You had good influences around you, Captain." Aunt May said.

"Well, the asshat has been dealt with for now." Logan said.

**That was when Colonel Chester Phillips arrived, amused on seeing how Peggy was already breaking in the recruits as he asked Gilmore Hodge to get his ass of the ground and not do anything until told. He immediately complied.**

Everyone laughed.

"Well, they put him in his place pretty easily." Storm said.

"Not enough to stop him from bullying Captain Rogers though." Benjamin said.

"That bullying cost him his chance to be a super soldier though." Odinson said, "Which is a good thing."

"Thanks." Steve simply said.

"It's good to see him again." Bucky said with a smile.

"Now I wonder how a team-up between Colonel Phillips and Stick would go." Daisy said aloud.

The people from the future laughed heartily at Daisy's comment.

"Who's Stick?" Wanda asked.

"Matt's mentor." Benjamin said.

"He was a hardass." Logan said.

**Phillips looked at the recruits and started pacing around, "General Patton has said that wars are fought with weapons but they are won by men. We are going to win this war because we have the best. . .men." His eye had just fallen on Steve, and he glanced reproachfully back at Dr. Erskine, who had appeared beside Agent Carter, "And because they are going to get better. Much better."**

"He doesn't seem very fond of you." Peter said.

"He was under pressure due to the war." Steve said, "So seeing someone like me wasn't very encouraging for him."

"That makes sense." Aunt May said.

"If only he could look into you." Scott said.

"Yeah, he would see the goodness inside." Hope said.

"Well, I think he employed another method to do that." Steve smirked.

**Phillips spoke, "he Strategic Scientific Reserve is an Allied effort made up of the best minds in the free world." Steve and the others got ready for training as Phillips' voice continued, "Our goal is to create the best army in history." And then they were climbing a jungle gym made with ropes, Steve falling miserably behind, even slipping and dangling upside down to scornful laughter from Hodge as the observing Sergeant yelled at him to get out.**

"That doesn't seem funny to me." Vision said.

"Because the guy is a bully." Fury told him.

"What a jerk!" Pepper said.

**"But every army starts with one man. At the end of the week, we will choose that man. He will be the first in a new breed of super soldier." Now they were crawling under a mesh structure, Steve obviously struggling. Hodge, who was passing by him, kicked the prop next to him and brought half a yard of mesh crashing down on him.**

"Using his power to bully the weak." T'Challa said, "He is a coward."

"I can see that." Bucky snarled angrily.

"I can't believe this is you." Sam said.

"Me neither." Tony said.

"Don't blame you." Steve simply said.

"Was he ever reprimanded for his actions?" Thor asked.

"No." Steve said, "Disciplinary action wasn't the best in our unit unfortunately."

"Pity." Hope said.

"Did they give you any nickname or something?" Daisy asked him.

"Yes." Steve said, "Spaghetti."

Everyone chuckled at that as it was a bit funny.

"Oh." She said, "I was called Mary Sue Poots."

Everyone chuckled hard at that.

"I wonder who made that up." Bobbi said.

**The Sergeant shouted at Steve to get out as Agent Carter watched while Phillips' voice finished, "And he will personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of hell."**

"Would be nice to see that happen." Thor said.

"Yeah, no more than what he deserves." Loki said.

"Well, he did become a parody on YouTube after all." Peter said and everyone chuckled.

"Oh those videos are so hilarious!" Tony said as everyone laughed.

"I think there was one where Hitler planned to kill Justin Bieber." Scott said.

"Don't speak that guy's name." Hope said in disgust.

"Right." He said.

"And there was one where he watched the cursed tape from The Ring." Clint said and everyone laughed again. [2]

"Yeah, those were the days." Benjamin said.

"The glory days of YouTube." Daisy smirked.

**The recruits were later running up a track as Steve was yards behind the others while the Sergeant shouted at them to pick up the pace while he kept up with them all. Agent Carter was nearby on an automobile, observing the men and taking notes. The Sergeant pointed at the flag and said they were at the halfway point. First person to bring it down would get a ride back with Agent Carter.**

"Nice motivation." Tony commented as everyone chuckled.

**Except Steve, all men rushed at the pole, trying to get the flag as the Sergeant said no one had gotten it in 17 years. Hodge climbed up to get it but slipped down as the others tried too but failed and were ordered to get in line. Steve then walked up to the pole, bent down and unscrewed its base, making the flag fall down with a thud.**

"You're so smart." Tony commented.

"I think the men must have been very stupid if no one got the flag in 17 years." Vision said.

"It's an exaggeration." Odinson told him.

**Peggy smiled at Steve as he climbed up to the automobile and she drove off with him behind while everyone stared in shock.**

"What a bunch of idiots." Hill said.

"She already likes you, Cap." Bruce smirked as Steve shook his head.

"So not all women in the 40's were that shallow." Natasha smirked.

**Later, the recruits were doing push-ups as Peggy said her grandmother had more life in her.**

"She knows what to do." Tony said.

"And she is harsh." Aunt May said.

"Which is exactly what is required of her." Clint said.

**Steve was gasping for breath as Phillips asked Erskine if he was serious about picking Rogers and he said Steve was the perfect choice. The recruits were performing jumping jacks now as Phillips said that a needle stuck through his arm would go right through him. Steve was flopping his limbs weakly as Phillips said he was making him cry.**

"To be honest, don't blame him." Rhodes said.

"Yeah, he was under too much pressure." Steve agreed.

**Erskine said he was looking for qualities beyond the physical as Phillips begged him to pick Hodge who was big, fast and obeyed orders. He was a soldier but Erskine said he was a bully. Phillips said wars were not won by niceness. **

"No, they are one by having a patient and strategic mind." Steve said and everyone nodded.

**Phillips took out a dummy grenade and said war was won by guts as he threw it in front of the recruits and told them it was a grenade. Agent Carter and all the men leapt away but Steve threw himself on top of it shouting, "Get away! Get back!"**

Everyone's jaw dropped at that.

"You are braver than I thought, Captain." T'Challa said, respect shining in his eyes.

"Yes, it is an honor to fight alongside you." Thor told him.

"Thank you." Steve said simply with appreciation.

"Punk." Bucky said and Steve shook his head while both chuckled.

"Now I understand why you were picked." Fury said.

"Yes." Hill agreed.

"Wow!" Peter said in awe.

"No matter how many times I see it, it never fails to inspire me." Daisy said.

"Don't blame you, bub." Logan told her.

"Everything special about you did not come out of a bottle." Tony said as he turned to Steve, "It came out of you."

Steve nodded in appreciation and said, "And you are a good man without the suit, Tony."

Everyone looked at the two with wide eyes. Never had they expected them to respect each other like that.

"Now I have seen everything." Wanda muttered.

"Let's continue." Benjamin said.

**Steve realized the grenade was a fake and asked if it was a test as Erskine and Carter smirked. Phillips walked off, obviously impressed though he still said Steve was skinny.**

"Not for long." Hope said.

**At night, Steve was sitting in his cabin as Erskine entered with some wine and Steve asked why he had chosen him, to which Erskine showed him the wine that was from Augsburg, his city.**

"What's it got to do with that?" Scott asked.

"I am wondering too." Peter said.

"He is getting to the point." Storm told them.

"Must have been good wine." Loki commented.

**Erskine said that people forgot how Nazis invaded their own country first and that his people struggled and felt weak and small. Then came Hitler with his marching flags and all and found him, asking him to make them stronger. When he refused, he sent the head of the Hydra division- Johann Schmidt, who was ambitious.**

"You have no idea." Bucky said.

**Erskine said how Hitler and Schmidt shared a passion for occult power and Teutonic myth. For Hitler, they were fantasies to inspire his followers but for Schmidt, it was real.**

"I am sure it was real for Hitler too." Aunt May said.

"Damn right." Fury said.

"Heimdall once told me a dictator on Earth was praying for me to come down and smite his enemies." Thor said, "I think I now know who he was talking about." [3]

"Oh my God!" Steve said in horror.

"But we stopped listening to prayers after the Vikings were done with." Loki simply said.

"Good thing." Bucky sighed.

**Erskine said how Schmidt believed great power had been left on Earth by the Gods to be seized by a superior man and he wanted the formula. In a flashback, Schmidt was shown holding Erskine at gunpoint as he plunged a needle into his arm. Steve asked if it made him stronger and Erskine said it did but there were other effects as Schmidt was shown crying in agony while his facial features were distorted.**

Everyone winced.

"It only made him superior physically." T'Challa said.

**Erskine said the serum wasn't ready but the man wasn't either. "The serum amplifies everything that is inside the man. So, good becomes great, and bad becomes worse." Erskine said.**

"That explains a lot." Tony sighed.

**Erskine looked at Steve with piercing eyes, "This is why you were chosen. Because the strong man, who has known power all his life, may lose respect for that power. But a weak man knows the value of strength - and knows compassion."**

"Yes." Natasha agreed.

**Steve thanked him as Erskine gave two cups to Steve and poured the wine saying, "Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."**

"So Ross basically missed the entire point." Bruce said.

"I guess he is a jackass by thought as well." Logan said and everyone laughed.

**Steve toasted to the little guys and both were about to drink before Erskine took his drink, remembering that he could have no fluids before the procedure. Steve said they would drink it after then but Erskine said he didn't have the procedure so he could drink it.**

Everyone chuckled.

"Cheers!" Thor, Odinson and Logan said at the same time.

"Good thing he enjoyed one last drink." Steve said sadly as he remembered what had happened after the procedure.

**At the Hydra base, Zola walked to where Schmidt was while opera music played as the man stood without his mask, his face obscured in shadow. He asked Zola if he needed something while the painter in the corner looked at Zola with annoyance. Zola realized Schmidt had found Erskine as he looked at some pictures of the scientist.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

**Schmidt realized Zola disapproved as he said they shouldn't concern themselves with him as he wouldn't succeed. When Schmidt responded with silence, he added 'again.'**

"Of course." Pepper said sarcastically.

**Schmidt said the Serum was the only defense of the Allies against their power and if it was taken away from them, their victory was assured. Zola asked if he should give the order but Schmidt said it had already been given.**

"Burn!" Daisy said.

**Schmidt turned on a light and asked Zola how the picture looked. Zola said it was a masterpiece and walked off.**

"Yes, one hell of it." Fury joked and everyone chuckled.

**The next day, Steve was sitting on the back seat of a car with Agent Carter as he told her he knew the neighborhood and had got beaten up in an alley and a parking lot and behind a diner.**

"You basically got beaten up in the entire city." Bucky said and everyone chuckled.

"Really, you're talking to a woman by telling her about the places where you got beaten up?" Tony asked with a chuckle.

"Now you know why I don't have a girlfriend." Steve said with a smirk and everyone chuckled.

"Oh I'm sure you can get one." Natasha assured him.

**Carter asked if he had something against running away and he said if he started running, they'd never stop, but if he stood up and pushed back, they couldn't say no forever. Peggy smiled at him and said she knew a bit of what it was like, to have every door shut in her face.**

"Inspiring words, Captain." Daisy told him.

"Thanks." He said.

"I think Peggy's situation is a little different." Clint said.

"Nope." Bucky said, "She is just as persistent as he is."

"She would have needed it in those times." Bobbi said.

"Oh you have no idea how much patience she had." Fury said.

"I know." Hill said, "There was a radio show about you Captain after the war was over."

"I heard about it but I never really heard it." Steve said.

"I heard of it too." Tony said.

"Well, that radio show renamed Peggy Carter into 'Betty Carver' and turned her into a nurse who was nothing more than a damsel in distress and a love interest for you." Natasha said and Steve and Bucky both looked shocked.

"Really? They did that to her?" Steve asked incredulously.

"And she put up with all that?" Bucky asked.

"There's a reason we all at SHIELD look up to her." Bobbi said.

"Yes. She is an inspiration to us all." Daisy said.

"Earth really used to be weird back in the day." Thor commented.

"Well, respect." Hope said.

"Yes." Aunt May agreed.

"On with the show." Logan said.

**Steve said he didn't know why a beautiful dame would want to join the army, before correcting himself hastily by calling her a woman, and then an agent, and then just said she was beautiful, fumbling badly as Peggy asked him he had no idea how to talk to a woman and he said this was the longest conversation he ever had with one.**

"I think I'm now seeing why you never got a girlfriend, Cap." Tony said as everyone chuckled at Steve's awkwardness.

"Even I can do better than this." Peter said and everyone laughed at that.

"I know. I know. It's embarrassing." Steve said.

"Clearly." Benjamin told him.

"Even simple-minded women won't talk to you if you speak like that." Storm told him.

"And I thought you would make me look cool in front of the receptionist." Sam joked and everyone chuckled.

**Steve said women weren't exactly lining up to dance with a guy they might step on.**

"Remember the time I could step on you?" Hope asked Scott jokingly.

"I think we shouldn't talk about that." Scott said.

**Peggy pressed how he must have danced as Steve said asking a woman to dance always seemed terrifying so he figured he would just wait. Peggy asked for what and Steve said the right partner.**

"Awww." Natasha, Hill and Wanda said at the same time as Steve blushed.

"Yes, it's pretty terrifying Cap." Peter said as he remembered asking Liz to the prom.

"I'm guessing we are very alike." Steve said.

**They stopped near Brooklyn Antiques and the two entered while two men leaning nearby a car watched them. An old woman greeted them and asked Peggy it was a wonderful weather in the morning, wasn't it? Peggy said it was but she always carried an umbrella.**

"Ah, the classic code language." Clint said.

"Yeah, good way to recognize allies." Fury agreed.

**The woman pressed a button underneath a counter where there was a gun too. Steve followed Peggy to a room full of books with a big bookcase on the back wall and they halted there.**

"Please be a secret door, please be a secret door." Tony said.

**The secret door swung open to allow them to enter.**

"Yes!" Tony cheered and everyone chuckled.

**They passed a woman at a desk, and a number of armed sentries. At the end of the corridor they passed through another set of doors that a pair of guards opened for them, and then came into the room in which history had been changed forever.**

"Here we go." Clint said.

**Steve stared around at all the men in white lab coats, the great machines covered with switches and dials and meters, and the man-sized chamber in the middle of it all. Peggy cast him a rather anxious look, and then led him down a short flight of steps and into the lab. Dr. Erskine greeted Steve as someone took a picture but he told them not to for now and asked Steve to take off his shirt, tie and hat.**

"And the pants stay on?" Aunt May asked as everyone's jaw dropped, including Steve.

"Aunt May!" Peter said.

"It's not like they're going to grow with him." She said.

"Good point." Bruce conceded.

**Steve managed to take them off and handed them to an assistant as Phillips greeted Senator Brandt and he asked if Brandt could have given them the generators like requested but Brandt dismissed him, saying a lot of people asked for funds.**

"Asking the Senator for something? Good luck." Hill said.

**Brandt then introduced Phillips to Fred Clemson of the State Department who said they would like to see this project for more than just headlines if it came through.**

"Him." Steve snarled.

"What is it, Cap?" Scott asked.

"Keep watching," Steve said.

**Brandt looked at Steve and jokingly said that someone should give him a sandwich.**

"I think he is going to get something much better." Sam said.

**Steve settled into the machine as Erskine asked if he was comfortable and Steve said it was a little big and if Erskine had saved him any of the schnapps. Erskine said not as much as he should have and asked Howard Stark about the levels.**

"And now here dad is, creating history." Tony said dryly.

**Howard said levels were at hundred percent and they might dim half the lights in Brooklyn but they were as ready as they will ever be.**

"Dimming half the lights in Brooklyn? Now that sounds like something I would do." Tony said, seeing for the first time how much he and his father were alike.

**Erskine asked Peggy if she would be comfortable in the booth and she quickly went off, flustered as she shared a look with Steve. Erskine picked up a microphone and said how they were on a path to peace with this and would begin with a series of micro-injections into the subject's major muscle groups. The serum will cause immediate cellular change and to stimulate growth, he will be saturated with vita rays.**

"Oh. Vita rays. Didn't know that." Bruce shrugged.

**The workers had strapped Steve in place and were pulling tubes of blue serum out of a compartment, before loading them in various places in the machine. Peggy was making herself comfortable in the booth. A woman pushed a needle into Steve's arm as he said it wasn't so bad but Erskine said that was just penicillin and started counting down to the serum infusion with a hand on Steve's shoulder for support.**

"Rome wasn't built in a day, Rogers." Fury shrugged and Steve shook his head.

**A white gloved hand pushed on a lever as the blue tubes of serum began to empty. Steve grimaced and shut his eyes before opening them a moment later. He appeared to be in pain.**

Everyone winced at the scene.

Logan and Wanda knew this was a good thing they were seeing but it was still hard not remembering the experiments performed on them. The difference being they were done to control them while this one was done for Steve.

**Erskine then asked Howard to do his part and he pulled down another lever which made the machine tilt to an upright position and its two pieces snapped together while a third one came down on Steve.**

"You're not claustrophobic, are you?" Pepper asked.

"Nope." Steve said.

"Good thing." Bruce shrugged.

**Cables were connected to the machine as Erskine asked if Steve could hear him and he said he joked that it was a little late to go to the bathroom.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Erskine said they would proceed as Howard turned a dial and putting on glasses, turned a small steering wheel next to a meter, saying it was ten percent. A bright light shone from inside the machine. Howard increased the power till it was at seventy percent when Steve started screaming in pain.**

"What the hell?" Bucky said as they all heard Steve's scream.

Tony and Peter looked pale at this point as Logan and Wanda's eyes widened.

**Erskine frantically called out to Steve as Peggy asked them to shut it off and Erskine asked Howard to kill the reactor but Steve yelled, "NO! DON'T! I CAN DO THIS!"**

"All day!" Bucky added.

"Really dude?" Sam asked.

"I knew it was going to be painful." Steve added.

**Howard increased the power to a hundred percent as the ringing grew louder and the light shone brighter while sparks flew and parts of the machine went flying out before the machine died down completely. The spectators rose from their booths.**

"Oh my God!" Peter said.

"That looked awful." Pepper said.

"Now even I have respect for you." Loki said and everyone shook their heads.

**Erskine called out to Stark and the pieces of the machine slid back. There Steve was, gasping for breath but he wasn't a Spaghetti any longer. He was tall, broad-shouldered and pure muscle. He was bare-chested and bare foot.**

The jaws of all the women in the room dropped on seeing a shirtless Steve as he blushed.

"Oh my God!" Pepper said.

"Ta-da!" Aunt May said.

"History is born." Daisy said with a smirk.

"Those abs." Scott said enviously.

**Phillips looked impressed as Erskine and Howard helped Steve out and Fred got up from his chair, leaving a rectangular object on it. Peggy rushed up to them, asking how Steve felt. Steve looked around and realized that he was now towering over everyone in the room so he simply said, "Taller."**

"By a foot." Sam said.

**Peggy unconsciously touched Steve's chest for a second when he didn't notice before taking a shirt from somebody and handing it to Steve.**

"Did she just…." Bobbi said in amusement.

"Don't blame her." Hill shrugged as Steve shook his head.

**Brandt said some people in Berlin were going to get very nervous as Clemson pulled out an object that looked like a cigarette lighter.**

"Is he….." Scott trailed off.

"Yes." Steve said.

"He was an assassin." Natasha said.

"His real name is Heinz Kruger." Clint told everyone.

**The booth suddenly went up in flames, sending a shower of glass raining on everyone as Heinz quickly snatched a tube of the serum. Erskine yelled at everyone to stop him as he yanked out a gun and fired two shots into Erskine, who fell on his back, bloodstains coming from his clothes.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"The doctor again?" Pepper said, remembering Yinsen from Tony's recording.

"No!" Peter said in horror as Aunt May covered her mouth with her hand.

"He is going to pay, isn't he?" Rhodes asked.

"He will." Steve said.

**A nurse screamed as Kruger ran up the stairs while Peggy withdrew a gun and fired, getting him on the shoulder.**

"Nice shot." Clint said, impressed.

**Kruger bolted up the stairs and shot all the guards as he reached the antiques part while Steve rushed towards the dying Erskine and looked at him in dismay. Erskine took labored breaths and tapped Steve's chest with his finger, reminding him of their conversation. With that, he closed his eyes.**

"Rest in peace." Scott said as everyone looked sad.

**Steve looked at his muscles, flexing his limbs as his face hardened.**

"Now you'll get 'em, Cap." Fury said.

**Heinz burst through the store as the elderly agent fired at him but was gunned down. He then grabbed her gun in his other hand and ran outside towards a car where a man was already at the wheel. He shouted a warning to another man who shot down the two guards who had followed Kruger as he went into the car and the driver started, with Kruger shooting two more men.**

"They had it planned from A to Z, didn't they?" Bruce asked.

"It's Hydra." Fury said simply.

**Peggy appeared and pointed her gun at the back window of the car when a car burst in flames behind her with a bang.**

"Wasn't that your car?" Clint asked.

"It was." Steve said.

**Peggy turned back around and fired at the car again, killing the driver as the car slammed into a yellow cab.**

"Now that's more like it!" Hope cheered.

**The driver of the cab went to check up on the people in the car when Kruger got out of it and into the cab, speeding off as his own driver was discovered dead.**

"Did he just leave his car door open?" Aunt May asked.

"Not every day does another car slam into you." Logan pointed out.

**Kruger headed straight for Peggy when Steve pushed her out of the way and he sped off. Peggy yelled she had it as Steve sped off, apologizing. He was still barefoot.**

"I knew she wouldn't be happy." Natasha said.

"I said I was sorry." Steve simply shrugged.

"Now this is more like it." Thor said as they watched Steve running.

"Now I understand how you kept up with me." T'Challa said as he remembered the chase in Romania.

**Steve ran down the street as he gained on the cab and accidentally smashed himself through the windows of a store, damaging it as he apologized while running off.**

"Sorry!" Steve said.

"Get him Cap!" Scott yelled.

"Kick his ass!" Hope cheered.

With that, everyone in the room was cheering for Steve.

"Catch him!" Bobbi yelled as everyone cheered for him more.

**Steve then ran up an alleyway and leapt over a fence flawlessly.**

"Whoa!" Peter cheered as everyone clapped.

"Catch up!" Tony yelled.

"You can do this!" Sam yelled as everyone cheered.

"He is probably regretting being born." Natasha said about Kruger as everyone continued cheering.

"Thanks guys." Steve said with a smile.

**Steve then leapt over a few cars before leaping onto the cab, hanging over it.**

"Yes! Now get him!" Bucky yelled.

**Heinz tried to fire at him but he avoided all the shots before hanging onto the door as Heinz fired again but he avoided before the cab crashed into a truck, flipping it over as Steve fell off while Heinz recovered and ran off again.**

"The assassin is very persistent." Vision commented.

"Cap will get him. He is the fastest person I've seen after my brother." Wanda said as everyone continued cheering.

**Kruger fired at Steve as he picked up the now broken cab door and blocked the bullets before Kruger ran off and Steve ditched the door, running after him again.**

"Practicing your hold again?" Natasha joked and everyone chuckled.

**Kruger then fired in the middle of a crowd as everyone dispersed and he snatched a kid from his mother's arms as she howled in despair. He threatened to kill the kid, stopping Steve. He fired at him but he took cover to avoid.**

"What a coward!" Thor spat.

"Even I wouldn't do that." Loki said.

"Let him go!" Aunt May snarled as she held Peter's hand tightly and he squeezed back.

**Kruger ran up to a waterside loading shed when Steve showed up and he pointed the gun at the boy's head. Steve begged him not to shoot the boy and Kruger fired at him, only to realize the gun was empty now.**

"Phew!" Pepper sighed in relief.

"Good thing the gun ran out." Vision commented.

**Kruger threw the kid into the water and ran off as Steve looked down but the boy started swimming away, telling Steve to Kruger as he could swim.**

"There's a God in heaven! There's a God in heaven!" Daisy said as everyone sighed in relief.

**Kruger then jumped inside a submarine in the water he had summoned and shutting himself, started it when Steve followed him, assured that the boy wasn't in danger. Steve dived into the water and followed the submarine. He then punched through the side window. Water gushed into the chamber as Steve lifted the top of the cockpit. He grabbed Heinz and hauled him upward through the water, tossing him up onto the landing stage and climbing up after him once he reached the surface.**

"Good one, Cap!" Storm said as everyone clapped.

"YES!" Thor, Bruce, Peter, Bucky and Sam cheered.

"He did it!" Odinson said.

"Which is why you're such a legend." Logan said.

"Thank you very much." Steve said in appreciation.

**Steve was upon Kruger who tried to strike but Steve avoided and kicked him down as the blue tube fell away and shattered into pieces.**

"And the formula is lost." Bruce said.

"Already got the reflexes." Natasha said.

**Steve grabbed Kruger by the throat and asked who he was as Kruger said, "The first of many. Cut off one head-", He stopped to dislodge something in his mouth, "-two more shall take its place. Hail HYDRA!" His mouth filled with foam even as Steve looked on, puzzled, and he choked and gurgled for a moment before becoming completely still. He was dead.**

"What-" Peter trailed off.

"Oh no!" Aunt May said in horror.

"He is Hydra." Benjamin pointed out.

"They do that so they can't spill the secrets." Bobbi said.

"Always been there motto." Daisy said.

"Yup." Fury agreed.

**Steve then looked at his muscles, as if noticing them for the first time.**

"Captain America is born." Scott said as everyone clapped at the scene and Steve nodded in appreciation.

**At the Hydra base, some men walked with Herr Schmidt, telling him he served at the pleasure of the Fuhrer and that he funded him because he was promised weapons. The facility was given to him as a reward for his injuries. Schmidt corrected them that it was his exile as he no longer reflected his image of Aryan perfection.**

"Hitler is pissed." Sam said.

"Of course he is." Rhodes agreed.

"Of course you don't reflect his image." Clint snorted.

**The man next to Schmidt berated him as his weapons division hadn't even delivered a rifle for over a year and that they had learnt from local intelligence that he had mounted a full scale incursion into Norway. One of them said that the Fuhrer felt the Red Skull has been indulged long enough.**

"Oh he indulges himself now." Fury said.

**Schmidt said he would show them the results of his work and led them to his room, saying how Hitler planned to establish a 1000 year Reich but he couldn't feed his troops for more than a month. His troops spilled blood across every field in Europe but he was no closer to achieving his goals. He then removed the cover off a very large gun on a revolving base.**

"He can't feed his troops because he is funding you!" Bruce said.

**One of the men mockingly asked if Schmidt intended to win the war through magic but he corrected them by saying he intended to win through science and that primitive men were confused by great power. Schmidt began pressing the buttons and flipping switches and said Hydra was assembling an arsenal to destroy his enemies in one stroke in a matter of hours regardless of what forces they possessed.**

"They have Captain America now!" Thor said with a grin.

**One of the men was suspicious Schmidt said his weapons contained enough destructive force to decimate every hostile capital on Earth and that he had harnessed the power of the Gods. One of them men said he was clearly mad when one of the men noticed Berlin was on his map.**

"Busted again." Hope said.

"And they are all screwed." Logan said.

**Schmidt turned the gun on him as he cried how Schmidt would be punished for his insolence and brought before the Fuhrer himself when the gun fired a stream of blue and disintegrated him.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said in shock.

**Schmidt turned his gun and fired again but missed before firing again, disintegrating the other man as the last one tried to run out but was trapped. He screamed as Schmidt fired at him too, disintegrating him.**

"That didn't take long." Vision said.

"So he is smoked." Peter joked and everybody laughed.

**Schmidt said to Zola, "My apologies, Doctor. But we both knew HYDRA could grow no further in Hitler's shadow. Hail HYDRA!" His men raised their arms and said, "Hail HYDRA!" Zola composed himself and also declared, "Hail HYDRA!" Schmidt walked off with a smile as Zola pulled himself together.**

"Looks like he has never seen blood before." Natasha said.

**Steve was sitting in a medical room as a nurse took his blood and Peggy said any hope of reproducing the Serum was in his genetic code but it could take years. Steve said Erskine deserved better and she said that if it could work only once, he would be proud it was Steve.**

"Trust me Captain, he is proud." T'Challa said and Steve nodded in appreciation.

**She looked at Steve with a smile as Brandt said how his committee was demanding answers and Phillips asked how a spy had entered his base in his car. Brandt asked Howard about the submarine. Howard spoke 'modestly', saying he was the best mechanical engineer in the country but even he couldn't figure out what that was.**

"We all know how modest you are." Tony said with a smirk as everyone chuckled.

**Phillips then talked about Hydra and asked if Brandt was reading their briefings but he said he was on a lot of committees as Peggy told him Hydra was a Nazi deep science division led by Johann Schmidt and it had even bigger ambitions. Phillips said it was a cult that worshipped him and believed him invincible.**

"Well, they would believe that." Natasha said.

"They do worship someone." Daisy said as she exchanged a look with Bobbi and they remembered Hive.

**Phillips said he had spoken to the President and they were going to take the fight to Schmidt. Peggy and Howard were coming too. Steve said he wanted in too but Phillips said he was going to Alamo as he was an experiment. Steve protested that it worked but Phillips said he had asked for an army and all he had gotten was him and he was not enough.**

"Oh he has no idea." Bucky said cheerfully as him and Steve exchanged a smirk.

"And you are lucky you got _him_." Benjamin said and everyone nodded.

**Brandt then told Steve he had seen him in action and so had the country as a paper was brought and it had the headline- "Nazis in New York: Mystery Man Saves Child." There was the picture of Steve holding the cab door as a shield. Brandt said they didn't take a symbol to hide in a lab and asked if he wanted to serve his country on the most important battlefield of the war. Steve said he did and Brandt shook his hand, telling him he had been promoted.**

"Oh no!" Steve groaned.

"Oh yes!" Natasha rubbed her hands with an evil smirk.

**Later, Steve was blowing his breath, wondering if he could do it. The attendant said he had to sell a few bonds. Bonds bought bullets, bullets killed Nazis. He was an American Hero.**

"Why are you showing this?" Steve groaned.

"It was funny." Odinson said and everyone laughed.

"Prepare to die a slow death." Tony told Steve who shook his head.

**The attendant said he could lead his platoon if he played ball with them as Steve took his shield and put on a balaclava-like mask that had an 'A' on it. He walked up to the stage, looking ridiculous in the middle of all the women in red, white and blue uniforms as they sang along the bouncing rhythm of the music.** **"Who's strong and brave, here to save the American way?" Steve lifted the shield and began obviously reading aloud from the back of it. And the women sang again. "Who vows to fight like a man for what's right, night and day?" Steve read on as the women danced and sang. "Who will campaign door-to-door for America? Carry the flag shore to shore for America." Steve posed for a photograph with a woman and her howling baby, who took the child from him and hurried off before Senator Brandt came up for his turn. "From Hoboken to Spokane. The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!"**

The entire room burst in laughter. Tony, Thor, Odinson, Natasha, Bucky, Sam, Loki, Logan, Bobbi and Daisy were roaring with it as even Fury howled.

"Somebody kill me." Steve muttered with his head in his hands.

**Steve read the same thing on another stage as the women danced and sang. "We can't ignore there's a threat and a war we must win. Who'll hang a noose on the goose-stepping goons from Berlin?"**

"It's a tour!" Aunt May said.

**Steve was then on the set of a film, marching with others as the director cut the scene and asked them to not look at the camera. "Who will redeem, head the call for America, Who'll rise or fall, give his all for America, Who's here to prove that we can? The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!" Brandt smiled from the audience. Steve read more as an actor dressed as Adolf Hitler tried to sneak up on him from behind the women with a menacing scowl as two children warned him. 'Hitler' burst through the line but Steve turned around and fake-punched him down as everyone cheered.**

"Take that Dolfy." Scott said as everyone laughed.

**Steve did the same thing in Buffalo, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Chicago.** **"Stalwart and steady and true, (see how this guy can shoot, we tell ya, there's no substitute!) Forceful and ready to defend the Red, White, and Blue!" Captain America comics were being sold by the dozens around the country.**

"I've got one of those!" Peter said excitedly.

"I still have it." Benjamin said.

"I think Coulson had one too." Bobbi said.

"He did." Daisy said with a smirk.

**Steve starred in more films and watched himself in a movie theater with his lips quirking as everyone clapped and cheered. "Who'll give the Axis the sack, and is smart as a fox? (Far as an eagle will soar) Who's making Adolph afraid to step out of his box? (He knows what we're fighting for!)" And there were still more stage performances and photos as Steve signed autographs for children off-stage and a woman greeted him as a picture was clicked. Steve then held up a bike with women on it as all of them sang. "Who waked the giant that napped in America? We know it's no-one but Captain America, Who'll finish what they began? Who'll kick the Krauts to Japan? The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!"**

And this time, everyone in the room joined in.

"The Star Spangled Man with a Plan!"

"Why is this happening to me?" Steve shook his head as everyone laughed at his misery.

**Steve then asked if they were ready to help his sock 'old Adolf' in the jaw but the uniformed men were silent. These were real soldiers who had seen combat and they weren't having any of it. The words "Italy, 1943: Five Miles from the Front" were shown on the screen**

"Uh-oh." Scott said.

**Steve said he needed a volunteer as one soldier said he had already volunteered and all his companions laughed derisively. Another shouted at him to bring back the girls and he said he would try as one of them called him "Tinkerbell." Everyone from the audience laughed.**

"All right, they were not in a good mood but was that necessary?" Peter asked as everyone watched.

**Steve said they were all on the same time.**

"Except they're fighting and you're not." Sam said.

**One of the men pulled down his pants and asked Steve to sign it as he looked away.**

"Okay, I didn't need to see that." Hill said.

**Then the soldiers threw projectiles at Steve as he deflected them with his shield and walked off the stage dejectedly and the girls returned.**

"Sorry Cap." Tony said sympathetically as Steve nodded in appreciation.

**As the music began to play, one of the helpers assured Steve they would warm up to him. But he just tramped off miserably down the stairs.**

"They will. Eventually." Bucky said and everyone nodded.

* * *

**And the end for now. Poor Steve. His friends now have ammunition against him.**

**[1] There is speculation that Peggy was Tony's honorary aunt or even surrogate mother but if that was true, I don't think would grow up to be an irresponsible womanizer which he was until he became Iron Man. Peggy would never tolerate any of Tony's stunts and while Howard and Peggy were friends, I don't think they were close enough for Peggy to be a part of Tony's life. And even if they were, Howard kept his SHIELD life secret from Tony and wasn't a good father to him so it is impossible from anyone on his side to be involved in Tony's life.**

**[2] I think everyone has heard of the 2004 movie "Downfall" which chronicles Hitler's last days. Many of scenes of that movie are parodies now as YouTubers use them to make parodies of Hitler commenting on modern day sports, politics and pop culture. Even Oliver Hirschbiegel, the movie's director finds the parodies to be a fitting extension of the film's purpose. My story "Deapool plans to have Marc Guggenheim killed" is actually based on one of those parodies- "Hitler plans to have Justin Bieber killed." I just replaced Hitler and Bieber with Wade and Guggie.**

**[3] In the comics, Hitler had his scientists develop a device to pull Thor into Earth's dimension. Hitler then tricked Thor into going to Russia on a mission to assassinate its leader Joseph Stalin. This led to a clash between Thor and the wartime heroes known as the Invaders who were in the region to deliver tanks to the Russians to help the allied war effort. Thor seemingly slew Stalin, but it was really the Invader known as Union Jack. By this time the Dr. Olsen, the man who developed the device that brought Thor to Earth, suffered a heart attack and died. His assistant "Hans" then betrayed Hitler by using his radio to tip off Thor to the fact that Hitler planned on using Thor and the Asgardians to conquer the world and destroyed his device. Thor realizing how he had been tricked saved the Union Jack's life before departing back to Asgard. I was referring to that incident from the comics.**

**And got to say, there are so many points in the MCU where I can't help but cheer at Steve. The chase in this movie, the elevator fight scene, his entrance in Infinity War, and him beating up Thanos with Mjolnir in Endgame. All the characters will cheer at those moments too.**

**Hope you enjoyed and are looking forward to the next chapter.**


	24. The Howling Commandos

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now this story has gotten over 200 follows as well which is a milestone for me so thank you to all!**

**And the announcements for MCU at SDCC 2019 were so amazing- Black Widow (and Taskmaster is there though it was already confirmed), The Eternals (Angelina Jolie is in it), Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings (with the REAL Mandarin from the comics who was confirmed to exist in the MCU through a one-shot), Falcon and Winter Soldier TV Series (Baron Zemo is in it as the villain), Wanda and Vision TV Series, Doctor Strange in the Dark Multiverse (Wanda is in too with Strange and it is MCU's first horror movie and I'd just love to see the two magic users teaming up), Loki TV Series (with the Loki who escaped in Avengers: Endgame if I'm right), Hawkeye TV Series (with Clint training his daughter to be Kate Bishop), Thor: Love and Thunder (the female Thor thing with it being based on Jason Aaron's story reduced my excitement a little bit even though I liked Natalie Portman as Jane Foster but as long as Taika Waititi and Chris Hemsworth do their thing and we get to see badass Thor from Avengers: Infinity War again at his full might, I am good!) and the biggie- BLADE is coming in the MCU played by Mahershala Ali (he played Cottonmouth in Season 1 of Luke Cage as well though but Alfre Woodard who played Mariah Dillard in it played Miriam Sharpe in the opening of Captain America: Civil War where she was the woman who guilt-tripped Tony by telling him about how her son died in Sokovia). And there is also an animated series called 'What If?' So that's the big stuff folks.**

**And Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume 3, Black Panther 2, Captain Marvel 2, a Fantastic Four movie and something with X-Men has been confirmed so I'm excited for all of it!**

**Now none of those reveals will have any effect on this story because in this the future is what I planned and I'm not changing it because all of those movies are ages away. And while I love Mahershala Ali, Wesley Snipes is still my Blade.**

**Still, I'm very excited!**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoyed. Yeah, they never did though I think Steve managed to jump high.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. Glad you're enjoying. I think right now I'm sticking to their rules with a few modifications but it can change later.**

**Ultra X45: Thanks for the review. Glad you're enjoying. I think I can do it in one of the breaks. I will bring in Deadpool in a later break and he will show them as he can have access to such stuff. Thanks for the idea. I've been thinking of doing something like that actually.**

Chapter 24- The Howling Commandos

"So what did you do after this?" Sam asked.

"Earned their respect." Steve simply said.

**It was raining as Steve drew a picture of a monkey balancing on a unicycle with a shield on its arm and an umbrella over its head. It wore a sweater with a big star on its chest.**

"Expressive." Wanda muttered.

**Peggy arrived, greeting a surprised Steve who asked her why she was here and she said she wasn't officially there. She talked about his performance and he said he had to improvise as his crowds were usually twelve year olds. Peggy told him he was America's new hope.**

"That doesn't really sound like a bad thing." Pepper said.

"It isn't. But for someone like Captain America, it's a waste." Thor pointed out.

**Steve said bond sales took a 10 percent bump in every state he visited but Peggy knew that those were Senator Brandt's words. Steve said that at least Brandt had him doing this because Phillips would have him stuck in a lab.**

"Which would also be a waste." Scott said.

"Yeah, even bigger waste than this." Hope agreed.

**Peggy demanded if a lab rat or dancing monkey were his only options. "You were meant for more than this you know." Peggy told him sincerely.**

"You were." Natasha told him.

"And now you have proven it, time and time again." Daisy said.

**Steve said he had dreamt of serving his country for the longest time and now that he had everything he wanted, he was wearing tights.**

"If you wanted to fight, you haven't got anything you wanted." Rhodes pointed out.

**Then a medical truck pulled up and man on a stretcher was brought out as Steve realized they had been through hell and Peggy told him that 200 men had gone up against Schmidt in Azzano and less than 50 had returned. Steve's audience had been the remainder of the 107****th****.**

"The 107th!" Bucky said in realization.

"Yup." Steve told him.

**Peggy said the rest were killed or captured as Steve looked shocked and rushed to Phillips' tent where he was signing condolence letters. He dryly asked Steve what his plan was for the day.**

"To hang a noose on the goose-stepping goons-" Tony began.

"Come on, let's not talk about that." Steve said.

**Steve said he needed the casualty list from Azzano but Phillips said he didn't take orders from him. Steve said he needed only one name- Sergeant James Barnes.**

"Well, look who is brought up." Fury said as he looked at Bucky.

**Phillips told Peggy they were going to have a chat as Steve asked him again and he said he had signed more condolence letters than he had cared to count but the name was familiar. He apologized to Rogers.**

"Not a good thing to say to you, Captain Rogers." T'Challa said.

"Nope." Bucky agreed.

"Let's keep watching." Benjamin said.

**Steve asked about the other men and Phillips said they had to win the war to bring them back. Steve asked why they couldn't send an extraction team as Phillips said they were 30 miles behind some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe and they'd lose more men than they'd but Steve wouldn't understand as he was a chorus girl.**

"Technically, he isn't." Clint said.

**Steve said he understood just fine but Phillips told him to understand somewhere else and reminded him he had to be somewhere in 30 minutes. He walked off as Steve looked at the map and said he did. Phillips told Peggy if she had something to say, she could keep it to herself.**

"That's what she did." Bobbi said.

**Backstage, Steve was packing up when Peggy asked him if he intended to walk to Austria and he said he did if that's what it took.**

"Respect." Peter said.

**Peggy said his friend was most likely dead but Steve said they didn't know that and it would be too late by the time the Colonel devised a strategy. Steve put on a coat and strode into the rain and put his bag in an army vehicle as Peggy called after him. "You told me you thought I was meant for more than this." Steve said, turning to face her, "Did you mean that?" Peggy stared into his face. "Every word." She said. "Than you've got to let me go." Steve said, climbing into the driver's seat. Peggy stopped him. "I can do more than that." She said.**

"What did she do?" Loki asked.

"Oh you have no idea, bub." Logan said.

**Backstage, one of the women reached for her helmet but found it missing as a voice called out if anyone had seen Rogers.**

"So you never showed up for that, eh?" Tony asked.

"Nope." Steve said.

"Can't believe you abandoned your glory for me." Bucky said and everyone chuckled.

"That wasn't glorious, that was embarrassing." Steve said.

**Steve and Peggy then flew in a plane piloted by Howard Stark while Peggy had a map spread out. She told him the Hydra camp was in Kreischberg between two mountain ranges and it was some kind of factory. Howard said they could drop him around the doorstep.**

"Looks pretty ironic." Tony said, seeing his father helping Steve rescue Bucky.

No one said a word.

**Steve said the both of them would be in a lot of trouble when he lands.**

"No, she will be in a lot of trouble when you land." Tony corrected him.

"Yeah, he is untouchable." Pepper told Steve.

**Peggy asked if Steve won't and he said if anybody yelled at him where he was going, he could just shoot them. Peggy said they would shoot back but he gestured to the shield and said that it might be good for something.**

"Captain, it's a stage prop." Vision said as everyone chuckled.

**Howard told Peggy if they weren't in too much of a hurry, they could stop in Loussern for a late-night fondue. Steve looked at Peggy and she seemed uneasy and said Stark was the best civilian pilot and mad enough to brave the airspace.**

"Now if only he had told me about that." Tony said, seeing more similarities between his father and himself.

"I'm sure he wanted to." Pepper said as she held his hand.

**Steve then asked Howard and Peggy if they fondue.**

Everyone burst out laughing at that.

"You thought fondue meant sex?" Natasha asked.

"What is fondue?" Thor asked.

"Melted cheese on bread, or melted chocolate and fruit." Odinson told him, "Tastes pretty good."

"But it is not sex." Hope said as she laughed.

"I don't keep up with slang." Steve said.

"Do you know what shag is?" Daisy asked.

"An artist." Steve said as almost everyone around him chuckled.

"Yeah right." Daisy said as she turned away and Steve wondered what that was about.

"Screwing with America's golden boy. Never thought I'd see you do that." Logan said to her as everyone laughed.

"Well, I'm sure you're proud of yourself." Storm told her.

**Peggy handed Steve a transponder as Howard told him its signal would lead them to him. But then shooting began as the plane rumbled.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"Oh boy!" Rhodes said.

"Why is everything so difficult?" Scott wondered.

"They are infiltrating a Hydra base." Benjamin pointed out.

**Peggy insisted to take Steve all the way in but he said he would leave and they could turn the thing around and get out. Peggy told him he couldn't give her orders but he joked that he could as he was a captain and pulling down his goggles, jumped off as Howard turned the plane away while Steve's parachute opened up.**

"Go get 'em Captain." Hill cheered.

**In the Hydra lab, men were working as Zola told Schmidt production of the Valkyrie was on schedule even with the huge components. Schmidt told him to increase the output by 60 percent and have the other facilities do the same. Zola argued that the prisoners weren't strong enough but Schmidt told them to use up their remaining strength as there were always more workers before walking off.**

"What a rat bastard!" Logan snarled.

"He really is." Bucky said.

"Can't wait to see him get beaten up." Clint said.

"He will." Storm assured.

"Just have patience." Odinson said.

"You're an archer so I'm sure you have patience." Bobbi told him and he nodded with a smirk.

"You have no idea." Fury told her.

**In the cells, the Hydra soldiers led some prisoners into their cell as one of them removed a prisoner's hat with his stick. The prisoner, who also had a moustache, put his hat back on and turning around smugly told the guard that one day he would have a stick of his own.**

"Dum Dum Dugan!" Steve smiled.

"What a badass!" Bucky said.

"He is in the history books." Natasha remembered.

"Yeah, read about him." Clint said.

"The Howling Commandos were important to SHIELD history." Fury said.

"Is it just me or does he look like a magician?" Peter asked about Dugan. [1]

**Steve sneaked in, hiding between the trees of the forest as he looked at the facility and saw several military humvees going in. He ran into the last one, pushing back the tarp and jumping inside as two soldiers sat there. He dryly greeted them. There was some fighting and a few seconds later, both of them were thrown out.**

"The classic two." Rhodes said as everyone chuckled.

**The humvees parked at different points to unload as an armed man lifted the tarp behind the Humvee and saw the shield. Before he could react, Steve bashed his face with it, knocking him out.**

"Look, it is useful." Steve said.

"I am unconvinced." Vision told him.

**Steve jumped out and ran between the rows of the Hydra vehicles. He climbed on one of the smaller buildings and jogged up to the lab. He then knocked on the door and as a guard opened it, Steve slammed his head with it and knocked him out with a punch before hauling him aside and slipping into the lab.**

"That was awesome!" Peter cheered.

"Captain America in action for the first time." Loki said dryly.

**Steve cautiously slipped around the big machines before finding a machine that held little cartridges of Cube energy. He took one and put it in his pocket.**

"How did he manage to store it?" Wanda asked.

"I have no idea." Steve said, "Science isn't my strongest suit."

**In the cells, one of the prisoners looked up and saw a guard being knocked out. Steve leaned over his body and showed them the keys. One of the men asked him who he was.**

"That's Gabe Jones." Steve told everyone.

"The Star Spangled-" Natasha began.

"Don't piss the little guy off." Bucky told her and both chuckled as Steve shook his head.

**Steve introduced himself as Captain America, confusing them all. Steve then went down to the cells and opened them, freeing all the men. Dugan saw another man and asked if they were taking everybody. The man said he was from Fresno.**

"Jim Morita." Bucky introduced him.

"Nice guy." Steve said.

"He is my Principal's grandfather." Peter revealed and everyone was a bit surprised on hearing it but Aunt May nodded too and it did make sense.

**Steve then said he was looking for Sergeant James Barnes as Morita told him there was an isolation ward but no one came back from it. Steve told them the tree line was north-west eighty yards past the gate and they had to get out fast and give them hell. He would meet them in the clearing with anyone else he found. **

"Giving orders like a Captain already." Hill said.

"You are a natural leader, Rogers. Which is why you are fit to lead the Avengers." Thor told him.

"Thanks." Steve said in appreciation with a nod.

**Gabe Jones asked Steve if he knew what he was doing and he said he did as he had knocked out Adolf Hitler over 200 times. He then ran off to the isolation ward.**

"They didn't even get the joke." Tony said.

"Pity." Aunt May agreed as everyone chuckled.

**The men charged out of the factory. The few Hydra guards tried to fire at them and even got a few but over 100 prisoners were too much for them even with Teserract-powered guns. Dugan and a man called James Montgomery punched two out as Morita and another man called Jacques Dernier knocked out another and the latter picked up his weapon. Morita asked him if he knew how to use it and he fired, the recoil making him reel as a tank was destroyed.**

"Now he does." Hope said.

"These men were all hardasses." Logan said.

"Yeah, I remember when you fought with us a few times." Steve said.

"And you were one too." Bucky said and Logan shrugged.

"They're giving them hell." Fury said.

"Go!" Sam cheered.

"So badass!" Rhodes said.

**Dugan managed to climb into a tank while in the control room, Schmidt saw what was going on and pressed a large red button which sent an alarm blaring in the facility.**

"And now they will escape." Bruce sighed.

**Gabe had climbed beside Dugan in the tank as they started it and Gabe spoke German. Dugan inquired about it as Gabe said he had spent three semesters at Howard before switching to French as the girls were cuter. Dugan said he hadn't asked for the resume as James Montgomery climbed inside too.**

"Still an impressive resume." Pepper said.

**Dugan started the tank and fired it around on the soldiers happily.**

"Wicked cool!" Scott said.

**Schmidt looked at the screen and turning the camera, saw Steve fighting and beating several soldiers alone so he started the timer, shocking Zola. He pointed at Steve on the screen and said their forces were outmatched.**

"So that's how he found you." Bucky realized and Steve nodded.

**Zola ran to his room as Schmidt continued flipping the switches while Steve burst through a door, knocking down a man on the other side. He looked around in the empty lab as the freed prisoners fought the soldiers outside while Dugan, Gabe and Montgomery fired the tank around. One of them picked up a grenade and used it to kill more soldiers as Schmidt went to the central machine and picked up the Teserract with a metal thing and the timer counted down with less than 3 minutes left.**

"Get out fast!" Peter said.

**Zola was shoving papers in his bag and hurried out, leaving a large map behind as Steve appeared in the hallway. The two looked at each other before Zola ran off.**

"Hi doctor." Steve snarled.

**Steve then rushed into the room where someone was muttering incoherently. He ran up there and to his shock, he saw Bucky lying there, strapped to a bed.**

"Oh my God!" Aunt May said in horror, summing up everyone's reaction. Even Tony looked pale and to his own surprise, worried about Bucky.

"It is horrible." Wanda said, remembering her own experience under Hydra.

"What did they do to you?" Hope asked.

"Whatever they did, it helped me survive the fall." Bucky said with a wince as Natasha held his hand for comfort and Steve put a hand around his shoulder.

**The shocked Steve undid his restraints and called out his name, saying it was Steve. His name seemed to snap Bucky out of his daze and he was surprised to see Steve there.**

"Now look at that. The dawn of bromance." Natasha joked and everyone chuckled.

**Steve said he had thought Bucky was dead as Bucky said he had thought Steve was smaller. Steve then looked at the map Zola had left behind.**

"I still can't believe you memorized it with just one glance." Bucky said.

**Steve then carried Bucky off as he asked what had happened to him and he said he had joined the army.**

"And taken part in a top-secret experiment." Bucky added.

"And become the Star Spangled Man with a Plan." Clint said and everyone laughed as Steve shook his head.

"Seriously though, thank you." Bucky said and Steve nodded.

**The soldiers continued fighting the Hydra guards as Bucky asked Steve if it was permanent and he said it was. **

"For someone who has been experimented on by Hydra, you seem very stable." Wanda said, remembering she hadn't been the most stable after being experimented upon.

"They enhanced me a bit so I guess I got my balance." Bucky said, "And they did use a different stone on me."

"All the stones are dangerous." Odinson said in a tone that invited no argument and for a split second Wanda saw a purple stone being pressed into his head by a giant purple being in an armor and he was screaming in pain.

She shuddered as the image vanished. The giant purple being in his head had left her rattled. She decided to ask the future people about it later.

**The freed prisoners blasted through the gate and charged as the timers started reaching "0" and the buildings all started exploding.**

"Get out!" Peter said again.

**Steve and Bucky ran up to the railing as the latest explosion rocked the floor. They tore through a set of stairs and just when they were about to pass a bridge a voice called out, "Captain America!"**

"Uh-oh!" Hill said.

"The Red Skull." Bobbi said.

**Steve and Bucky turned back to see Schmidt and Zola. Schmidt mocked Steve, calling the situation exciting and saying how he was a great fan of his films.**

"So he is a fan too." T'Challa said dryly.

**Schmidt said how Erskine had managed it after all. Steve wasn't exactly an improvement but still impressive.**

"He is 10 times the man you or Blonsky will ever be." Bruce said as everyone nodded in agreement.

**Steve punched Schmidt, staggering him back and damaging his mask slightly. Schmidt then tried to punch Steve but he put the shield in the way, blocking the attack though the metal was dented.**

"Told ya!" Steve said.

Vision didn't say a thing as everyone chuckled.

**Steve tried to take out his gun but Schmidt punched him on the face, sending him to the ground as the gun fell off. Before he could attack again, Steve kicked him away. Zola then pulled a lever and the bridge split from the middle and started folding backwards. Captain America and Red Skull glared at each other as they were separated by a fiery chasm.**

"Looks like a classic action movie." Tony commented.

**Schmidt told Steve that no matter what lies Erskine told him, he was his greatest success.**

"Anyone who still has food in their stomach, look away." Bucky said.

**Schmidt gripped the flesh on his face and began peeling, slowly ripping it off and throwing it away, revealing his true face. He was bald with deep red skin.**

"Ughh!" Wanda said.

"That was disgusting." Fury agreed.

"Ewww." Scott and Hope said simultaneously.

"The ears!" Tony said.

"The second most disgusting thing I have seen." Daisy said.

"What's the most disgusting?" Peter asked, not sure if anything could top what he had just seen.

"I'll tell you later." Daisy said as her and Bobbi thought of Hive again.

"This is not much to be honest." Logan said and Wanda saw an image in his head for a split second where he was covering a man with debris under a well as a powerful blast hit him hard, burning his skin badly.

She shuddered as the image vanished and she wondered what it was that had hit Logan and the other man.

**A traumatized Bucky hoped Steve didn't have one of those.**

"I don't." Steve said.

**Schmidt tossed his mask aside and told Steve he was deluded as he pretended to be a simple soldier when they had left humanity behind.**

"You aren't even a human to begin with you bastard." Bobbi snarled at him.

**As he walked away, Red Skull said unlike Steve he embraced it proudly and without fear. Steve asked him why he was running then. Red Skull didn't reply and went into an elevator with Zola that took them up. Steve and Bucky continued running up as Red Skull and Zola stopped in front of a single-passenger plane. Zola asked where he would sit and Red Skull gave him the keys to his motorcar, telling him not to scratch it.**

"I expected him to ditch the guy." Tony said.

"He would have." Hill said.

"If he still hadn't needed him." Fury finished.

**Steve and Bucky reached a large metal crossbeam that rattled while Zola got to Red Skull's motorcar and starting it, sped off while Red Skull flew off in his plane. Bucky swung his legs over the railing and balanced himself on the crossbeams on Steve's suggestion. He then slowly walked as the beam began to snap.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"What the hell?" Rhodes said.

"It's like you love death." Loki said with a chuckle as Thor glared at him and he shut up.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Peter was saying.

Natasha unconsciously grasped Bucky's hand and he squeezed back.

**As the beam fell, Bucky jumped to the other side and catching the railing, swung himself over, saving himself.**

"Phew!" Aunt May sighed in relief as everyone relaxed a little and Natasha and Bucky let each other's hands go.

**Bucky said there would be a rope around. "Just go! Get out of here!" Steve shouted. "No! Not without you!" Bucky screamed.**

Everyone watched the bond between the two with wide eyes and agape jaws.

"You think you are the only one who can sacrifice himself?" Bucky asked Steve who sighed.

"Looks like we got a new candidate." Hill joked.

**Steve bent the railing and backing up, ran forward, taking a leap just as everything exploded and was covered in flames.**

"What happened? What happened?" Peter said frantically.

"I realized I could jump really high." Steve said dryly and everyone sighed in relief.

"Rogers you son of a bitch!" Tony said as everyone chuckled.

"And that is how Captain America won the respect of the soldiers." Benjamin said and everyone nodded.

**At the army base, Phillips dictated a condolence letter to a man on the typewriter about Steve Rogers being killed in action.**

"He is in for a huge surprise." Daisy said cheerfully as Steve smirked.

**Peggy entered as the dictation was finished and said the last surveillance flight hadn't found anything. Phillips asked the man to get a cup of coffee and said to Peggy that he couldn't touch Stark as he was rich and the army's number one weapons contractor but she wasn't. Peggy said she didn't regret her actions and she was sure Steve didn't either.**

"Still don't." Steve said.

**Phillips said he didn't care about her opinions and him taking a chance with her had lead America's golden boy and many other people to death because she had a crush.**

"Ah, so he sees it too." Tony said.

"He is an army officer." Steve said.

**Peggy said she had faith as Phillips said dryly it would provide good comfort once the division was shut down. That was when they heard voices of disbelief coming from outside.**

"Here it comes!" Clint said.

**Phillips walked out with Peggy behind him and saw a crowd gathering. There, striding up the ridge with all the former HYDRA prisoners behind him and Bucky at his side and a fanfare heralding his arrival, strode Captain America himself.**

Everyone in the room broke out in applause.

"Now that is what Captain America is supposed to do!" Aunt May said.

"Couldn't agree more." Sam told her.

**Steve, Bucky and the others marched into the camp past the cheering men who had earlier mocked Steve. Gilmore Hodge was among them too.**

"He ate humble pie too." Natasha said and everyone chuckled.

**The sleeping men came out to watch too as Steve walked up to Phillips and giving him a salute, told him some men needed medical attention. Phillips glanced at the men and Steve who was ready to surrender himself to disciplinary action but he said it won't be necessary.**

"Now that's what I call appreciation." Logan said.

**Phillips joked a bit with Peggy about how she had faith and walked off as she walked up to Steve and said he was late. He took out the broken transponder and said he couldn't call his ride.**

"Awww, look at that. So cute." Natasha said with a teasing smirk as Steve shot her a look and Bucky and Sam chuckled too.

"You have earned everyone's respect, Captain." T'Challa said.

"And that is a good thing." Thor agreed.

**"Hey!" Bucky shouted, drawing everyone's attention. "Let's hear it for Captain America!" And all the men burst into cheers.**

So did everyone in the room as Steve thanked them.

**In front of the White House, Brandt announced how he was giving a Medal For Valor to his 'personal friend' Captain America but he didn't come out in spite of being called thrice.**

"Ironic that when you finally earned a Medal For Valor, you weren't there to take it." Natasha said.

"I didn't do it for medals." Steve shrugged.

**The assistant came out, apologizing to Brandt that he couldn't find Captain America as an elderly man in a uniform among the audience said, "I thought he'd be taller."**

"Okay, what?" Rhodes said in shock.

"He is in this too?" Tony asked.

"Looks like he is a higher being." Thor said.

"He might be." Odinson told him.

"I can't believe it." Steve said.

"Me neither." Fury agreed.

"Maybe he is a watcher." Daisy said.

"Or The One Above All Himself." Bobbi shrugged as everyone decided to continue watching.

**In the SSR Base, Steve marked the Hydra bases on the map and said he had just got a quick look as Peggy said no one was perfect.**

"Nope!" Tony said and everyone sighed.

**Steve said there were other weapons factories as manufactured weapons were shipped off to a facility that wasn't on the map according to Barnes. Phillips asked Peggy to coordinate with MI6 as he wanted every Allied eyeball to look for that Hydra base.**

"Just call James Bond." Benjamin joked and everyone chuckled.

**Phillips said they were going to set a fire under Johann Schmidt's ass as a woman with blonde curled hair called Private Lorraine came up to him and handed him a document before looking flirtatiously at Steve.**

"Ugh." Steve groaned.

"What?" Natasha asked.

"Don't ask." He said.

**Phillips asked Steve if he could wipe Hydra off his map and he said he could with a team. Phillips said he was assembling the best men but Rogers told him he was too.**

"Oh that is going to be so awesome!" Scott said.

"Yup." Hope agreed.

"And I met those men. They were the best." Logan said as Steve and Bucky nodded at him.

**Later, Steve sat down with Dugan, Gabe, Morita and James, asking them to join his team. James agreed as Morita agreed too as James talked to Gabe in French and both of them agreed as Dugan said he would always fight as long as one thing was done for him.**

"Get the beer!" Tony said.

**Dugan said if a tab was opened for him as he finished his beer.**

"Look!" Tony said as everyone laughed.

**Steve walked to the bartender, asking him for another round as he wondered where they were putting this stuff.**

"In their stomachs." Vision said.

**Steve walked up to Bucky who said they were all idiots as music was played.**

"No. Just drunk." Wanda said.

**Steve asked Bucky, "How about you? You ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death?" Bucky shook his head, "Hell no.** **That little fellow in Brooklyn who was too dumb to run away from a fight, I'm following him."**

Everyone smiled again at the bond between Steve and Bucky.

"I had to watch your back." Bucky said.

"And you did." Steve told him.

**Bucky asked if Steve was keeping the outfit as he looked and old poster of the tour and said it was growing on him as the others sang a song about how the best of friends must part.**

Steve and Bucky winced, with the former wondering if this was God's way of telling him he would be parting with his best friend for a long time.

**They stopped as someone entered. It was Peggy Carter in a red dress.**

Everyone's jaw dropped.

"Okay. She looks…beautiful." Peter said.

"She does." Aunt May smiled.

"You remember this, right?" Steve asked with a smirk.

"I do." Bucky sighed.

**Peggy halted in front of the two as they got up and addressed her. She said Howard had some equipment for Steve which he could try out the next morning.**

"Equipment huh." Tony said as Steve sighed.

**Steve agreed as the others sang again and Peggy said dryly how his squad was prepping for duty. Bucky asked if she didn't like music and she said she did and would even go dancing when this was over. Bucky asked what she was waiting for and she looked at Steve and said, "The right partner."**

"Awkward." Bruce said.

"Very." Hill agreed.

Bucky sighed.

**She walked off, telling Steve the time as he agreed to be there.**

"Score!" Hope said as everyone chuckled.

**Bucky said how he was invisible and turning into Steve which was like a horrible dream. Steve asked him not to take it too hard as she might have a friend.**

Everyone laughed as Bucky said this time, "Somebody kill me."

**Howard and an assistant worked on the little cartridge of Teserract energy Steve had brought, thinking it harmless as he touched it with a pair of prongs, only for a pulse of light to send them both on the floor.**

"Yup. I'm just like my old man." Tony said.

"Not in everything." Pepper said as she held his hand.

"Mad scientists." Clint said only for Tony, Bruce and Benjamin to glare at him and he shrugged.

**Steve went around to look for Howard and asked Private Lorraine about it.**

"Why this?" Steve moaned.

"Just like that." Benjamin chuckled.

"What?" Bucky and Natasha asked.

"Just watch." Daisy smirked.

**She looked at him and said he was welcome to wait. She talked about how he had saved 400 men, though he tried to shrug it off.**

No one could control their laughter.

"Back at you!" Bucky said as Steve put his head in his hands.

"Please shoot me." He said, "Why did you have to show this one?"

"To show how adorably dumb you are." Bobbi laughed as Steve held his head in his hands.

"Is it just me or does she look like Margery Tyrell?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, she looks like Natalie Dormer." Hope agreed. [2]

**She got up and told him to tell that to their wives. She grabbed him by the tie and said the women of America owed him their thanks but because they weren't here, she would do it on their behalf. She then pulled him into a kiss.**

"Margery Tyrell, always going for the alpha." Scott laughed.

"Whether it is in personality or status." Hope said.

**That was when Peggy arrived and the two pulled away.**

"Odin's Beard." Thor said.

"That would be an appropriate reaction." Loki said.

"Yes." Odinson agreed.

"Why? Why?" Steve was moaning as everyone laughed at his misery.

"I don't think that was your plan." Natasha laughed.

**Carter said they were ready if he wasn't occupied and strode off. Steve ran after her and tried to explain as she said how finding a partner wasn't hard. He told her it wasn't what she thought as she said she didn't think anything and he was on the frontlines now. Steve pointed out her and Stark had been fondue-ing.**

"Okay you are the worst!" Bucky said as everyone laughed again.

"I can never be this bad." Peter laughed too.

Steve just looked at the screen, not paying attention to them.

**Peggy said he still didn't know anything about women and walked off as Steve looked after her. He then went in and Howard told him how fondue was just cheese and bread.**

"Or chocolate and fruit." Thor said.

"Finally." Bucky said.

"This isn't over." Steve sighed.

**Steve realized his mistake as Howard said when he understood women would be when his goose is fully cooked.**

"Of course you'd know, dad." Tony scoffed.

**Howard said he just focused on work which was to keep Steve and his team alive for now.**

"Yes it is." Tony said as Steve and Bucky didn't look at him.

**Howard then had Steve look at some shields as he said Hydra won't attack him with a pocket knife.**

"I don't think so." Steve said and Bucky shook his head.

**He then joked how Steve and the stage prop shield were attached as Steve said it was pretty handy. Howard was about to show him more shields when Steve saw a perfectly round one and asked him about it as he held it up.**

"That's the one!" Thor smiled as everyone smirked too.

**Howard said it was just a prototype and that it was made of Vibranium, the rarest metal on Earth and that shield was all they had got.**

"It was all my ancestors let you take." T'Challa corrected.

"All righty." Tony said.

**That was when Peggy arrived, saying how Captain had unfinished business. Steve asked her about the shield and she suddenly lifted up a gun and fired as Steve blocked with the shield. The bullets were deflected off.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said in shock.

"Never making you jealous now." Bucky said to Natasha as he realized making agents jealous was a stupid idea.

"Why are you doing this?" Steve asked the future people.

"Too good for bloopers." Benjamin said and everyone laughed.

"Still, isn't the reaction too over the top?" Aunt May asked, "It's not like you two were together. So she had no right to do that."

"She does have a very good point." Sam agreed and Steve nodded. [3]

**Peggy put the gun away and said it worked fine as she walked off while Steve and Howard stared after her. Steve gave Howard a note that had some ideas about the uniform.**

"Now it will begin." Logan said as everyone watched.

**Steve was now in his uniform with the mask as well. He loaded a pistol, strapped on his shield which was painted with the colors of America and it began. Steve burst into a Hydra base with Bucky, Dugan, Morita, James and Gabe as they fired at the Hydra soldiers together.**

"Those were the days!" Bucky said.

"Yeah. With the Howling Commandos." Steve smiled.

"And I joined you on one such adventure." Logan said.

"With that friend of yours." Bucky said, "Victor Creed."

"Yeah, what happened to him?" Steve asked.

"Don't ask." Logan said in a tone that invited no argument as the two looked away, wondering what that was about.

**Steve kicked men or knocked them away with his shield. Later, the Howling Commandos came running out of the back of the exploding base as Steve rode out on his bike and smiled as he looked back.**

"Son of a gun." Fury said.

"Rock that bike!" Hill cheered.

"So you always did that." Tony sighed.

**The Red Skull sped on his motorcar and looked at the wreckage with a scowl.**

"What happened? Lost a base?" Daisy joked as everyone laughed.

**Decorated pins were moved off a map in SSR by Peggy and Phillips as Steve and the Commandos walked in a forest. Steve sensed something and threw his shield at a tree, sending a hidden Hydra agent down as the others watched.**

"How did you…." Clint trailed off.

"Superhuman senses." Steve shrugged.

"Matt would be proud of those." Bobbi said.

**Steve caught his shield and put it on his arm as they proceeded and raised through the forest despite heavy fire, blowing up a tank as well.**

"So nice!" Logan smirked.

**Morita whistled and shone a flashlight from a hidden position as everyone else huddled. He ran and dove right under a running truck, fastening the thing on its underside as it passed him. He got up and closed his ears as the truck exploded and he smiled as the others laughed.**

"What the hell?" Aunt May said.

"Not my idea." Steve said.

"Not mine either." Bucky said.

**Footage of Steve and the Commandos played in a movie theater as Phillips and Peggy watched. The camera inched closer to Steve's hand and a picture of Peggy was shown.**

"Awww. That is so sweet, Steve." Natasha said as he sighed.

**Steve noticed it and put the picture away as Phillips looked at Peggy who looked uncomfortable but then smiled.**

"So that's why she changed her mind about me." Steve said.

**Somewhere else, Bucky looked at Steve with a sniper rifle before noticing a soldier aiming at him from above and shot him dead as Steve gave him a salute.**

"Thank you." Steve said.

"You're welcome." Bucky told him.

"Go Bucky!" Hope cheered as everyone clapped and Bucky gave a flattered smile.

**Steve fought Hydra men at another lab and tossed his shield like a giant Frisbee.**

"Badass!" Peter clapped as everyone joined in.

**Steve jumped on a tank, busted the lock, pulled open the door and yanked the man out, throwing him off. James then tossed him explosive devices as he threw them inside the tank and sealed it before jumping off as the tank exploded behind him.**

"YES!" Thor, Bruce and Peter cheered.

"Now that is what the history books said." Fury told everyone and they nodded.

"**You are failing!" Red Skull roared at Zola in some ruins, "We are close to an offensive that could shake the planet, yet we are continually delayed because you cannot outwit a simpleton with a shield!" Zola said he had only developed the weapons and couldn't fire them.**

"Driving them nuts, aren't you?" Daisy asked as Steve smirked.

"That's what we lot did." Logan told her.

**Red Skull asked Zola to finish his mission before Steve finished his as a man arrived held at gunpoint by one of Red Skull's guards and said they had fought to the last man. Red Skull said they hadn't and disintegrated him with a shot.**

"Dictators." Pepper said.

"I know." Loki of all people said.

**James looked down with some binoculars as Morita and Gabe listened to German messages on a radio.**

"Oh God!" Steve paled.

"This." Bucky sighed.

"What?" Peter and Scott asked at the same time.

"A tragedy." Bobbi said as Natasha held Bucky's hand for comfort.

**Bucky reminded Steve of the time he had made him ride the cyclone on Coney Island as Steve remembered he had thrown up. Bucky jokingly asked if it was payback as Steve said it wasn't.**

"Don't like heights." Steve joked to lighten the mood and Bucky chuckled a little.

**Gabe said Zola was on the train headed to somewhere as James said they were moving like the devil. Steve got ready to slide down a rope with a handlebar as he said they had a ten second window and if they missed that they'd be bugs on a windshield.**

"Not really." Clint said.

**Dugan joked at the bugs to get moving as Steve, Bucky and Gabe slid down and landed on boxes of the train. Steve and Bucky reached the ladder near the engine as Gabe remained up.**

"So this is it." Fury said.

**Steve opened the cabin door and entered with Bucky as they looked around at rows of weapons. Steve passed an open doorway cautiously when it was slammed shut in Bucky's face from the other side.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"What the hell?" Rhodes said.

"It was a trap!" Hill realized.

**A Hydra soldier attacked Bucky as he fired back at him while Steve was attacked by a Hydra agent with some kind of big weapon. Zola ordered him to fire as Steve took cover and raised his shield to defend himself from the blue powerful shots.**

"What is that thing?" Scott said.

**Bucky exchanged fire with the Hydra soldier as Steve jumped up and grabbed something dangling from the ceiling and sliding towards the man while blocking his shots, jumped down to kick him and knocked him out with his shield.**

"Way to go!" Tony said.

**Bucky and the guard continued firing at each other when the former ran out. Steve pulled the door open quietly and tossed Bucky his gun. He then used his shield to send a compartment flying as the guard was pinned down and Bucky shot him dead.**

"Very nice." Odinson said as everyone watched.

**Bucky said he had him on the ropes as Steve said he knew he did.**

Everyone chuckled lightly.

**Suddenly Steve's opponent returned and fired as Steve blocked with his shield and was sent flying off as the blast ricocheted off his shield and blew a hole in the compartment. Zola ordered him to fire again as Bucky leapt up and grabbing the shield, fired. The man fired at him and he was sent out as the shield fell off.**

"NO!" Aunt May cried.

"Why?" Peter said sadly.

**Steve grabbed the shield and hurled it at the guard, sending him back. He then ran towards the opening as he took off his mask, calling out to Bucky. Bucky was dangling from one of the handlebars on the outside of the train, clinging for dear life. The track now ran along the edge of the mountain. If Bucky let go, he would fall to his death.**

"No, no, no, no, no." Scott was saying as Hope looked pale too.

**Steve began inching towards him and shouted, "Hang on!" He gave his hand and yelled, "Grab my hand!" But the bar Bucky was hanging from broke from one end.**

"NO!" Bruce yelled.

Logan sighed angrily and looked down as Bobbi and Daisy watched wide eyes.

**The other end broke as Steve roared, "NO!" Bucky fell down with a scream.**

Steve realized tears were falling out of his eyes as Bucky trembled and Natasha grabbed him tightly to comfort him.

"It's okay." She said, "You're here."

Tony was trembling too due to the sadness he was actually feeling for Bucky as Pepper held his hand tightly for comfort and he squeezed back.

Peter was on the verge of sobbing as Aunt May covered her hand with her mouth.

Thor held his head in his hands, reminded of Loki's 'death.' Loki put a hand around him for comfort.

Scott and Hope couldn't say a thing either as Sam and Rhodes watched with wide jaws and Clint shook too.

Benjamin, Logan, Odinson and Storm didn't comment either and looked saddened as Fury closed his one eye sadly and Hill just sighed.

Wanda cowered a little, thinking about how Bucky endured things far worse than even death.

After about five minutes, everyone was back to normal and Benjamin finally restarted the recording.

**Steve started crying. Zola looked back at the screen as Gabe jumped into the engine and held him at gunpoint as he shrank back in fear.**

"No more than what you deserve, you piece of shit!" Logan snarled.

"He does." Natasha snarled too.

But they all knew this was a pyrrhic victory. Nothing more.

* * *

**The ending was very hard to write. Poor Bucky. And man, in this movie, Bucky is rescued and about 20 minutes later, dies! Why? *Sobs in a corner***

**[1] Neal McDonough, who plays Dum Dum Dugan, also played Damien Dahrk in Season 4 of Arrow (Get that season out of my head) and Seasons 2 and 3 of DC's Legends of Tomorrow and Damien had magical powers due to an idol.**

**[2] Private Lorraine was played by Natalie Dormer and I was referring to her role in Game of Thrones and the 'always going for the alpha' joke is based on the fact that in movies and TV shows, she goes for people who are alpha in either personality or just status. Though in Game of Thrones the Lannisters wanted her as much as she wanted them as they needed the Tyrells' money and she wanted to be the Queen. In Game of Thrones, she was with Renly, Joffrey and Tommen. The latter two were alpha in status. In this movie she went for Cap who is an alpha in personality as well as status.**

**[3] Look, I love Peggy and I like Steggy as well (though I still don't like how Steve's character arc ended with him going back to her) but this part was stupid. Steve and Peggy weren't together right now. While I could understand Peggy being jealous, shooting at Steve went too far. It crossed an entire line. Really sometimes the writers make female characters do senseless stuff while trying to make them awesome. Still, I love Peggy as a character and this was her worst moment in my opinion.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all in next chapter where this movie ends.**


	25. I had a date

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now movie history has been made as Avengers: Endgame has done what Avengers: Infinity War and Star Wars: The Force Awakens failed to do. It outgrossed Avatar! Yes!**

**And Spider-Man: Far From Home is the most successful Spider-Man movie now and is about to cross $1 billion.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Glad it was a nice job. I have no idea.**

Chapter 25- I had a date

"What happened to him after that?" Peter asked.

"He was asked questions." Steve said.

"It's in here." Benjamin told them.

**Zola was led into a cell by a guard who handed him his glasses and went out as he examined the room, including some bloodstains on the ground when Phillips walked in with steak, broccoli pieces and some potatoes as he asked Zola to sit down. Zola asked what was in it and Phillips said it was a cow and asked him if he knew how hard it was to get a prime cut in these parts. Zola said he didn't eat meat.**

"Dang." Peter said.

"All that effort and he is a vegetarian." Rhodes said.

**Phillips started eating it himself and asked if cyanide gave him a rumbly tummy too as every Hydra agent they had captured had eaten it before being interrogated which meant Zola wanted to live.**

"Or he is just too valuable." Scott said.

"I think Schmidt would still want him dead if he is captured." Natasha pointed out.

**Zola realized Phillips was trying to intimidate him but Phillips pointed out he had brought him dinner.**

"Which you won't even eat." Tony said.

**Phillips handed Zola a paper which said he was being remounted to Switzerland in exchange for his full cooperation.**

Steve and Bucky snarled angrily.

**Phillips said he had sent that encoded message to Washington. Zola said Schmidt would know it's a lie.**

"So they broke the codes." Hope sighed.

"They do have more advanced tech." Fury said.

**Phillips said Schmidt would kill Zola anyway and the last person he had cost them was Captain Rogers' closest friend so they wouldn't count on the best of protection.**

"And yet you recruited him." Steve snarled.

"There was a lot of opposition to this." Hill said, "But they still did it."

"And because of that, Hydra was a pain in our ass years later." Daisy said.

"Yeah, it was just the worst." Bobbi said too as she remembered infiltrating Hydra.

**Phillips told him it was him or Schmidt. Zola said Schmidt believed he walked in the footsteps of the Gods and only the world would satisfy him. Phillips said that was nuts.**

"With the Teserract on his side, no." Bruce said.

**Zola said the sanity of the plan was of no consequence because he could do it. Phillips asked where his target was and Zola said his target was everywhere.**

Everyone shivered slightly at that.

**In a Hydra base, Red Skull stood near the Valkyrie in front of his men who stood in attention as he said the next day Hydra would be master of the world on the Valkyrie's wings. If their powerless enemies shot down one plane, hundreds more will take its place and if they cut off one head, two more shall take its place.**

"Of course that's your motto." Clint snarled.

**Red Skull finished his drink and said "Hail Hydra!" All the soldiers started chanting too.**

"Preparing the world for your God's arrival I see." Daisy snarled.

"Their God?" Natasha asked in shock, never heaving heard of that. The others looked shocked too.

"We'll tell you about it when this one is over." Bobbi said as she exchanged a look with Daisy.

**Peggy arrived at the ruins of a house and saw a depressed Steve who told her how Erskine had told him that Serum would affect his cells and create a system of regeneration which means he couldn't get drunk.**

"I think that's a good thing." Tony said.

"Not if you want to drown your sorrows." Sam pointed out.

"Or if you want to remember." Logan sighed.

"Only Asgardian Ale can get you lot drunk." Odinson told them.

"Yup." Steve and Logan said simultaneously.

**Peggy said his metabolism burnt four times higher than an average person as a side effect. She then sat down on a chair beside him and leaning forwards said, "It wasn't your fault."**

"It wasn't." Bucky assured him and Natasha nodded too. Steve just sighed.

**Steve asked if she had read the report and she said she had, with him telling her it wasn't true. Peggy asked if he believed in his friend and respected him.**

"Always." Steve said with a look at Bucky who smiled.

**Peggy said, "Then stop blaming yourself. Allow Barnes the dignity of his choice. He damn well must have thought you were worth it."**

"I did." Bucky said, "Still do."

"It wasn't your fault, Steve." Natasha assured him.

"It was." Steve said.

"No." Sam said, "You tried to save him."

"I tried." Steve said.

"Stop blaming yourself!" Tony of all people said, "That's what I do. Don't turn into me, Cap."

"You told me Lagos was not on me." Wanda said emotionally, "Now I'm telling you, Bucky was not on you."

Steve just sighed as Daisy told him, "I understand where you're coming from, Captain. But sometime, you realize it wasn't your fault."

"They are right, Steve." Thor said.

"Nobody blames you, Cap." Logan agreed.

"Least of all me." Bucky said.

"You can't always save everyone." Storm said.

"So you shouldn't blame yourself for every single thing." Benjamin told him, "Neither should you, Mr. Stark."

Tony simply nodded in appreciation as Pepper held his hand, "He is right."

"This job, we try to save as many as we can." Wanda used Steve's own words on him, "Sometimes, that doesn't mean everyone. But if we can't find a way to live with that, next time we may not save anyone."

"Kid's right, Cap." Clint assured him.

"Yes Captain, all of us believe in you." Peter said.

"We do." Aunt May agreed.

"I hate to say it, but I do too." Fury said.

"Me as well." Hill said.

"And me." Bobbi agreed.

"We may have disagreed on you, but we never stopped believing in you." Rhodes said.

"Yes. I also consider you a good man, Captain." Vision said.

"Look, even a half-machine believes in you." Odinson said and everyone chuckled.

"Hulk believes in you too." Bruce said.

"So do we." Scott said.

"Yes we do, Cap." Hope said as Scott gave her an amused look and she smiled.

"Yes Captain. You are an inspiration to everyone." T'Challa said.

"I wish I could join." Loki simply said.

Steve looked around at all of them gratefully. His friends. His family.

"Thanks you guys." Steve smiled gratefully, "You're the best team I could have asked for. And the best friends. We're family."

Everyone nodded at that with smiles as Steve felt a huge burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

**Steve said he was going after Hydra and not stopping till they were all dead or captured as Peggy said he wouldn't be alone. Later, at the SSR Headquarters, Phillips said Schmidt belonged in a bughouse as he believed himself a God and was willing to blow up half a world to prove it, starting with USA.**

"That makes him a demon really." Thor said.

"It does." Loki agreed.

"He wasn't a human to begin with." Scott said.

"Nope." Hope agreed.

**Howard said he had power beyond their capabilities and he could wipe out the entire Eastern Seaboard in an hour if he got across the Atlantic.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said with wide eyes.

**Gabe asked how much time they had and Phillips said under one day according to his new best friend. Dernier asked where he was as Phillips said Hydra's last base was in the Alps 500 feet below the surface. He handed Steve a photograph as Morita said they couldn't just knock on the front door.**

"Don't jinx it." Sam said.

"Jinxes are bullshit." Logan said.

**"Why not?" Steve asked. Everyone at the table turned and looked at him as he lifted his eyes from the photo, "That's exactly what we're going to do."**

"And he jinxed it." Tony said.

"Jinxes are bullshit, bub." Logan said again.

**Steve climbed on his bike, dressed in his Captain America uniform and rode through the sparse forest as some Hydra soldiers sped after him on a bike and fired, though the shots ricocheted off his shield.**

"At least they have better aim than Stormtroopers." Peter said.

"They are a disgrace." Clint said about Stormtroopers.

"But can't penetrate the shield." Scott told them.

**Steve pressed a button as ropes with arrows at the end snapped out of the back wheel and embedded itself onto trees. Most of the soldiers ducked to avoid but two of them couldn't and were thrown off.**

"How do you like that, huh?" Sam said.

"Game on." Natasha simply said.

**Steve then released a stream of fire from one of the exhaust tubes, sending some more soldiers down as a bike was burnt.**

"So nice." Thor said.

"Yes. You have brains." Loki told Steve.

"Thanks." Steve said.

"Nice weapons." Tony said, "Dad?"

"Yup." Steve told him.

"I want that motorcycle." Hill said.

"Me too." Bucky told him.

"I think Tony will make one." Steve smirked.

**Two of the guards veered off the path and through a shortcut appeared in front of Steve. Steve sped past them, snatching something small from a bike. When he was a safe distance away, the bikes exploded behind him.**

"YES!" Bruce cheered.

"That was awesome!" Peter said.

"It really was." Rhodes agreed.

"You kicked ass, Cap." Daisy smiled as Steve nodded.

**Then a great gate with a big tank opened and it fired at Steve as he put the shield in the way. Steve then pressed a button and two projectiles were launched out, blowing the tank up.**

"That is a nice bike." Fury said dryly.

"Okay, now I want it!" Logan said.

"Relax, honey." Storm told him.

"Maybe Mr. Stark will make you one." Benjamin joked as everyone chuckled.

"Make one for me too." Bobbi said.

**Steve rode high on the top of the high wall and zoomed straight off the edge and down on the ground with a thud. The guards shot at him but he avoided them. Steve pressed another button as he leapt off the bike and over a tank, bashing a guard away with his shield as he flipped down. He got up and threw his shield at another guard before catching it on return. The bike burst into the wall and exploded, blowing it open.**

"Wow!" Pepper said.

"Why did you blow it up?" Hope asked jokingly.

"Didn't need it anymore." Steve said.

"I need it!" Bucky said and all chuckled.

**Steve blocked a shot from a guard and bashing him aside, kicked him away before putting another down and punched another before upper-cutting him with the shield. He then out another one down with his shield and kicked him away. He continue running as soldiers followed him. He threw his shield at a tank. It ricocheted off it and hit a guard, knocking him out as Steve threw a soldier away and caught his shield.**

"Awesome, Cap." Natasha smiled.

"Thanks." Steve said.

**Then two guards with metal contraptions on them shot streams of fire from both sides, surrounding Steve with flames. They stopped and Steve found himself surrounded.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"Unless…." Hill trailed off.

"Yes." Steve said.

"Part of the plan." Tony realized.

**The soldiers brought Steve inside as Red Skull arrived and said arrogance may not be a unique American trait but he did it better than anyone.**

"Hasn't met me." Tony smirked and everyone chuckled.

**He said there were still limits to what he could do even if Erskine told him otherwise. Steve said Erskine had told him he was insane as Red Skull said Erskine had resented his genius and tried to deny him what was rightfully his.**

"In your dreams, bub." Logan said.

"Is that what I sound like?" Loki asked in shock.

"Not as bad but yes." Thor said.

"Oh no!" Loki sighed.

**Red Skull said Erskine had still given Steve everything and asked what made him so special. Steve smirked, "Nothing. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn."**

"Are you Steve from Brooklyn?" Aunt May asked with an edge to her voice as Peter paled.

"Aunt May." He said, "Cap didn't know I was a kid."

"Sorry." Steve said to her.

"Me too." Tony popped up.

"The three of us are going to have a chat you two are not going to like." Aunt May said to both of them and they paled.

**Red Skull angrily pummeled Steve down, sending him to his knees gasping and coughing.**

"You know what? Never mind." Aunt May said.

**Steve looked up and said, "I can do this all day."**

"We know." Tony grumbled.

"Yes." Natasha said.

**Red Skull said he was on a tight schedule though when ropes with metal pins embedded into the wall. Red Skull noticed as the Howling Commandos swung in and began firing.**

"The Howling Commandos!" Thor cheered.

"Our guys." Steve smiled.

"The best guys." Bucky said.

"Yeah." Logan agreed.

**Red Skull tried to fire at Steve but he put a guard in the way and he was disintegrated as the Howling Commandos continued firing and Red Skull ran off while Steve flipped the other guard away.**

"How do you like that, huh?" Bruce said.

"Not much." Fury told him.

**Steve made to follow as James tossed him his shield and Steve thanked him.**

"Gonna need that." Daisy said.

**Steve ran as Hydra soldiers chased him as Morita said they were in and outside, Phillips and his men started charging in, along with Peggy. They all charged, meeting some Hydra soldiers as inside Dugan, Jones and James picked up Teserract-powered guns and fired at Hydra soldiers. Phillips, Peggy and the others fought Hydra soldiers as some of them were disintegrated but the unit fought them as trucks and tanks caught fire.**

"Looks like there were a lot of explosives on the bike." Clint said.

"I want it!" Thor said now.

"After the airship?" Loki asked.

"Good point." Thor said.

"Airship?" Bucky asked.

"You will see later." Odinson told him.

**Red Skull disintegrated some soldiers who came after him and ran off as Phillips' unit killed some of them. One of them said, "Cut off one head, two more shall-" He was cut off when Phillips shot him down and said, "Let's go find two more!"**

Everyone clapped at Phillips' wit.

"I like this guy." Tony said as everyone chuckled.

**Steve rushed after Red Skull who fired at him but he blocked. Steve then threw his shield but it got stuck on a closing doorway. Steve tried to get it when a Hydra soldier with the flamethrower fired, pushing him back. Then Peggy fired at his pack from behind, destroying it as he was killed.**

"Go girl!" Hope said.

"She is so badass." Hill said.

"That is why we all look up to her." Fury said.

"Yup." Natasha, Clint, Bobbi and Daisy said simultaneously.

"She is a better inspiration than me." Steve said, being the modest guy he was.

**Steve walked up to Peggy as other soldiers arrived and said she was late.**

"Awww, so sweet." Natasha joked and everyone chuckled.

**Peggy reminded him of his priorities and he rushed up to the doorway, taking his shield and going in as it shut behind him. Red Skull climbed up to the Valkyrie. Three Hydra thugs tried climbing behind him but the soldiers shot them down as Red Skull turned a handle and locked the Teserract in the machine before starting the Valkyrie on the pilot's seat.**

"Trying to get away huh?" Scott said.

**Steve arrived and saw it leaving as the soldiers fought the Hydra thugs. Steve smacked one away with his shield and punched another out and bashed a third one down with his shield as he ran. He then leapt up a crate and swinging on a chain, jumped down and continued running.**

"Catch up!" Wanda said.

**The plane moved too quickly as Steve halted when Phillips and Peggy stopped beside him in Schmidt's motorcar.**

"Oh boy!" Rhodes said.

**Steve climbed in and they sped after the plane. Red Skull increased its speed as Phillips increased the motorcar's speed and Steve stood up as they came close to the plane. Steve asked them to keep it steady and was about to jump in when Peggy stopped him and the two kissed each other passionately.**

Everyone burst into applause.

"Finally!" Bucky said.

"Score for Peggy!" Hope said.

"And Cap!" Scott said.

Steve shook his head in amusement.

"Nice one, Cap." Natasha smiled.

"Yeah." Sam agreed.

"Oh absolutely." Tony agreed.

**The two parted as Peggy said, "Go get him!" Phillips said to Steve, "I'm not kissin' you!"**

Everyone giggled.

**Steve put the shield back on and was ready to pass underneath the plane's underbelly as Phillips sped underneath. They reached out of the base into the snow as Steve leapt and grabbed the back wheels and Phillips screeched the motorcar to a halt right at the edge.**

"Phew!" Peter sighed in relief.

**As the Valkyrie flew off, Steve and Peggy exchanged one last look whirl the underside opened and Steve snuck in.**

"And you're in." Loki smirked.

**Steve looked around and saw planes marked for Boston, Chicago and even New York.**

"Shit!" Rhodes said in shock.

"What an insane lunatic." Logan said.

**Some guards arrived as Steve hid. When they passed by the narrow bridge, Steve leapt down, kicking one away. One of them brandished a pocketknife.**

"Take that, dad." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

**Steve twisted his wrist and pinned him down before kicking another soldier away. The last one tried to run but Steve took the knife of the one whom he had pinned down and threw it at the soldier. It hit his back and he was down. Another attacked Steve but he blocked and punched him down as the one whom he had pinned down staggered away to the Chicago plane. Steve then found controls and pulled one and the door under the Chicago plane opened, sending it to the ground with the man.**

"YES!" Thor, Bruce, Sam and Rhodes cheered.

"Good going, Captain." T'Challa said.

**The two previous guards attacked Steve again as he punched one away and lifting the other up, tossed him after his companion.**

"Flight for free." Peter said and everyone laughed.

**The Boston plane started and Steve leapt at it as a guard leapt after him, making his shield fall down. The two struggled as the pilot tried to shake Steve off until the guard fell on the blades of the plane which shredded him into bits of blood.**

"Eugh!" Scott said.

**Steve pushed a switch that opened the door and pulling a red lever, ejected the pilot.**

"Nice job." Daisy said.

**Steve then jumped inside and flew it back at the Valkyrie as the Red Skull fired at him. Steve avoided all the shots before going behind it and sped into the slot where he had been earlier, applying some brakes as he climbed out and picked up his shield again.**

"Rocket would be proud." Odinson said.

"Yes." Benjamin told him.

"I want to meet the guy." Tony said.

**Steve then opened a door and went into the cockpit, seeing the machine holding the Teserract. He walked towards the pilot's chair when Red Skull appeared behind him and fired. Steve blocked with his shield as Red Skull mocked how he didn't give up.**

"Nope!" Steve said.

"**Nope!" Steve said as he ran closer, blocking the shots and disarmed Red Skull and tried to hit him with the shield. He avoided and punched his abdomen and punched him away before slamming him to the ground. He kicked Steve and tried to do it again but Steve grabbed his foot and the two struggled before he was punched off and both fell.**

"He is pissed." Tony said.

**Steve bashed Red Skull down with a piece of debris before grabbing him in a chokehold. The two struggled and fell against the machine as Red Skull picked up the shield and hit Steve twice before being head-butted away. Steve took back the shield and slammed him into the controls as the plane began a nosedive.**

"Uh-oh!" Clint said.

**The two rolled around together as Red Skull kicked Steve away and crawling to the pilot's seat, put the controls back to normal as the plane straightened.**

"Phew!" Natasha said.

**Steve picked himself up as Red Skull took out a gun and fired at him, saying how he could have the power of the Gods but he wore a flag on his chest and fought a battle of nations. He had seen the future and there were no flags. Steve said that wasn't his future and jumped to his shield, blocking a shot and hurling it at Red Skull, who crashed into the machine that was holding the Teserract and shattered it.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"Red Skull is going to act like an idiot now." Fury said.

"He'll touch it." Loki realized.

"Almost no stone should be touched." Vision said.

"Agreed." Odinson told him.

"He's an idiot." Logan said about Red Skull.

**Red Skull was horrified as he picked up the now free Teserract when it glowed more brightly than ever and blue tendrils formed over Red Skull's head. A ring was formed over his head as with a bang, a place appeared over Red Skull.**

"A portal!" Natasha realized.

"Through Yggdrasil." Thor said as he looked carefully.

"Yes." Loki realized too.

"And where did it take him?" Steve asked.

"We'll tell you later." Bobbi said.

"I'm beginning to hate that sentence." Tony said as everyone chuckled.

**Red Skull screamed as he was engulfed by the tendrils and was consumed while Steve fell back. The portal closed and the Cube fell down as it burnt a hole through the Valkyrie and fell through the sky.**

"And it's lost." Hill said.

"For a time." Fury told her.

**Steve picked up his shield and rushed to the pilot's chair, taking off his mask as he looked at the destination that was New York City. He stared out of the window and saw clouds before contacting the Hydra base where Morita answered and then Peggy asked if he was all right.**

Steve took a deep breath as Wanda tensed, realizing what was coming.

**Steve told her Schmidt was dead but the plane was tougher to explain. Peggy said she would find him a safe landing site but Steve said there were none and he had to force it down. **

Everyone's jaws went wide.

**Peggy said she would get Howard on the line but Steve said there was no time as the plane was heading to New York and he needed to put it in the water. Peggy' chin quivered as she begged Steve not to do it.**

Peter, Wanda, Aunt May and Pepper had tears in their eyes.

**Steve said he was in the middle of nowhere. "Peggy." He called out, "This is my choice." Peggy's face crumpled as he pulled out her picture and stared at it, his face hardening. He then started diving the plane.**

Peter and Wanda wanted to cry at this point.

**He then called out to Peggy who said she was there. "I'm gonna need a raincheck on that dance." Steve said. With tears in her eyes, Peggy said, "All right. A week next Saturday, at the Stork club."**

Bucky's and Natasha's lips quivered at the scene.

"**You've got it." Steve told her.** **"Eight o'clock on the dot, don't you dare be late." Peggy said, "Understood?" Steve said, "You know, I still don't know how to dance." The ice drew nearer.**

Bucky and Sam shook their heads.

**"I'll show you how." Peggy promised, "Just be there." "We'll have the band play something slow." Steve said, "I'd hate to step on your -" The radio cut with a buzz, and tears rolled down Peggy's cheeks. "Steve?" She called. There was no answer.**

Bucky ran a hand over his face as Natasha felt a tear rolling down her cheek.

"These goddamn onions!" Tony said.

"**Steve?" Peggy called, "Steve?" Phillips watched the scene sadly and walked out as Peggy lowered her head and wept.**

Steve had never seen what Peggy had done immediately after his 'death.' And now he felt horrible on seeing it.

Lowering his head into his hand, he started weeping silently as Natasha hugged him.

"It's okay." She said, "It's okay."

**The ruins of the Valkyrie died down in the ice and there was VJ-Day in London as people waved the flag happily and laughed while the Howling Commandos raised a toast to Steve. The Cube was shown underwater as a pair of metal arms reached it. Howard was informed of it as he looked at it and then asked them to keep moving, even though there were no signs of wreckage and the signature had stopped.**

"He failed to save you." Tony said as Steve, who had stopped crying, looked up at him.

"What?" Steve asked.

"He wanted to save you. He tried. But he failed. So he praised you all the time to drown the guilt." Tony said as Steve nodded sadly.

**Peggy was looking at a report as Phillips walked up to her and laying a folder, walked away. She opened it to see a picture of Steve, the SSR recruit. The pale, skinny, short one. But it was him.**

Steve wiped his tears and smiled.

**On the streets, a kid with a trash can painted like Captain America's shield ran though the street to join a crowd with his friends as the screen went black.**

"Your successor." Bucky said as everyone chuckled.

"Is that it?" Hill asked.

"No. There's more." Daisy said.

**A voice was heard talking about baseball on a radio as Steve's eyes opened and he looked around in confusion.**

"Baseball commentary." Clint said.

"I know this." Steve said.

"We didn't want to shock you." Fury said.

"Yes. So we did it." Hill told him.

"It was a kind gesture. But I had seen that game." Steve said.

**A red-haired woman entered and greeted him as he asked her where he was. She said he was in a recovery room in New York.**

"You were in New York." Natasha said.

"Fair enough." Steve sighed.

**Steve asked again and she pretended to be confused as he told her the game was from May, 1941 and he had been there.**

"Busted." Hope said.

**The woman pressed a button as two agents arrived. A moment later, the wall burst open and the two agents were down as Steve ran off while the woman tried to stop him. She called the other agents as Steve ran around and pushed more of them off and ran out of the building to the busy streets. He then reached a crosswalk and stared around in confusion and dismay. He was in Times Square.**

"What a shock!" Wanda said with wide eyes.

"Yep." Logan said.

**Six black SUVs surrounded him as a voice said, "At ease, soldier!" He turned to see Nick Fury standing there.**

"And you're back." Hill said.

"Our first meeting." Steve said.

"Yup." Fury said.

**Fury walked towards him and apologized for the show, saying they wanted to break it to him slowly. "Break what?" Steve asked. "You've been asleep Cap. For almost 70 years." Fury revealed as Steve looked around in shock and shook his head before looking away at the signs and buildings. "You gonna be okay?" A concerned Fury asked. "Yeah." Steve said, not sounding like it, "Yeah, it's just….I had a date." The screen went black.**

Steve sighed as Daisy said, "I'm sorry, Cap."

"It's all right." He said as everyone looked at him sadly.

"One more scene." Bobbi said.

**Steve was in a gym, punching a bag till he punched it so hard that it fell off and went sliding.**

"Oh boy!" Natasha said.

"Dark side?" Tony asked.

"Frustrated side." Steve said.

"**Trouble sleeping?" Fury asked as he arrived. "You here with a mission, sir?" Steve asked. "I am." He said. "Trying to get me back into the world?" Steve asked as he took the cloth off his hands. "Trying to save it." Fury said as Steve looked at him and the screen went black.**

"That!" Fury said.

"Over and out." Benjamin said.

"Now, God of Hydra?" Natasha asked as everyone turned to Bobbi and Daisy.

"Years ago, Kree Hunters abducted a man and forced him to undergo Terrigenesis." Bobbi started.

"And he became a powerful Inhuman known as Hive." Daisy said, "The Kree wanted to use him."

"But he rebelled and with his army, drove them away." Logan said.

"He was feared though due to his power as he could possess dead people and mind-control other Inhumans due to his powers." Benjamin said.

"He was a collection of parasitic micro-organisms." Storm said.

"So humans banished him to another world." Odinon said.

"But his worshippers formed a secret society to bring him back." Bobbi said, "Their symbol was modelled after his face."

"And that society was Hydra." Daisy finished as everyone looked at them in horror.

"Didn't know that." Fury said.

"We have to stop him!" Steve said.

"No." Daisy said, "He has already been stopped a few years before your time."

Everyone sighed in relief.

"So what next?" Tony asked.

Bobbi looked up with a smirk, "The Avengers."

* * *

**And the end of this. **

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all with another chapter where we begin with the movie that showed us that a live action Cinematic Universe was possible.**


	26. Threat from another world

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now it's time for the movie that proved a shared Cinematic Universe could exist. The Marvel Cinematic Universe.**

**Even after so many years and movies, this movie has aged like a fine wine and is awesome and exciting no matter how many times I watch it.**

**The characters are great. The villain is great. The banter is great. The action is great. And the plot isn't overly complex because it is impossible to have a complex plot and also show the heroes trying to work together.**

**The other Avengers movies got to do the deep plots because the characters had already been developed by then.**

**And this movie was built-up to nicely by the previous movies of Phase One. Unlike another superhero movie in a franchise that has just corrected its course *cough* Justice League *cough***

**And I'm doing deleted scenes too. There is a deleted scene of Maria Hill that makes her much more badass than she usually is in the MCU.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Glad it was a great job. Yes, all of them.**

**Ultra X45: What do you mean by real Marvel character? Because Deadpool is a real Marvel character too. **

Chapter 26- Threat from another world

"The Avengers?" Peter asked excitedly, "As in their first ever team-up?"

"Yes. That is exactly what we're going to see now." Daisy said as Peter looked happy.

"Well, that ought to be something." Tony said.

"Yup." Steve said.

"Is it too late to be sent back in time?" Loki asked.

"Yes." Logan said and he sighed.

"Don't worry." Benjamin said, "Just keep calm and don't kill Loki."

Everyone chuckled a bit at that.

"I think you won't now would you?" Storm asked.

"After seeing his regret, I don't think so." Steve said.

"Though I might call you a jerk at times." Natasha said.

"I think he can understand." Thor shrugged as Loki sighed.

"Well, let's start." Odinson said.

"Yeah." Bobbi agreed.

"With pleasure." Benjamin said as he started the new recording.

**New York City is shown and inside it, people are recovering from the carnage that has just happened. The police officers and firefighters help the injured civilians as Steve is shown watching, with his shield in hand and no mask while Hill is heard saying to someone that they want to know what went wrong.**

"We begin right here?" Natasha asked in shock.

"It will flash back after this." Benjamin said and everyone nodded.

**Maria Hill is shown in a SHIELD Interrogation room 48 hours after the Teserract event as she tells the World Security Council how it could have gone better. One of the members mentions Nick Fury and she scoffs, saying in the time of war, he thinks of superheroes.**

"It's me!" Hill smiled as everyone clapped a little for her.

"So you hate me?" Fury asked with a smirk.

"No. Just need to show them something." Hill said.

"You're definitely in line to be the next Director." Clint said and everyone chuckled.

**Gideon Malick realized she was talking about the Avengers and she said with them together, this was expected as Hulk was suddenly shown roaring.**

Everyone jumped at that.

"Okay, why did you do that?" Bruce asked.

"It was funny." Logan shrugged.

"You hate us too?" Tony asked jokingly.

"Performance, Stark." Hill said.

**Gideon and Hawley mentioned how several aspects of the Incident are beyond everyone's grasp and inquired about the creatures as Hill told them what Fury had said to her, "In the time of Gods and Monsters, what is the worth of a man?" Thor was shown standing in New York as blood dripped from Mjolnir. **

"You said that?" T'Challa asked.

"We were backing the Council into a corner." Fury told him.

"And I was the one doing it." Hill said as Fury smiled proudly.

"**I don't know what he means." Hill said, "And men…are dying all around. Good men. Friends. Even some heroes." The visor of Tony's Iron Man Suit was shown falling on the ground.**

"Mine!" Tony said and everyone chuckled.

"Ripped out by me." Thor said.

**Hawley inquired if mistakes were made and Hill said astonishing ones before trailing off as Hawley continued calling out to her.**

"All right. That is a great performance you're giving." Natasha said as Hill smiled.

"Thanks." She said.

"Yes. I can agree to that too." Bobbi said and Hill nodded at her too.

**The Teserract was shown as a voice said it had awakened on a little human world. Strange blue steps were shown as some kind of creature was shown kneeling to an unknown figure, saying they wielded its power but their ally knew it was working and they will never learn.**

"Who is that?" Bucky asked.

"The Other." Loki said, his face pale as he shook.

"Loki." Thor inquired gently as he shook him and he seemed to snap out of it, "You all right?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." He said though he didn't seem fine.

"Who is he talking to?" Sam asked.

Before Loki could respond, Daisy said, "We'll tell you at the end of this one."

**The Other was shown handing the Scepter to Loki.**

"Yes. It's me being full on supervillain." Loki said and everybody sighed.

**The Other said he was ready to lead and their force, the Chitauri would follow.**

"Chitauri." Odinson growled.

**The Chitauri were shown, getting ready.**

The original 6 Avengers clenched their fists angrily.

"**The world will be his and the universe yours." The Other said, "And the humans, what can they do, but burn."**

"You obviously haven't met us lot." Tony said.

"Especially this one." Rhodes said as he gestured to Tony and everyone chuckled.

"So this Other showed you the power?" Thor asked.

"Someone else. Someone worse." Loki said as he paled again.

**A helicopter flew over the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility and landed as Maria Hill stepped out with Nick Fury following. They met Phil Coulson as Fury asked how bad it was and Coulson said the problem was they didn't know. The place was being evacuated.**

"I did." Loki said and everybody sighed.

**Coulson said Selvig read an energy surge from the Teserract four hours ago and that it had turned itself on.**

"Nope. Someone else had." Fury said as he glanced at Loki.

"I noticed." Clint said.

**Coulson said everyone would be out in half an hour and Fury told him to get on with it as Hill said there might not be a minimum safe distance due to them not knowing much about the Teserract.**

"Good point." Pepper said.

**Fury asked her to get everything regarding Phase 2 out and it was a priority until a time when the world was ending.**

"It was." Natasha said.

"Didn't know that." Fury shrugged.

"Phase 2, huh?" Steve asked with a raised eyebrow and Fury shrugged again.

"We like to be prepared." He said.

"I know. I know." Tony said.

"I wonder what took you so long." Daisy said as everyone looked confused.

**Hill walked off to comply as Fury walked up to Erik Selvig who told him the Teserract was behaving by itself and was turning itself back on. They were trying to harness energy from space without a harness. Fury asked where Barton was. Selvig called him the Hawk and pointing up said he was in his nest.**

"That ain't my nest." Clint said.

"He already seems off." Thor said.

"Yes. Because I was influencing him a little." Loki said.

"Yes you were." Odinson shrugged.

**Fury called Clint Barton and he slid down from above via rope as Fury said he had asked him to keep a close eye. "I can see better from a distance." Clint said.**

"Yeah you do." Fury said as Clint smirked.

**Clint said no one had come or gone and Erik was clean so tampering was from the other end, confusing Fury. Clint said this Teserract was a door to space so tampering could have been done from the other end.**

"You're so smart." Natasha said.

"Yes. Even though you don't show it." Bobbi agreed.

"Thanks." Clint smirked.

"There's a reason I hired him." Fury said.

**Erik and the other scientists saw the Teserract was spiking again as sparks flew out of it and the entire building rumbled, which was noticed by Hill and Coulson. A light shot out of the Teserract at the other end of the room and a portal opened as a figure appeared. The portal closed and the blue light faded as the agents pointed their guns at him. The figure, who was none other than Loki, looked up with an insane smirk.**

"It's me!" Loki said when Thor smacked his head.

"Shut up!" He said.

"You killed my agents!" Fury snarled.

"All right, I will shut up." Loki said dryly.

"You look off already." Peter said.

"I'm in control of myself but not totally sane." Loki simply said.

**Fury commanded him to put down the spear as he looked at it with a smirk and pointing it, fired a blue light as Clint pushed Fury off and another agent was hit. Two others tried to fire but he threw his knives, killing them both. He fired a blast from the Scepter, destroying the computer and killing a scientist.**

"Evil jerk!" Hill snarled.

"Thank you." Loki smirked and Thor smacked him again.

"Don't make me angry." Bruce said, "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."

"I thought it was hungry." Loki joked and Bruce looked back at the screen.

**The agents fired at Loki but the bullets ricocheted off his durable skin and he fired another blast, disintegrating an agent behind Clint before leaping at another and stabbing him. He then kicked another one towards a wall. Clint tried to get up but Loki grabbed him and pressed the Scepter to his chest as his eyes lost their natural color and turned blue.**

"You changed my eye color. I put one through your eye socket." Clint snarled.

"You blasted me off!" Loki said.

**Fury watched in horror as Loki did the same to a few more agents. Fury quickly picked up the Cube and putting it in a case, started walking away when Loki stopped him, saying he needed it. Fury said it didn't have to get any messier but Loki said it would. "I am Loki of Asgard. And I am burdened with glorious purpose." Loki introduced himself as Erik recognized him "We have no quarrel with your people." Fury tried to reason. "An ant has no quarrel with a boot." Loki countered.**

"Nope. But it was the other way round later." Fury said.

"No need to throw it in my face." Loki said.

"Show some regret, Prince Loki." T'Challa told him.

**Loki said he had glad tiding of a world made free of freedom itself as it was life's greatest lie and when people realized it, they would be at peace. With that, he touched Erik's chest with the Scepter and he was mind-controlled too.**

"No. Freedom is something with a high price that everyone deserves." Steve countered and Loki didn't say a word.

"Jerk." Thor said to Loki as he looked at him controlling Erik.

**Fury knew what he was talking about as Clint saw the machine spiking and told Loki Fury was stalling to bury them like the Pharaohs of Old. Clint then shot Fury in the side and he was down as Clint picked up the case and handed it to Selvig. They all walked away as the facility started collapsing.**

"I'm sorry, sir." Clint said regretfully.

"It wasn't your fault, Barton." Fury assured, "And you didn't kill me."

**Clint told he needed the cars as they stepped in and Hill inquired about Loki. Fury, who had gotten up, ripped the bullet out of his vest and told her Barton was compromised as he fired at her and she rolled to avoid. They sped away as Fury told her they had the Teserract. Hill got in her car and sped after them in the tunnel.**

"It's on." Aunt May said.

**An agent tried to fire at Loki but he fired from his Scepter and the car toppled as Barton continued driving. The building rumbled and the cases fell from the hands of the agents but Coulson told them to leave it and run.**

"Sir cared about his subordinates a little more than the job." Daisy smiled.

"Which is why we all looked up to him." Bobbi smiled.

Fury simply sighed, realizing he needed to tell the others now.

**Hill sped in front of Clint and the two exchanged gunfire before he forced her vehicle out of the way and sped off with her following. Coulson and his men got into a jeep as Fury leapt into a helicopter and flew up while the machine exploded, destroying the facility as Loki and Clint escaped while debris trapped Hill and Coulson's men watched in shock.**

"Oh no!" Wanda said in horror.

"The facility is gone." Vision said.

"Were you all right?" Steve asked Hill.

"I was." She said.

**Loki and Clint were out as Fury fired at them from his helicopter but Loki fired a blast at the tail of the helicopter, sending it down as he leapt off and it crashed.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

**Fury tried to fire again but Loki, Clint, Erik and the agents were gone in the vehicle as Coulson called out to Fury who said the Teserract had been taken by hostiles while Hill said men were buried underground. Fury said he wanted every living soul not needing rescue looking for the briefcase and Hill copied. He then asked Coulson to get back to base as it was a Level Seven. "As of right now, we are at war." Fury declared. "What do we do?" Coulson asked.**

"Form an army." Fury said.

"Of freaks like us." Tony joked and everyone shook their heads.

"It takes freaks to beat a freak." Loki said.

**In Russia, Natasha Romanoff, now with shorter hair, was tied to a chair, surrounded by several men, as one of them slapped her. His name was Georgi Luchkov.**

"Get your hands off her." Bucky snarled.

"Relax, honey." Natasha said as the two held hands.

"How did they capture you?" Scott asked.

"I let them." Natasha said.

**The two spoke in Russian about the illegal weapons deals Luchkov was doing while one of the men tilted her chair as Natasha realized he was using General Solohob as a front. Eventually, a henchman forced her mouth open as Luchkov picked up a pair of pliers.**

"I'll kill all of them." Clint snarled.

"Not if I kill them first." Bucky said.

Steve was about to say something when Natasha said, "They didn't do anything."

Fury smirked.

**A henchman's phone rang and picking it up, he handed it to Luchkov. Phil's voice came from the other end. He knew his location and told him to put the woman on the phone or he would blow up the area before he could make the lobby.**

"He was going to save you by blowing you up?" Bucky asked incredulously.

"No!" Natasha said, "He was kidding. Luchkov brought it."

"Because he was a dumb dealer." Hill said.

**Luchkov gave Natasha the phone and she said she was in the middle of an interrogation and the moron was giving her everything, confusing the man.**

"She got you!" Steve smirked.

**Natasha didn't want to be pulled out but Coulson told her Barton had been compromised and her expression changed.**

"You came in for me?" Clint asked her.

"You gave me a chance." Natasha said, "I had to do something for you."

The two nodded at each other with smiles.

**Natasha asked Luchkov to take the phone back but when he walked closer, she kicked his foot, sending him down before head-butting him out. Tied to the chair, she kicked another man down before hitting the last one with its leg, putting him down.**

"You're kicking ass while tied to a chair? Wow!" Hope said, impressed.

"Thanks." Natasha shrugged.

"That's my girl!" Bucky said and the two smiled at each other.

**Natasha rolled and hit another man before hitting his toes with the chair's leg and then hitting his face with her hair, sending him back.**

"Okay, what did you put in your hair?" Tony asked.

"A lot of charm?" Natasha shrugged with a smirk and everyone chuckled.

**As Coulson listened from the other end, Natasha beat the men and flipped on top of Luckov, breaking the chair.**

"YES!" Thor, Bruce, Bucky and Peter cheered.

**One of the men grabbed her but she freed herself and hit him with a broken piece, putting him down and then rushing another man, flipped him down too. She then grabbed Luchkov and wrapping him in a chain, left him hanging.**

Everyone clapped happily at the scene.

"That was awesome." Scott said.

"Yeah. Nice work." Steve told her.

"I liked seeing it." Wanda said.

"Thanks." Natasha said.

**She then picked up her heels and walked off as Coulson told her the situation and said she needed to bring in the big guy. She said Stark trusted her as far as he could throw her.**

"And you trust me as far as you can shoot at me." Tony shrugged.

"Yup." Natasha smirked jokingly.

**Coulson said he was getting Stark, she had to get the big guy.**

"Me?" Bruce asked.

"Yup." Natasha said.

**In Kolkata, India, a little girl ran around the congested streets before reaching a house where the woman asked her to go away as there was sickness there. The girl saw Dr. Bruce Banner there and holding up money, said her father was sick and not getting up. Bruce asked her if he was like the man he was treating and she nodded so he agreed to come with her.**

"She was a good actress." Bruce said.

"She was." Natasha agreed.

**The girl led Bruce to a house and as they went in, she climbed out of the back window and he smiled as Natasha appeared, telling him if he wanted to avoid stress, this was an interesting place to do so.**

"The people were nice." Bruce said.

"Yeah, I've heard that a lot about India." Steve said.

**Bruce said avoiding stress wasn't the secret and assumed the whole place was surrounded. Natasha said it was just them.**

"Yeah right." Bruce said as Natasha shook her head.

**Bruce asked her if she had come to kill him but she said she was on behalf of SHIELD who had never lost him and had kept other parties off his scent because Fury seemed to trust him. Bruce asked if he said no. She said she would persuade him. He asked if the Other Guy said no and she said he wouldn't want to break his streak that had been more than a year long.**

"And you still did." Fury said and Bruce sighed.

**She said they needed him because of a global catastrophe and showed him a picture of the Teserract on her phone. He jokingly asked if they wanted him to swallow it.**

"Bad idea." Loki said.

"Unless you're a cat." Fury said and everyone looked confused.

**Natasha said they wanted him to find it as it emitted a weak gamma signature and only he could find it. Bruce wondered if he was gonna be put in a cage. Natasha assured him he wasn't but he slammed his fists on the table, telling her to stop lying to him, making her pull out a gun.**

Everyone jumped at that.

"I'm sorry, that was mean." Bruce said.

"Don't worry. I forgive you." Natasha told him.

"How do you do that?" Peter asked.

"How did you turn from that into such a comedian?" Thor asked Bruce and everyone looked incredulous.

"He's a comedian now?" Tony asked, "Which show."

"The Team Thor Show." Thor said with a laugh. [1]

"I guess two years as Hulk made me a comedian." Bruce shrugged.

**Bruce apologized, saying he just wanted to see her reaction and she lowered her gun, telling the agents outside to stand down as Bruce remembered her telling it was just the two of them.**

"Precautionary measures." Natasha said.

"Don't blame you." Bruce told her.

**At the SHIELD Base, the Security Council told Fury the situation was out of control as Fury asked if they had ever felt an overabundance of control in a war. They asked if Asgard had declared war on the planet but Fury corrected it was Loki but they couldn't depend on Thor either even though he wasn't a hostile because he was worlds away.**

"Not for long." Thor said.

"Nope." Loki agreed.

**The Council told him to use Phase 2 but Fury said it wasn't ready and their enemy was so they needed a response team. The Council said he ran the world's greatest covert security network and he was gonna leave the world's fate to a handful of freaks.**

"Freaks?" Tony asked incredulously.

"That's the word used for anything that people can't understand." Pepper sighed.

"We mutants were considered freaks for a long time." Logan shook his head.

"I'm sorry." Steve said and he nodded in appreciation.

**Fury said he wasn't leaving anything to anyone. While these people were isolated and even unbalanced, with the right push, they could be exactly as needed. The Council said war wasn't won by sentiment and Fury said it was one by soldiers.**

"And now he will recruit the perfect soldier." Daisy smiled as she looked at Steve who shook his head.

**An old black and white film of Captain America fighting alongside the soldiers against Hydra was playing when Steve shut off the laptop, his blank face visible on it. He then looked at files of the Howling Commandos. Most of them were deceased. He saw Peggy's file and it said she was retired. Her address and phone number were given. Steve looked at his phone but at the last moment, chose against calling her.**

"Why didn't you?" Bobbi asked.

"Didn't have the courage." Steve sighed, "And I didn't want to shock her."

**Steve then saw the file of Howard Stark and it said he was deceased too.**

Bucky looked down in guilt as Natasha held his hand for comfort. Steve and Tony looked saddened too.

**Steve then saw a file on Tony, Howard's son and read carefully before putting it away.**

"You thought I could be a second Howard for you?" Tony asked.

"It had been 2 weeks since he was out, Stark." Fury said, "He was still processing everything."

"Of course he would look for links to his past life." Clint pointed out.

"Still, it was unfair of me to expect you to be like your dad." Steve said, "So I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I understand." Tony said, knowing how hard it would be for someone to find themselves out of their time and then being asked to save the world just 2 weeks after that.

**Steve then walked around at the streets and sat at a restaurant near Stark Tower, sketching the buildings as Beth the waitress arrived.**

"You're nice at sketching." Peter said.

"Thank you." Steve said gratefully.

"Art teacher would be a better job at school for you than the discipline videos." Aunt May said and everyone chuckled.

**She asked if he was waiting to see Iron Man as many people did.**

"Still do." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

**Steve said another time and she said table was his as long as he liked. She walked off, looking back at him with a smile as an old man eating nearby said, "Ask for her number, you moron!"**

"Oh my God! I didn't even remember that!" Steve said with wide eyes as everyone looked in amusement that the old man had appeared and talked to Steve.

"Well, you saw him for like a second." Natasha said.

"Good point." Steve shrugged.

"He appears in this one twice." Benjamin said.

**Steve sat in a monorail train, looking back as the train kept running forward. Steve then arrived at the gym and took a key to his locker before he started pounding on the punching bag.**

"Starting where we left off with you, huh." Tony said.

"Yes, seemed like the best place to start." Logan said.

**Steve hit the bag, remembering his time with the Howling Commandos, the final fight against Hydra, Red Skull holding the Teserract, saying he needed to put the plane in the water, Peggy's voice, crashing the Valkyrie and being thawed out. With that, he hit the bag so hard it fell down.**

"Damn! What a frustrated side!" Tony said with wide eyes.

**Steve picked up another bag and started hitting when Fury's voice asked, "Trouble sleeping?" Steve turned to see Fury standing and said, "I slept for 70 years, sir. I think I've had my fill." Fury said he should be celebrating and Steve, untying the cloth around his hands, said when he had gone under, the world was at war. When he was out, they said they had won but no one talked about what they had lost.**

"No. No one does." Wanda sighed.

**Fury said they had made mistakes, some very recently. "You here with a mission, sir?" Steve asked. "Yes." Fury said. "Trying to get me back into the world." Steve asked. "Trying to save it." Fury said as he handed Steve a file and he read about the Teserract, Hydra's secret weapon. Fury said Howard had fished it out when he had searched for Steve and they believed it could be the key to unsustainable energy.**

"Or weapons!" Steve said and Fury sighed.

**Steve asked who had taken it and Fury said it was Loki and he wasn't from around here.**

"No I am not." Loki smirked.

**Fury said they needed to bring him up to speed on a lot of stuff and the world had gotten even stranger than he knew. Steve said nothing could surprise him now and Fury bet him 10 bucks for it.**

"And I won." Fury smirked.

"Yeah you did." Steve sighed.

**Fury said there was a debriefing package waiting for him. Steve picked up a punching bag and started walking away as Fury asked if he could tell them anything about the Teserract. "You should have left it in the ocean." Steve said as he walked out.**

"You should have." Steve said.

**In the water, Tony Stark, in his Iron Man Mark VI Armor was shown disconnecting Stark Tower from the water grids before he flew out.**

"And I'm in!" Tony smirked as everyone shook their heads.

**Pepper asked if he had disconnected the power grid and he said he had. Stark Tower was about to become a beacon of self-sustaining clean energy if their reactor took over and worked. Tony asked her to light it up and the Stark Tower lit up. Pepper asked how it looked and he said like Christmas with more him.**

"That is a Tony Stark thing to say." Rhodes said and Tony smirked.

"That thing worked very nicely." Pepper smiled.

"Yup." Tony agreed.

**Pepper said he needed to do press and she would be in D.C. the next day but Tony asked her to enjoy the moment and she said she would once he came in.**

"That is sweet." Aunt May smiled.

**Tony arrived at the tower as his Suit was being taken off and JARVIS said Agent Coulson was on the line. "I'm not in." Tony said as his Suit was taken off, "I'm actually out."**

"Now that is a good pun." Fury said.

"It is." Storm agreed.

"Well, it's me!" Tony smiled.

**JARVIS said Coulson insisted and Tony told him to grow a spine.**

"You two have grown me a spine now." Vision said as he looked at Tony and Bruce and they shrugged.

"What about me?" Thor asked jokingly.

"Yes, what about me?" Odinson asked.

"They gave me a body. You gave me life." Vision said.

**Tony walked in as Pepper said levels were steady and he agreed as he was involved. He asked her how it felt to be a genius as all of this came from her. Pepper disagreed, saying all of this came from the Arc Reactor.**

"Give yourself some credit." Tony said.

"How much?" Pepper asked and he sighed.

**Tony asked her to give herself some credit, like 12% as she sounded incredulous. He said an argument could be made for 15 as he had done all the heavy lifting and the security snafu was her fault as sweaty workmen were teeming up in their elevator.**

"What was that about?" Rhodes asked.

"Don't ask." Tony and Pepper said simultaneously.

**As the two poured the wine and clicked the glasses, Tony asked if he was going to pay for that comment in a subtle way later and she said it won't be so subtle.**

"Nope." Tony said and Pepper smiled as everyone chuckled.

**Tony said the next building would say 'Potts' on the tower but she wanted it to be on the lease as Jarvis said his protocols were being overridden and Coulson appeared on the phone. Tony joked he had reached a life-model decoy of Stark and could leave a message. Coulson said it was urgent so Tony asked him to leave it urgently when Coulson walked in.**

"Life-model decoy? Ironic." Daisy said.

"What? They exist?" Tony asked.

"You have no idea." Bobbi said.

**Pepper called him Phil and Tony joked his first name was 'Agent.'**

"Very funny." Bobbi said dryly.

**Coulson held up a SHIELD device as Tony said he didn't like to be handed things.**

"Why?" Benjamin asked.

"It's a pet peeve!" Tony said, "How hard is that to grasp?"

**Pepper said she loved to be handed things so they could trade. She gave Coulson her drink and took the device before giving it to Tony and taking his drink.**

"Now that was good." Rhodes said as everyone chuckled.

**Tony said consulting hours were between 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. every other Thursday but he said it wasn't a consultation. Pepper asked if it was about the Avengers which she knew nothing about. Tony said it had been scrapped and he hadn't even qualified and Pepper said she hadn't know that either.**

"Of course you hadn't." Natasha said.

**Tony said he was too volatile and self-obsessed and didn't play well with others and Pepper said she did know that.**

"Of course you would." Sam smiled.

**Phil said it wasn't about personality profiles anymore as Pepper walked up to Tony and said he thought they were having a moment and she said she was having 12% of a moment, making him give her an incredulous look.**

"And back at ya!" Scott said.

"You are badass." Hope said to Pepper.

"Thanks." Pepper said.

**Pepper said Phil seemed shaken as Tony opened several holograms that showed Steve, Hulk and a lot of stuff as Pepper said he had a lot of homework. Tony said he wouldn't but Pepper corrected when he finished and she would take the jet to D.C. tonight. She then whispered what they would do after he was finished.**

"Oh boy! What a motivation!" Rhodes joked as Pepper smacked his arm and everyone chuckled.

**Tony and Pepper kissed and then Pepper walked towards Phil, asking if he would drive by the airport by any chance and he said he could drop her and she inquired about the cellist as Tony looked at the holograms and picked up one of the Teserract.**

"The cellist." Daisy smiled.

"You know her?" Tony asked.

"I know people who do." She said.

"And now we're about to meet." Bruce said.

"Yup." Logan said.

* * *

**And this chapter is done. I would like to tell everyone that unfortunately, this story won't be getting updates for about 2 weeks now due to college work and some exams I need to give. I will return to it by 7****th**** August now. Regret to inform you this but I needed to. So see you all then with another chapter of this story.**

**[1] Taika Waititi directed a short non-canonical film called "Team Thor" where Thor is shown living with an ordinary office worker called Darryl Jacobson in Australia as Team Cap and Team Iron Man fight. Bruce appears in it too.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter and the deleted scenes with Hill and Steve, which would have given them much more depth in this film. Now next chapter will come on 7****th**** or 8****th**** August. Hope you all can wait patiently till then.**


	27. Heroes coming together

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Well, by some miracle, I managed to get some time. And I used that to type up this chapter. But after this, I will be updating on 7****th**** or 8****th**** of August.**

**Ultra X45: I don't know anything about Slapstick so I will have to put in Deadpool for such a thing.**

Chapter 27- Heroes coming together

"The Council didn't approve of the response team, did it?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"Nope." Fury said, "But it given it was stupid ass decision they made, I elected to ignore it."

"Don't blame you." Hill said.

**Coulson and Rogers were sitting in the Quinjet as the latter read about Dr. Bruce Banner who was trying to replicate the Serum used on him. Coulson said a lot of people were as he was the world's first superhero.**

"The First Avenger." Natasha smirked as Steve sighed.

"Look at Coulson, he is such a fanboy in this." Daisy said as everyone chuckled.

"Just as much as you're a fangirl." Bobbi said and Daisy looked embarrassed.

"I am not a fangirl!" She said.

"You are." Benjamin said.

"You were an Iron Man fanboy." Daisy said and he looked away.

"Well, always an honor to meet fans." Steve shrugged.

"Didn't really go my way." Banner said about his attempts to replicate the Serum.

**Coulson said that Banner was like a Stephen Hawking. Steve looked confused and Coulson said he was like a smart guy.**

"I think you would understand Albert Einstein better as a reference point." Tony said.

"Yes." Steve agreed, "Or Howard."

"Yeah, him too." Tony said.

**Coulson said it was an honor to meet him and he had watched while he was asleep. Steve looked confused and he said he was present when Steve was unconscious and it was a huge honor to have him on board.**

"Can't believe the guy actually sounds like a fanboy." Logan said.

"Yes, not even I can believe that." Daisy said as her and Bobbi looked at him on the screen, seeing how different he seemed from the Coulson they had come to know.

"Should have signed the cards." Steve sighed guiltily.

"Maybe you can some other time." Bucky said.

"Yeah, and drop them at his grave." Steve agreed.

Daisy and Bobbi both had pained looks on their faces on hearing that but no one noticed.

**Steve said he hoped he was the man for the job and Coulson said he was and that they had made some modifications to the uniform with some input from him. Steve asked if the stars and stripes were a little old-fashioned and Coulson said with everything happening, they might need a little old-fashioned.**

"We always do need old-fashioned in times like these." Storm said.

"Yes. That is probably how the universe keeps going." Odinson sighed.

"For a fanboy, his input for the suit did nothing for your ass." Tony and Steve looked embarrassed.

"What?" He asked.

"The suit does nothing for your ass." Natasha said and he looked more embarrassed.

"Come on!" Steve said.

"He does have a point." Hope agreed.

"Don't pay attention to them." Scott said, "That is America's ass."

Steve put his head in his hands as Hope said to Scott, "What a fanboy!"

Everyone laughed at Steve as Benjamin continued the recording.

**Loki was sitting in his hideout as the small army worked and Selvig did too. Loki saw the gem on the Scepter glowing and allowed himself to enter a trance. He then found himself on the Sanctuary in a metaphysical form.**

"The Mind Stone can do that?" Wanda asked in surprise.

"I have never tried." Vision simply said.

**The Other appeared and said the Chitauri grew restless. Loki said he would lead them in a glorious battle. The Other was amused that there would be a battle against the meagre might of Earth and Loki said it would be glorious, not lengthy, if their force was as formidable as they claimed.**

"For once in your life, learn to control your tongue." Thor said.

"Some habits don't die." Loki said.

"Bad idea to say that to him, bub." Logan told him.

"You didn't count on being thwarted, did you?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"I did. But not in the way you thwarted me." Loki said as he shot Natasha a look.

"Well, that was exactly what you deserved." Clint said.

Loki didn't respond as he was a bit unnerved on seeing The Other.

**The Other furiously appeared in front of Loki, asking him how he had dared to question them and him. He who had put the Scepter in his hand, given him ancient knowledge and a new purpose when he was cast out and defeated.**

"Who?" Fury asked.

"Someone worse than anyone you have ever encountered." Loki said with a pale face.

"You will know at the end of this recording." Bobbi told them.

"And you won't like it." Benjamin said and Wanda saw an image in his head of being slammed down to the ground by that same purple being she had seen in Odinson's memory and shuddered again. Was this the one?

**Loki retorted that he was the rightful King of Asgard and had been betrayed.**

"Betrayed?" Thor asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I had a narrow point of view back then." Loki said.

**The Other said mockingly that he would be better on Earth and Loki said they were lost people who mistook selfishness for spirit and when the sky fell, it would be every man for himself.**

"How wrong you were, brother." Odinson said with a smile and Loki sighed.

"Obviously, I underestimated humans." He said.

"Especially this one here." Rhodes said as he pointed at Tony who shrugged.

"He did fly into the wormhole." Pepper said and Tony sighed.

**The Other asked how he would rule them and Loki said unmercifully.**

"Is mercilessly too much of a mouthful or anything?" Peter asked and everyone laughed.

**The Other mocked Loki and said his ambition was little and born out of childish need. They looked beyond the Earth to greater worlds the Teserract would unveil. Loki pointed out they didn't have the Teserract yet and he growled angrily as he neared Loki.**

"You're full of bad ideas, bub." Logan said to Loki.

**Loki said he didn't threaten but until he opened the door and their force was his to command, he was just words. The Other said he will have his war but if he failed and the Teserract was kept from them, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where they won't be able to find him and he would beg for something as sweet as pain as a Leviathan was seen in the background. The Other touched Loki's horned helmet and he snapped out of the trance, back in his hideout. He sighed heavily and looked a little afraid but determined too.**

"They tortured you, didn't they?" Bucky asked, able to recognize the symptoms.

"Yes." Loki said, "They did."

Thor put an arm around him for comfort.

**The Quinjet came down on the Helicarrier as Coulson introduced Natasha to Captain Rogers but unlike him, she seemed totally casual around Steve.**

"Sir looks embarrassed." Daisy chuckled.

"Haven't seen him like that at all." Bobbi laughed.

"Me neither." Tony said.

"You acting casual around Steve must have been a shocker." Hill said to Natasha who smirked.

"I didn't know he would fanboy that much." Natasha said.

"Didn't expect this of him." Fury said.

"Well, you do know who he is, don't you?" Sam said jokingly as he pointed at Steve and everyone chuckled.

**Coulson was needed on the bridge so he went off as Natasha told Steve it was a buzz finding him in the ice and she thought Coulson was gonna swoon. She asked if he had asked Steve to sign his Captain America Trading Cards, confusing Steve as she said they were vintage and he was very proud.**

"I have those too." Peter said excitedly.

"I will sign them." Steve smiled.

"Yay!" Peter said excitedly as everyone looked amused.

"I thought you were on my side!" Tony said jokingly.

"Come one, both of you are awesome." Peter said.

**Steve saw Bruce Banner and the two shook hands as Bruce looked at him in awe and said they had told him he would be there.**

"Even Bruce is fanboying." Clint joked.

"Well, I did meet a living legend." Bruce shrugged.

"Everyone has different reactions to everything." Vision said.

**Bruce asked if that was the only word about him and Steve said it was the only word he cared about.**

"And that is why you are the Captain." Bruce said as Steve smiled.

**Bruce said this must be strange for him but Steve saw some agents jogging and said it was pretty familiar.**

"Just in time." Bucky joked and everyone chuckled.

**Natasha told them they might want to step inside in a minute as it would get a little hard to breath. The Helicarrier's turbines started up as Steve wondered if it was a submarine and Bruce joked about how they wanted him in a submerged, pressurized metal container. The Helicarrier then started rising into the air and Bruce said it was much worse.**

"It was much worse, wasn't it?" Tony joked.

**The three walked inside as Fury and Hill engaged the retro-reflection panels and the Helicarrier became invisible.**

"Wow!" Aunt May said, as awed as her nephew.

"That is decent technology." T'Challa said.

"Decent?" Tony asked.

"Wakanda is advanced." T'Challa pointed out.

**Steve looked around and paid Fury the betted ten dollars.**

"I won!" Fury said.

"I underestimated modern technology." Steve said.

**Steve walked around as Hill looked him up and down.**

"Are you checking him out?" Hope asked with a teasing smirk.

"He is Captain America!" An embarrassed Hill said as everyone chuckled and Steve shook his head.

**Fury thanked Bruce for coming and he thanked him for asking nicely and asked how long he was staying. Fury said once they got the Teserract, he would be in the wind again.**

"So much for that." Bruce said.

**Coulson said they were accessing every wirelessly accessible phone on the planet and anything that was connected to a satellite. Bruce asked them to call every lab they knew to access spectrometers and calibrate them for gamma rays while he will rough out a tracking algorithm based on cluster recognition. They could at least rule out a few places.**

"Aren't you useful?" Tony asked jokingly.

"Well, I am not a dumb genius." Bruce joked and everyone laughed.

"You are a serious genius." Pepper told him.

"No. He is a comedian." Thor said and everyone laughed and Bruce shook his head.

**Fury asked Natasha to escort Bruce to his lab and she did as asked, telling him they have all the toys. Bruce asked if they had a specific device and she said she wasn't sure, to which he jokingly said she was very young.**

"That makes you very old." Tony said.

"Well, I was 43 back then." Bruce said, "Though the Hulk was only 9."

**Fury walked up to Hill and asked her if she had told the Council that Barton had been compromised. She said it was procedure and asked if he had told them who was on his response team. He said he didn't need to as he stood at the edge and Hill looked at him skeptically.**

"The Avengers." Clint simply said.

"You appear skeptic." Scott said.

"Skeptic to loyalist." Hill said and Fury nodded.

**In Loki's hideout, Erik and the others were working as Clint showed him the picture of a "Doctor Heinrich Schaefer" on the tablet, asking him if this was what he needed and Erik said the Iridium was. It was found in meteorites and formed anti-protons. It was hard to get hold of, especially if SHIELD knew someone wanted it. Erik said he didn't know.**

"Heinrich Schaefer." Clint said, "Poor guy. Lost an eye."

Everyone glared at Loki, "So you believe in eye for an eye? In that case, my brother gave up his."

Thor smacked his arm as everyone looked away.

"He lost his life too." Steve pointed out and Loki didn't say a word this time as shame and guilt overtook him.

**Loki arrived and Erik greeted him happily saying the Teserract had shown him a lot. It was more than just knowledge, it was truth. Loki said it touched everyone differently and asked Clint what it had shown him. Clint said it had shown him his next target. Erik joked how he had no soul.**

"He has the biggest soul of us all." Thor said.

"Thanks." Clint said.

"Yeah. You and Natasha are the ones who keep us grounded." Steve told them both and they nodded gratefully.

"Even Gods need humans." Fury said and everyone nodded.

"But because of me, you lot do appear soulless." Loki said, "I am so horrible."

**Erik joked about how he had chosen this tomb to work in and Clint said it didn't have 3 levels of flooring between SHIELD and the Cube. Erik nodded and walked off as Loki realized why Fury had chosen him to guard it. Clint said as long as Fury was in the air, he couldn't be pinned down. He was putting together a team and Loki asked if they were a threat.**

"That's how you knew about me." Bruce realized.

"Sorry guys." Clint said regretfully.

"It wasn't your fault, Clint." Natasha said and he simply nodded.

"They are a threat to you, bub." Logan said.

"I know. Bigger than I imagined." Loki said.

"I hope you were taken down a few pegs after that." Thor said and Loki sighed.

**Clint said they were more of a threat to each other but if Fury gave them a push, they could throw some noise their way. Loki realized Clint admired Fury and Clint said the Director had a clear line of sight.**

"That's all you admire me for, Agent Barton?" Fury asked jokingly.

"For a lot more than that, sir." Clint said honestly.

"Some noise?" Tony asked with a smirk.

"You didn't have me with you then." Clint said, "With me, you beat them."

Everyone chuckled as Hill said, "No really. Barton is your good luck charm."

"I think Hill is right, guys." Banner said.

"Yes." Thor said, "When you were with Loki, you all managed to infiltrate the Helicarrier and cause a lot of damage even with all of us around."

"And when you went to their side, you won." Loki said.

"You were the only one who incapacitated me." Wanda reminded him.

"Sorry about that, kid." He said.

"Don't blame you." She told him.

"When I retired, everything went to Hell." Clint smirked.

"It is obvious, we all need you." Steve told Clint, "You are a lot more than just a good luck charm."

"Thanks, Cap." Clint said gratefully.

**Loki asked if that was why he had failed to kill Fury and Clint said it was because he was feeling disoriented and he wasn't at his best with a gun.**

"I think part of you was fighting back." Fury said.

"Maybe." Clint shrugged.

**Loki said he wanted to know everything about the team so he could test their mettle.**

"What a test!" Tony said sarcastically with a sarcastic clap.

**Loki said he meant to rule this world, not borrow in it.**

"Now you will have to borrow in it." Thor told him.

"I'm sure I'll manage." Loki said.

"I think you will." Odinson told him.

**Clint said it would be a risk and Loki agreed with a laugh. Clint said if he wanted to make himself known, he could be useful in the upcoming mission. Loki asked him what he needed. Clint took out a recurve bow and said he needed a distraction and an eyeball.**

"Oh! That!" Clint sighed.

**In the Helicarrier, Jasper Sitwell was trying to locate Loki as Coulson told Steve the cards were a vintage set and it had taken him a few years to collect them all. There was some slight foxing around the edges but they were near mint.**

"Is it seriously him?" Daisy asked in amusement.

"I can't believe it either." Bobbi said, "What is it about you, Cap?"

"I wish I knew." Steve said.

"He is adorably naïve." Natasha said and everyone laughed as Steve gave her a look of mock offense.

**Sitwell said they had got a hit and it was a 67% match before saying it was a 79%. Coulson asked about the location and Sitwell said he was in Stuttgart, Germany. 28, Canning Strasse. A video of Loki in a formal suit popped up on the screen, a 100% match.**

"You do look good in a suit." Thor said to Loki.

"Not as good as me." Tony shrugged and everyone sighed.

**Fury told Steve he was up. In Stuttgart, the gala in the museum was in full swing as Heinrich Schaefer tested the mic while the musicians played their violins. In the Helicarrier, Steve walked towards his suit and looked at it with determination in his eyes.**

"The return of Captain America." Sam smiled.

**Two guards stood in an Iridium facility when both of them were shot down by Barton.**

Clint cringed as Fury put a hand on his shoulder and nodded.

**Clint handed his bow and quiver to another agent and stood in front of the facility, sticking a device to it. Loki walked down the stairs and saw his target- Dr. Henreich Schaeffer. With a smirk, he marched towards him as the violin played. One of the guards rushed him but he smacked him out with one hit of his staff.**

"Making yourself useful, huh?" Thor asked and Loki shook his head.

**The others looked at the scene in confusion when Loki suddenly grabbed Dr. Schaeffer and slammed him onto a statue. The others watched as Loki took out a device and to everyone's horror, used it to saw into Schaeffer's eyeball, allowing Clint to access the Iridium he needed as he used the device to create to use a hologram of the eye and access the facility. The people ran out, screaming in terror at what they had witnessed while Loki smirked sadistically, something that would have horrified anyone who had known him before his fall.**

Everyone watched the scene, horrified.

Loki wisely didn't say a word, not wanting everyone in the room to kill him.

**Loki got up and walked out as Clint took the Iridium. Loki's suit transformed into his battle armor with the golden horned helmet adorning the top of it. His stick transformed into the Scepter he carried which had become infamous for mind-controlling people. As a police van arrived with blaring sirens, Loki fired a blast from his scepter, flipping it to the ground. The running people stopped when a second Loki appeared in their way. "Kneel before me." As they tried to run around, they found themselves surrounded by four Lokis. "I said." He slammed the bottom of his scepter on the ground firmly, "KNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL!" The people were almost frozen in unadulterated fear but slowly, they complied and got down on their knees, pure terror in their eyes.**

"Oh my God!" A horrified Peter said, unable to reconcile the Asgardian in the recording with the Asgardian sitting in the room with them.

It appeared everyone except Thor and Odinson had the same dilemma.

"And then Hela asked you to kneel." Thor told him to lighten the mood.

"Yeah. Now I know what it feels like." Loki said.

**His illusions vanished as he smirked and started walking amongst them, "Is not this simpler? Is this not your natural state?" Pointing the Scepter at the people, he declared, "It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation." Some of the people actually looked down in shame. "The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, and identity." Loki told them, "You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel." **

"You have a low opinion of us, don't you?" Aunt May asked with a glare.

"I underestimated the entire planet." Loki said, "And I had become pretty delusional at that point due to my own failures and the Mind Stone."

**That was when an old man rose up and stood firmly on his two feet, glaring at Loki defiantly. With his gaze fixed on the abandoned child of Laufey, he declared with a firm conviction in his voice, "Not to men like you." "There are no men like me", Loki said with a smirk. "There are always men like you." The man retorted. Even though he didn't show it, the remark obviously had managed to get under Loki's skin.**

Everyone slowly started clapping for the old man and soon, the entire room was in applause.

"Now that's an unsung hero!" Tony said with unusual sincerity.

"Yes." Pepper agreed.

"Maybe we should ask him to join." Rhodes said jokingly.

"I will make sure to do it next time I see him." Steve joked too.

**Pointing his Scepter at the man, he declared to the people, "Look to your elder, people. Let him be an example." And then he fired a blast. The old man's life flashed before his eyes for a split second when suddenly a figure jumped between them. The blast was deflected and hit Loki who was sent flying back by a few feet. Everyone looked up to see what had happened. It was a man in a blue suit with America's star on the center along with the color of the American flag. He wore a mask and also had a shield of the same design. Captain America!**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily at the scene again.

"Don't be so happy." Steve said, "Loki packed a wallop."

"I'm stronger than you." Loki said.

**Steve said he had a disagreement with a man the last time he was in Germany due to him standing above everybody else. Loki got up and recognized Steve as the soldier and the man out of time. Steve said he wasn't out of time as the Quinjet appeared in the sky and Natasha announced that Loki had to drop the weapon and surrender. Loki momentarily lowered his Scepter before firing. Natasha steered the Quinjet away, barely avoiding it. Using the opportunity he had been handed, Steve threw his shield. It hit Loki on the face, stunning him as Steve caught his shield on return and rushed Loki, giving him a punch. The people were now terrified of the fight happening in front of their eyes and ran off.**

"It's on." Bucky said as everyone watched the fight.

**Loki struck Steve who blocked with his shield before being swatted away. Steve threw his shield again and Loki deflected it with the Scepter as Steve rushed him. He avoided a few strikes from the Scepter before punching Loki and then being swatted away.**

"You're losing." Wanda said in some distress.

"I didn't win by myself." Steve said as he exchanged a knowing look with Tony and Loki sighed.

"**Kneel." Loki said as he pointed his Scepter at Steve. "Not today." Steve said as he removed the Scepter and flip kicked Loki. Natasha and the other agent in the Quinjet tried to aim at Loki but he was all over the place as Loki threw Steve off. That was when a voice was heard on the system, "Agent Romanoff, did you miss me?"**

"I am coming!" Tony said with a smirk, "I know everyone missed me."

"**Shoot To Thrill" by "AC/DC" started playing on the Quinjet's system as Natasha smirked and Steve and Loki looked up. Tony Stark flew down in his Iron Man Mark VI Armor and shot Loki with a repulsor, sending him flying back by a few feet.**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily again at the scene.

"I hate this tune." Loki grumbled.

"That makes it even more enjoyable." Tony joked.

**"Make your move, Reindeer Games." Tony Stark dared Loki as he pointed his entire arsenal at him while Steve walked up next to him. Loki raised his hands in surrender as his armor and helmet faded away. Tony lowered his hands, "Good move." "Mr. Stark." Steve acknowledged him. "Captain." Tony said as he looked over at him.**

"Captain America and Iron Man meet!" Peter said excitedly.

Aunt May mouthed to Tony and Pepper, _'Excitable little kid.'_

The two simply nodded.

"Nice first meeting, isn't it?" Tony asked sarcastically.

"Obviously, we got off on the wrong foot." Steve said.

"We have to make it right." Tony said and everyone nodded.

**Natasha flew the Quinjet towards the S.H.I.E.L.D. base with Steve, Tony, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and a bound Loki. Fury asked Natasha to get him to the base and cut the call as Steve said he didn't like Loki giving up so easily as he packed a wallop. Tony joked Steve was spry for an older fellow and joked about pilates. Steve was confused as Tony said they were like calisthenics and he might have missed a couple of things doing time as a Capsicle. Steve clearly looked offended.**

"Okay, Capsicle?" Pepper asked Tony, "You're not supposed to make fun of people's trauma."

Tony looked guilty and said to Steve, "I'm sorry, Cap."

"We both got off on the wrong foot." Steve said, "It has to be on both of us."

**Steve said Fury hadn't told him he was calling Stark in and Tony said there were a lot of things Fury didn't tell him. That was when lightning cracked in the sky and Natasha was shocked. Loki was a little unnerved and Steve asked if he was afraid of a little lightning and Loki said he wasn't overly fond of what followed.**

"I follow." Thor smirked.

"Yes, we are coming in now." Odinson said and everybody watched with bated breaths.

**The lightning grew stronger as someone landed on the Quinjet from above and it shook. The lightning flashed and Thor was shown above the Quinjet.**

Everyone clapped at Thor's entrance.

"I get off at the wrong foot too." Thor said.

"The big three of the Avengers all got off the wrong foot." Scott said, "How ironic."

"Right you are, tic-tac." Sam said.

**Steve and Tony put on their mask and helmet respectively as the latter opened the backdoor and Thor landed, holding Mjolnir. Loki looked afraid. Before Tony could fire, Thor hit him with Mjolnir, sending him flying into Steve as both fell down. Thor then grabbed Loki and twirling Mjolnir, flew out.**

"Reunion of brothers." Benjamin joked and everyone chuckled.

"I know. Best reunion ever." Logan said sarcastically.

**Tony groaned as Natasha realized it was another Asgardian. Steve said they needed a plan of attack and Stark said his plan was to attack before flying out.**

"Always so reckless." Pepper commented as Tony shrugged.

**Natasha said she would sit this one out as these guys came from Legends and were basically Gods. Steve put on a parachute and said there was only one God and he didn't dress up like that before jumping out.**

"Met two Gods, still a Christian huh." Bucky said.

"I met two Gods and I'm still an atheist." Tony said.

"We're not really Gods." Thor said.

"Yes, our powers just make us seem like Gods." Odinson agreed.

"Some are delusional enough to think themselves as Gods though." Loki said.

**Thor slammed Loki onto the ground and he slid back by a few feet. Loki groaned and smirked at the same time. He groaned because of the pain he felt on being slammed onto the ground and smirked because of who had slammed him. Thor asked where the Teserract was and Loki joked how he had missed him too as Thor said he wasn't in a gaming mood.**

"Another bad idea, Prince Loki." T'Challa said and Loki sighed.

"You're full of them." Daisy told him.

"Bad ideas. Bad life choices. I know." Loki said.

**Loki managed to sit up on his knees and said Thor should thank him because with the Bifrost gone, the All-Father would have to muster dark energy to send him to his precious Earth. Thor grabbed Loki roughly and said they had thought him dead. Loki asked if they had mourned and Thor said they all had. Thor tried to talk about their father but Loki corrected that it was only Thor's father as Thor let him go and he asked if Odin had told him of his true parentage.**

"Blood doesn't define relations." Daisy simply said and everyone nodded in agreement.

**Loki walked past Thor as he tried to reach out to him, "We were raised together. We played together, we fought together. Do you remember none of that?" Loki turned to look at Thor and said he remembered living in the shade of his greatness and being tossed into an abyss.**

"He didn't toss you." Wanda said, "You let go."

"I was clearly unstable." Loki said.

**Loki said he should have been King and Thor asked if he was taking the world he loved as recompense because the Earth was under his protection. Loki laughed humorlessly and said the humans slaughtered each other in droves while he idly fret.**

"Sad but true." Natasha sighed.

**Thor asked Loki if he considered himself above humans and Loki said he did. Thor said he missed the truth of ruling and a throne would suit him ill. Loki shoved Thor away and walking towards the cliff, called him "Odinson", saying he had grown in his exile. He had seen the true power of the Teserract and would wield it. Thor caught a small detail in his sentence and asked him who had shown him the power and who controlled the would-be king. Loki said he was a king but Thor told him he wasn't and begged Loki to give up the Teserract and his poisonous dream and come home.**

"And I didn't listen." Loki sighed.

**Loki said he didn't have it and Thor angrily let him go as Loki said he needed the Teserract to take him home and he had sent it off to a place he didn't know. Thor summoned Mjolnir and said, "You listen well, brother-"He was cut off when a flying figure rammed into him and both of them were sent flying off. "I'm listening."**

Everyone laughed at that.

"More like watching." Tony said.

**Thor was thrown on the ground and sent rolling to a distance as Iron Man landed in front of him. Thor got up as Tony raised his visor. Thor told him not to touch him again as Tony told him not to take his stuff.**

"So I am 'stuff?'" Loki asked indignantly as everyone chuckled.

"You both are also getting off on the wrong foot." Daisy said as she looked at the screen.

"**You have no idea what you're dealing with." Thor said. "Uh…..Shakespeare in the park?" Tony asked jokingly, "Doth mother know, you weareth her drapes?"**

Everyone laughed hard at that scene.

"Okay, that was funny!" Bobbi said in between laughs.

**Thor said this was beyond him and called him metal man.**

"Sounds more accurate than Iron Man but not as awesome." Tony said.

**Tony said he would be Thor's when he gave up the Cube and until then he had to stay out of the way. He started walking away and called Thor "tourist."**

"You're also full of bad ideas, bub." Logan told Tony.

"Both of you are." Storm told Tony and Loki.

Both of them shook their heads and looked at the screen.

**Thor threw Mjolnir at Tony and it hit him just as he turned around, sending him crashing into some trees. **

"It's on." Odinson said.

**Tony got up with a groan as Thor summoned Mjolnir to him and twirled it. Loki watched from above with a smirk as Tony fired a repulsor at Thor, slamming him into a tree. Before Thor could recover, Tony flew into him at full speed and kicked him hard, shattering the tree behind him as he was sent crashing into the ground. Mjolnir fell a few feet away from him. Thor got back up and summoned Mjolnir into his hand. He then pointed it towards the sky. A powerful lightning bolt descended from the sky and hit the tip of Mjolnir, empowering it. Pointing it at Tony, he fired a lightning bolt. It hit him, making him stagger back as his suit let off sparks. When Thor stopped, Tony groaned.**

"How did you survive that?" Peter asked in shock.

"Keep watching." Tony smirked.

**Tony saw his power capacity increasing as JARVIS said it was at 400%.**

"An astounding increase." Vision said.

**Tony raised his hands and fired powerful repulsors at Thor, sending him flying back again. Thor managed to steady himself and the two flew at each other.**

"Wow!" An awed Peter said.

**Tony grabbed Thor and flew him into a hill, smashing his face into it as he flew up. Thor elbowed him hard, making him let go. The two struggled again as they flew towards the ground, crashing through some trees while Mjolnir dropped from Thor's hands.**

"Why are you struggling with Tony?" Bruce asked Thor.

"Travelling to Earth via dark magic weakened me for some time so I wasn't fighting at my full strength." Thor said and everyone nodded.

"Way to make me look weak." Tony joked and everyone chuckled.

**The two got back up and Thor punched Tony, whipping his face to the other side. Tony recovered and tried to punch back but Thor grabbed both of his hands, holding them in a deadlock. As the two struggled, Thor pressed the Titanium hard, slowly crushing it into flat metal. Tony noticed and fired a repulsor point blank at Thor's face, making him let go as he staggered back slightly.**

"You are strong." Hill said to Thor.

"Very." Fury added.

**Tony head-butted him but he was barely affected. Thor then head-butted him in retaliation, making him fly back by a few feet.**

"That is a lot of strength." Daisy said.

**Tony steadied himself and flew at Thor, grabbing him and throwing him at a tree, making him fall down. Thor got back up and charged. He easily dodged a punch before punching Tony on the side. Lifting him into the air, he slammed him hard on the ground. Summoning Mjolnir into his hand, he brought it down on Tony but he flew off at the last moment while Thor fell down due to his own momentum. Tony flew back at him and punched him on the face. The two then stood facing each other, ready to deck it out even more.**

"This is not good!" Sam said.

"Not at all." Rhodes agreed.

**That was when a shield hit them both on the heads and returned to Steve who was standing on an uprooted tree. He jumped down and told them to stop. He told Thor he had no idea what he was planning on doing. Thor said he was here to put an end to Loki's schemes. Steve asked him to prove it and put the hammer down. Tony said it was a bad call as he loved his hammer when Thor slammed him away with Mjolnir. "You want me to put the hammer down?" He growled at Steve.**

"Not on me!" Steve said.

"I was a bit angry at the moment." Thor said.

"You are hot-headed." Loki said and Thor didn't argue.

**Thor leapt at Steve with Mjolnir as he brought his shield in the way. The legendary hammer and the indestructible shield clashed. The impact was almost disastrous. A huge shockwave emitted from the clash and sent Thor flying off while the trees were uprooted and fell down. A few minutes later, Tony recovered from the literal hammering he had received and Steve stood up too as Thor stood there. Turning to Thor, Steve asked, "Are we done here?" Thor looked around at the destruction he had caused during the fight and finally nodded.**

"Finally I listen to reason." Thor said.

"Yes." Odinson nodded.

"So what did we learn today?" Tony asked jokingly, "Never to ask Point Break to put his weapon down."

Everyone laughed at the joke.

**Later, the Quinjet landed on the Helicarrier and a cuffed Loki was led to his containment cell by armed agents. He passed by the lab in which Banner was working. He exchanged a look with Banner for a second and it was clear that Banner was a little unnerved. Loki smiled as he was led away.**

"Hello Doc." Loki said dryly.

"I am so not gonna enjoy what happens next." Bruce said.

"Neither am I." Loki said.

* * *

**Now next chapter will come only on 7****th**** or 8****th**** August. This time I got lucky.**

**See you all next time on 7****th**** or 8****th**** August with another chapter.**


	28. The argument

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. I did. Yep, Clint is good.**

**Ultra X45: Well I do. Deal with it.**

Chapter 28- The argument

"So I'm guessing-" Loki started.

"Yup." Benjamin and Odinson said simultaneously.

**Loki was put in his confinement capsule and locked up as Fury said if he even scratched the glass, he would be thrown 30,000 feet below straight into a steel trap as he opened the cockpit to show Loki who looked down. Fury shut it off and pointing at Loki and the device said, "Ant. Boot."**

"Didn't see that coming, did you?" Fury asked with a smirk.

"My brother doesn't get witty retorts that much." Thor said as Loki shook his head.

"I'm betting I changed that." Tony said as everyone chuckled and Loki shook his head again.

**Loki laughed and said it was an impressive cage which was built for something a lot stronger than him. Loki knew it was the mindless beast who made play he was still a man. Bruce heard it but ignored as Loki asked how desperate he was to call on such lost creatures to defend himself.**

"Clearly, you don't know enough about me." Bruce said.

"He didn't tell me enough." Loki said about Clint.

"It's not like I was an expert on him." Clint shrugged.

**Fury said Loki threatened his world with war, stole a force he couldn't hope to control, talked about peace and killed because it's fun. "You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did." Fury finished.**

"I am not." Loki said.

"Obviously." Hill said.

**Loki scoffed to him how close he was to the Teserract, asking him if he wanted it for all mankind to share and then to be reminded what real power is. Fury walked off, telling him to say if real power needed a magazine or something.**

"Burn." Scott said and everyone chuckled.

"Very funny." Loki sighed.

**Bruce joked about how Loki was growing on them all. Steve said Loki was going to drag this out and asked Thor about his plan. Thor said Loki had an army called the Chitauri which were not of Asgard nor of any world known. He would lead them against the Earth's people and win him the Earth in return for the Teserract.**

"You thought you would lead the galaxy's weakest to conquer our world?" Logan asked mockingly, "Not very bright."

"Clearly, the Earth's Mightiest Heroes didn't know about the mothership for a while." Loki smirked and everyone sighed.

"There strength was in numbers really." Storm said, "And their Leviathans."

"Take the Leviathans away and they are not that hard to beat." Daisy said and everyone nodded.

**Bruce realized he was building another portal and that's why he needed Selvig, shocking Thor as Natasha explained Loki had put him under some kind of mind control along with Clint. Steve asked why Loki had let them take him as he wasn't leading any army from his cell. Bruce said they shouldn't be focusing on him as his brain was like a bag full of cats and crazy could be smelled on him. Thor asked him to talk respectfully as Loki was beyond reason but still of Asgard and his brother. Natasha said he had killed 80 people in 2 days and Thor added that he was adopted.**

"Wow! That was a nice burn!" Peter said.

"Thanks kid." Natasha smiled.

"Yup. That was awesome." Bucky agreed as the two smiled at each other.

"And then you proceeded to burn me too." Loki said and everyone chuckled.

"Did you really kill 80 people in 2 days?" Hope asked him.

"Some agents didn't escape the facility unfortunately." Hill said.

**Bruce wondered why the Iridium was needed as Tony arrived with Phil and said it was a stabilizing agent. Tony then talk to Phil about how he would fly him and the cellist to Portland and Coulson nodded before walking off.**

"I'm guessing he really loved the cellist." Bruce said.

"You have no idea." Daisy said sadly.

**Tony said the portal won't collapse on itself like at SHIELD. He then turned to Thor and tapping his bicep said, "No hard feelings, Point Break. You've got a mean swing." **

"Not anymore." Thor said.

"Maybe you can." Odinson said with a gleam in his eye and Thor wondered what that was about.

"Now you've got mean lighting." Loki said.

"So, Point Break." Pepper said as she looked at Thor, "Good comparison."

"I know." Tony said.

"Yes it is!" Peter agreed.

**Tony said that the portal could open as wide and for as long as Loki wanted and pointing at a man in the corner said, "That man is playing Galaga. Thought we wouldn't notice, but we did." **

Everyone chuckled at Tony's antics.

"Can't let them work in peace, can't you?" Aunt May chuckled.

"Play in peace." Tony corrected.

**Tony tried to see the monitors with just one eye and asked Hill how Fury saw them. Hill said he turned and Tony said how it was exhausting.**

"Not as exhausting as listening to your babble." Fury said dryly and everyone chuckled.

**Tony said Barton could get his hands on the rest of the raw materials easily and he only needed a power source to kick start the Cube. As he said that, he put a small device on a monitor.**

"Wow. Trust comes in short supply for you or something?" Hill asked.

"I think that is a better question for your boss there." Tony said and Fury didn't react.

**Hill asked when he had become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics and he said the previous night with the package, Selvig's notes, the Extraction Theory papers. He jokingly asked if he was the only one who had done the reading.**

"Not all of us are rocket scientists." Steve said.

"Rocket scientist?" Tony asked incredulously, "Now that is insulting."

**Steve asked if Loki needed any particular kind of power source and Banner said he needed to heat the cube to a hundred and twenty million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier. Tony wondered if Selvig had figured out how to stabilize the Quantum Tunneling Effect and Bruce said then he could achieve Heavy Ion Fusion at any reactor on the planet. Tony was happy to see someone else who spoke English.**

"Your version of it you mean." Vision said.

"And the science bromance was born." Tony said and everyone chuckled as Bruce sighed.

**Tony shook hands with Bruce and said it was good to meet him, saying his work on anti-electron collisions was unparalleled. He then said, "And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster." Banner thanked him lamely.**

"I was not." Bruce said, "Not back then at least."

"I had no idea." Tony said.

**Fury said Banner was only there to track the Cube and Tony could help him. Steve said Loki's stick was magical but it worked a lot like a Hydra weapon so they should start with that. Fury said it was powered by the Cube and said he needed to know how it turned to of the sharpest men he knew into Loki's personal flying monkeys. Thor was confused as monkeys did not exist on any other realm as Steve said, "I do." Everyone looked at him in confusion and he said, "I understood that reference."**

Everyone laughed as Steve said, "Got one over you all there, didn't I?"

"Wizard of Oz I think." Bucky said and Steve nodded.

"Well, everyone knows some things." Bobbi said.

**Tony and Banner went off to work as the man in the corner started playing Galaga again. **

"There he goes again." Benjamin said.

"Video game addiction." Sam said.

**Bruce later analyzed the Scepter and said the gamma readings on it were consistent with Selvig's reports but it would take weeks to process as Tony said if they bypassed the main frame and rerouted to the home cluster, they could clock it to about 600 Tera Flops.**

"Wow!" Rhodes said.

"That was impressive, Mr. Stark." T'Challa complimented and Tony nodded.

**Bruce joked he had only packed a tooth brush as Tony said he should come to Stark Tower. The top 10 floors were all R&D and it was like candyland. Bruce thanked him but said he had broken Harlem the previous time and Tony promised him a stress free environment.**

"Stress free with you?" Logan chuckled, "That's like the Earth being flat."

"No kidding." Pepper said as Tony gave her a mock glare.

**Tony promised no tension or surprises before poking Bruce with a prod as Bruce looked at him and nothing happened.**

"Really?" Clint asked.

"I could take it." Bruce said.

"I knew it." Tony said.

**Steve arrived and asked Tony if he was nuts.**

"I am." Tony said.

**Tony said Bruce had a lid on it and joked about his secret as Steve asked if everything was a joke to him and Tony said funny things were. Steve said threatening the safety of everyone wasn't funny as Bruce said he wouldn't have come aboard if he couldn't handle pointy things.**

"Good point." Bobbi shrugged.

**Tony told Bruce he was tiptoeing and needed to strut and Steve told him to focus on the problem. Tony asked why Fury had called them now and not before. Steve asked if he was hiding something and Tony said, "He's a spy. Captain, he's the spy. His secrets have secrets."**

"Got that right." Fury said.

**Tony said it was bugging Bruce too but Steve asked him too and he remembered Loki's jab at Fury about the Teserract of "a warm light for all mankind", saying it was meant for Tony. Bruce then ate some blueberries Tony gave him, referring to the Stark Tower as Steve called it a big, ugly building, getting a glare from Tony.**

"All right." Steve groaned, "Not ugly. Just not my kind of place. I prefer natural settings."

"Comes with the 40's." Tony quipped.

**Bruce said it was powered by a self-sustaining Arc Reactor and will run itself for a year as Tony said it was just the prototype and that he was the only name in the clean energy business. Bruce then asked why SHIELD had not called him on the Teserract project as Tony said they would know once his decryption program finished its work.**

"There it is." Fury said dryly.

"Surprised that someone played your own game with you, eh?" Tony asked.

"I was actually expecting you to do it." Fury said.

**Steve was shocked as Tony said Jarvis had been running it since he had hit the bridge and soon, he would find out all of SHIELD's dirty secrets.**

"Wish you found out about Hydra that way." Wanda joked.

**Tony offered Steve a blueberry as he said Loki was trying to wind them up so they should focus on him and follow their orders. Tony said following wasn't his style and Steve asked him if he was all about style. Tony asked which one out of them was wearing a spangly outfit and not of use.**

"That was hurtful." Scott said.

"I'm being a bit of a jock." Steve said in shock at his on-screen self.

"And I'm taking out my frustrations at my dad on you." Tony said, equally shocked.

**Bruce asked him if it felt fishy and Steve told them to find the cube as he walked out but had a contemplative look on his face as he considered what he had learnt from Tony and Bruce and decided to find evidence.**

"And now you're on me too." Fury said.

"Both of them on you spells trouble." Daisy joked and everyone chuckled.

**Tony said that was the guy his dad never shut up about and wondered if they should have left him on ice.**

"All right!" Tony said as he felt the glares at him, "That was horrible to say. I agree. I'm taking all the anger at my dad on him. Not healthy. Sorry Cap."

"No problem. I can understand." Steve sighed.

**Bruce looked at the readings on the monitor and said Steve wasn't wrong about Loki who had the jump on them.**

"I did." Loki smirked.

"Yeah, yeah. No need to boast." Tony said.

**Tony said he had an acme dynamite kit which was going to blow up in his face and he would be there when it does. **

"And I was there." Tony smirked and Loki sighed.

"Yeah, yeah. No need to boast." He said.

**Bruce said he would read about it and Tony said he would suit up with them. Bruce said he didn't have a suit. He was exposed like a nerve. It was a nightmare. Tony said he had a cluster of shrapnel trying to crawl its way into his heart and the circle of light stopped it. It was a part of him, not just the armor. It was a terrible privilege.**

"You're actually good at this." Hope noted, realizing he was trying to get Bruce to accept Hulk.

"Thanks." Tony said.

"Wonder why you weren't like that with me." Peter said.

"Yeah. I wasn't the best to you." Tony said, "And I'm hoping to change that."

"I'd like that." Peter said.

**Bruce said Tony could control it but he retorted he had learnt it. Bruce said their situations were different as Tony removed the readings from his monitor and said he had read about the accident. That much gamma exposure should have killed him. Bruce then wondered aloud if the Hulk had saved his life and said it was a nice sentiment. He then asked why it had saved him.**

"It's actually been part of you longer than you know, bub." Logan said.

"Really?" Bruce asked.

"I think you'd know about that." Benjamin said and Bruce realized they were right.

"Wonder what he saved me for though." Bruce said.

"I think we know." Daisy said.

"Though you didn't enjoy it." Bobbi said.

"At all." Storm added.

"But you did it." Odinson said.

"What exactly?" Bruce asked.

"You will see later." Odinson said. [1]

**Tony said they will find out. Bruce said he might not enjoy that and Tony said Bruce would.**

"He didn't." Odinson said.

**Steve opened a storage room and looked around before jumping up while Erik Selvig worked at Loki's base, lifting up a new power source with prongs and putting it in the device, which started.**

"And it works." Pepper sighed.

**At the Helicarrier, Coulson told Thor they had moved Jane to Tromso where she had been asked to consult very suddenly the previous day. She had a handsome fee, private plane and the place was very remote.**

"Sir cares about people a lot." Daisy said.

"I know." Thor agreed.

**Thor thanked Coulson and dreaded what Loki would do to Erik once he was done with him. He was a good man. Phil said Erik talked about Thor a lot as he had changed not just his life, but everything around there.**

"Not everything." Bobbi said, "Though you did fasten the process."

Everyone except Fury wondered what that was about.

**Thor said things were better as they were before. They pretended to be more advanced on Asgard but they came to Earth battling like Bilge Snipe. Coulson was confused as Thor said they were big, scaly and had pointy antlers. Coulson said they didn't have those and Thor said they were repulsive and trampled everything in their path.**

"Good thing we don't have them then." Bucky said.

"**When I first came to Earth, Loki's rage followed me here and your people paid the price." Thor said sadly, "And now again. In my youth I courted war." "War hasn't started yet." Fury said as he arrived.**

"Always have to put all of us down, don' you?" Thor asked Fury jokingly who shrugged.

**Fury asked if Thor could make Loki talk and he said he didn't know as Loki's mind was far afield. He didn't just crave power but vengeance upon Thor. No pain would prize his need for that.**

"Got that right." Loki sighed sadly.

**Fury said a lot of guys thought that until the pain started. Thor asked what Fury wanted him to do and Fury asked what he was prepared to do. Thor said Loki was a prisoner and Fury asked why it felt like he was the only person who looked like he wanted to be on the boat.**

"Because he is." Loki said dryly and everyone sighed.

**Loki was walking around in his cell when he realized someone was behind him and with a smirk, turned around to see Natasha Romanoff. He complimented her, saying not many could sneak up on him.**

"I definitely can't." Thor said.

"Never could." Odinson agreed.

"I was better at stealth obviously." Loki said.

**Natasha realized Loki knew she would come and he said after Fury had concocted his tortures, she would come as a balm and he would cooperate.**

"The good cop, bad cop routine." Tony chuckled.

"Yup." Natasha said, "And he did cooperate."

"I know. I know." Loki groaned as everyone chuckled at his expense.

**Natasha asked what he had done to Agent Barton and Loki said he had expanded his mind.**

"Expanded?" Clint snarled, "If I had my bow right now-"

"You wouldn't do anything." Bobbi said.

"Because we did not bring you here to fight." Benjamin said.

**Natasha asked what he would do to Clint once he was king of the mountain.**

"Or under it." Clint said.

**Loki asked if it was love and Natasha said love was for children.**

"So you're a child now?" Bucky asked with a wink.

"You can say that." Natasha said and everyone chuckled.

**She owed Barton a debt. Loki said he would like to hear about it.**

"You don't." Clint told her.

"I do." Natasha said firmly.

**Natasha said before SHIELD, she made a name for herself. She had a specific skillset and didn't care whom she used it for or on. She got on SHIELD's radar in a bad way and Agent Barton was sent to kill her but he made a different call.**

"I don't regret it." Clint assured her, "Not for a second."

Natasha simply nodded with a smile.

**Loki asked what she would do if he vowed to spare Clint. She said she won't let him out but he commented how her world hung in the balance and she bargained for the life of one man. Natasha said regimes fell every day and she didn't weep over that due to being Russian. It was simply. "I got red in my ledger. I'd like to wipe it out." Natasha said.**

Benjamin, Odinson, Logan, Storm, Daisy and Bobbi winced on hearing that as they remembered how Natasha had wiped it out.

**Loki asked if she could wipe out that much red. He got up and started mentioning Drakov's daughter, Sao Paolo and the hospital fire. Natasha clearly looked uncomfortable.**

Natasha looked uncomfortable as Bucky held her hand in comfort and him, Steve and Clint glared at Loki who raised his hands in surrender.

**Barton had told him everything.**

"Sorry." Clint said.

"It wasn't your fault." Natasha told him.

**Loki said her ledger was gushing red and she thought saving a man no more virtuous than herself would change anything. It was pathetic and the basest sentimentality of a child at prayer. Tony and Bruce were shown working in the lab as Hill and Fury were shown having detected the virus.**

"And busted." Hope said and everyone chuckled in spite of the tense mood.

**Steve was shown opening a box where he saw weapons and didn't look pleased while Loki said how she lied and killed in the service of liars and killers. She pretended to be separate and have her own code to block out the horrors but they were a part of her and would never go away. Loki then slammed his fist on the glass as Natasha backed off.**

Everyone jumped at that.

**Loki said he would make Barton kill her slowly, intimately, in every way he knew she feared and when he woke up and screamed at his handiwork, he would split his skull. Natasha looked away in horror.**

"You bastard!" Bucky said as he almost shot out of his couch at Loki but Steve, Sam and Natasha restrained him as Clint was restrained by Thor.

Loki looked at the screen with wide eyes, shocked at himself. While he wasn't the most virtuous person, this was the stone. Thor put a hand on his shoulder.

"If you keep this up, I will send you out." Benjamin said and they stopped. Peter and Aunt May were both awed at how Benjamin actually could be a bit authoritative if he wanted.

**Loki called Natasha a mewling quim and said this was his bargain. Natasha called him a monster and he said she had brought the monster. Natasha looked up and turned to him, realizing his play was Banner. Loki looked confused as Natasha told Fury on comms that Loki planned to unleash the Hulk so Banner should be kept in the lab and she was on her way. She asked to send Thor as well. She then turned to Loki and sarcastically thanked him for his cooperation before walking off.**

"She got you there, didn't she?" Scott teased Loki.

"Well done, Agent Romanoff." Loki said.

"I do not think many have outwitted you before, Prince Loki." T'Challa agreed.

**Tony and Bruce were in the lab as Fury arrived and said they were supposed to be locating the Teserract. Bruce said the model was locked and when they got a hit, they would get the location within half a mile. The search bar was at 46% currently. Tony then asked Fury about Phase 2 as Steve dropped a prototype weapon on the table and said Phase 2 was SHIELD using the Teserract to build weapons.**

"Busted." Scott said this time to lighten the mood.

"Now we know why I wasn't called earlier." Tony said.

**Fury tried to explain but Tony turned the screen towards and asked him about it again. Steve said the world hadn't changed one bit in a disappointed tone.**

"Why exactly were you against weapons though?" Hill asked.

"Because of the Teserract." Steve said, "It had caused a lot of damage. I just found anyone using it to be a recipe for destruction."

"You weren't wrong." Fury said.

**Thor and Natasha then arrived as Natasha asked Bruce to remove himself from this environment and he said he was pretty well removed in Kolkata. Natasha said Loki was manipulating him and Bruce said they were doing the same thing. Natasha said he hadn't come because she had bat her eyelashes at him and he said he wouldn't leave because she had suddenly gotten a little twitchy. He asked why SHIELD was using the Teserract to build weapons of mass destruction. Fury pointed at Thor and said because of him.**

"And here it comes." Thor said.

**Thor was confused as Fury said, "Last year earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that levelled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously out gunned."**

"And the Avengers Initiative was being shut down." Fury said.

**Thor said his people only wanted peace with their planet as Fury said they weren't the only people out there and not the only threat. Fury walked around and said, "The world's filling up with people who can't be matched, they can't be controlled."**

"And now the entire universe." Daisy said.

**Thor said SHIELD's work with the Teserract was what drew Loki and his allies to it and was a signal to all the worlds that Earth was ready for a higher form of war. Steve was shocked as Fury said their hand was forced and Tony joked how a nuclear deterrent calmed everything down.**

"It makes things worse." Wanda said sadly.

**Fury reminded him of how he made his fortune as Steve said if he still did it, he would be neck deep but then Stark asked how it was suddenly about him and Steve dryly said how everything was. Thor said he thought humans were more evolved than this as Fury asked if they had gone to his planet to blow stuff up. Thor said they treated their champions with mistrust as Natasha said SHIELD monitored potential threats. There was a close up on the Scepter.**

"It's affecting all of you, right?" Peter asked with wide eyes.

"Yes. It was warping us in that moment." Steve said.

At that moment, Tony felt great sympathy for Wanda, realizing that being experimented on by the Mind Stone for a year would have left her unstable too.

**A small Quinjet flew up to the Helicarrier and communicated with the operator, saying they were arms and ammunition. They were actually the rogue agents led by Barton.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"Took the word right out of my mouth." Rhodes said.

"**You speak of control yet you court chaos." Thor said. "It's his M.O., isn't it?" Banner asked, "I mean, what are we? A team? No, no, no. We're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're...we're a time-bomb." Fury asked him to step away as Tony casually put a hand on Steve's shoulder and asked why he shouldn't let off some steam as Steve forced his hand and asked him to back off. Tony asked him to make him. "Yeah, big man in a suit of armor." Steve mocked, "Take that off, what are you?" "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist." Tony smirked smugly. Natasha had a bit of an impressed face.**

"Hero." Steve added and everyone felt the tension in the room ease.

**"I know guys with none of that worth ten of you." Steve said to Tony, "I've seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you." "I think I would just cut the wire", Tony said casually. "Always a way out." Steve said with a smirk, "You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero." "A hero, like you?" Tony asked rhetorically, "You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle."**

"Nope. Out of you." Tony said and the tension eased more.

"Well, you proved me wrong." Steve said, "You made the sacrifice play."

"When will you cut the wire though?" Tony asked jokingly and everyone chuckled.

"He will." Logan said, "Hasn't happened to you yet, but it will. And you'll love it."

Everyone wondered what that was about, though now they really wanted to see it, Steve included.

**Steve asked Tony to put on the suit and they would go a few rounds as Thor laughed, "You people are so petty, and tiny." Barton aimed at the Helicarrier from outside and fired as the arrow got stuck.**

"Damn!" Bobbi said.

**Fury asked Romanoff to escort Banner to his cell but Banner said they couldn't kill him. Everyone stared at him in horror as he said, "I know, I tried. I got low, I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out."**

"More like stopped you from putting it in your mouth." Tony reminded Bruce who shrugged.

**Bruce continued, "So I moved on, I focused on helping other people. I was good until you dragged me back into this freak show, and put everyone here at risk. You wanna know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You wanna know how I stay calm?" Fury had a hand on his gun as Steve pointed at his hand and said he was holding the Scepter. Banner realized it too and put it down quickly, saying how they wouldn't get to see his party trick after all while the tracking machine beeped.**

"Well, that thing was something." Banner said about the Scepter.

"Yes. It does seem like it is trying to communicate with me sometimes." Vision said about the Mind Stone.

**Thor asked if the Teserract was found and Tony said he could get there fastest when Thor said it belonged to Asgard and no human was a match for it. Steve grabbed Tony's shoulder and said he wasn't going alone and Tony dared him as Steve asked him to put on the suit again. Banner's eyes widened as he looked at the screen and then there was an explosion.**

"Oh boy!" A shocked Peter said.

"Now that was horrible." Pepper said.

"And it gets worse." Clint said, "Unfortunately."

Daisy and Bobbi looked tense as they prepared themselves for what they were about to see.

* * *

**Finally, I updated this and I hope it was great.**

**[1] I think this is about destiny. Hulk saved Bruce's life because one day, they were destined to save everyone killed by Thanos and it was said only Professor Hulk could do it. Avengers: Endgame had amazing callbacks to all MCU movies but I think this one was missed by some. Clearly, it was a reference to Tony's and Bruce's conversation here about Hulk saving Bruce's life.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	29. There was an idea

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

Chapter 29- There was an idea

"This is not good at all." Sam said.

"Nope." Rhodes said.

"It gets worse." Tony told them.

**Steve and Tony were thrown on one side as Natasha and Bruce fell down. Steve helped Tony up and asked him to put on the suit to which he agreed.**

"And now I'm listening." Tony said dryly.

**All the agents were running around to defend themselves. Fury got up and called Hill via earpiece who said Number 3 engine was down but a technical worker said it was impossible to make repairs in the air. Hill realized they would go down if they lose another engine and someone needed to patch it outside. Fury called out to Stark who said he was on it.**

"You're pretty good at commanding." An impressed Steve said.

"But you're better." Fury told him.

**Fury then asked Coulson to initiate lockdown and get to the armory.**

Daisy and Bobbi winced, knowing what was coming and Thor and Loki winced too.

**Fury then called out to Romanoff whose leg was trapped under a piece of debris. She said she was all right but then saw Bruce struggling with himself and was horrified as that only meant one thing.**

"No we're not okay." Natasha said to her on-screen self.

"Because of me." Bruce sighed.

"Don't blame yourself." Thor told him.

**Clint and the other rogue agents entered the Helicarrier as Clint gave them all their orders and asked some of them to come with him.**

"Damn!" Clint said in shock.

**Tony asked Steve to go to Engine 3 where he would meet him and pressed a button, opening a door. The Iron Man suit was inside. He pressed another button and the suit was activated.**

"Now that will be awesome." Peter cheered.

**Natasha urged Bruce to fight it as two technicians arrived but she gestured them to run off as Bruce continued painfully tearing through his clothes. She swore on her life to get him out of this. "Your life?" A loud guttural voice interrupted her.**

"The Hulk is coming." T'Challa said as everyone watched with wide eyes.

**Natasha looked in horror as a partially transformed Bruce looked at her and then continued transforming as Natasha managed to free her leg and Bruce completely transformed into Hulk. Natasha looked at him, jaw agape, before he charged at her with a roar. She leapt on some stairs before Hulk smashed them to bits. She started running to avoid him.**

"This is the first time I have seen you afraid in any of these recordings." Loki told Natasha.

**Loki heard the Hulk's enraged roar and lifting his head up, gave a deeply disturbing smirk.**

"All thanks to you, moron." Natasha said dryly.

**Fury commanded the technician to put the sun on the left and take them over the water as they would be trapped if they lost one more turbine. **

"This does not appear well for anyone present." Vision said.

**Steve ripped open a door as 3 agents staggered out and he told Stark he was there. Stark arrived and scanned the area with Jarvis and said he needed to get the cooling system back online and then access the rotors to dislodge the debris. He asked Steve to get to the engine control panel and tell him which relays were at overload position.**

"Didn't work out very well, huh!" Benjamin joked and everyone chuckled.

**Steve leapt and flipping on a kind of lever reached the other side. He took out the control panel as Tony asked him what it looked like and he said it seemed to run on some form of electricity, to which Tony dryly said he wasn't wrong.**

Everyone laughed at that.

"What?" Steve said, "I wasn't a science expert. Not even in the 40's."

"Yeah. You were the Star Spangled Man With A Plan." Bucky joked and everyone laughed as Steve glared at Bucky.

**Natasha discreetly moved around, gun raised. Suddenly, Hulk emerged and roared.**

Everyone jumped at that.

"Now that was scary." Hill said.

"Eh. Seen worse." Logan told her.

**Natasha shot the pipe above him, staggering him. He recovered and rushed her. She ran off in a narrow space to save her life and Hulk ran after her, smashing everything in his way. With a light smack of his hand, Natasha flying and she crashed into a crate.**

"Doesn't look good." Bucky said as him and Natasha gripped hands.

**Natasha managed to sit up and had her back to the crate. Hulk was about to hit her when a blur smashed Hulk through the wall.**

"Okay, who was that?" Wanda asked as the only person she had seen run in a blur so far was her deceased brother.

**Hulk and Thor crashed through the wall, splintering it into bits as the workers nearby watched.**

"It was you?" A shocked Wanda asked.

"Yes, little witch." Thor said.

"Why don't you use that much of speed?" Tony asked.

"Because of my Asgardian physiology, my speed generates a lot of energy." Thor said.

"So using it too much on Earth can cause destruction around me just due to the force I generate." Odinson said.

"Wow! Didn't know that." Storm said.

"Well, I'm guessing you're the second fastest person now after my brother." Wanda said, "Sorry Cap. You got pushed to a third."

"I can live with that." Steve sighed.

"Of course you can. You're Captain America. The epitome of humility." Scott said and everyone chuckled.

**The two slowly rose up, staring each other down while the workers ran off for their lives. The two Titans stood facing each other, ready to fight.**

"So it begins." Thor said.

"Yup." Bruce agreed.

"Battle of the Titans." Loki said.

"Beginning of a friendly rivalry." Odinson said.

**Hulk roared and attacked with a punch which Thor backed to avoid before ducking to avoid a smack. He then punched the indestructible monster hard, staggering him back. Hulk raised his fist and brought it down on the Prince of Asgard. Thor blocked with one hand but found his opponent's strength humongous even for his standards so he used his other hand too, trying to push the Hulk's hand back. Unfortunately for him, with all his strength, he only barely managed to hold Hulk's hand back.**

"Damn! You two are strong enough to actually give each other competition." Hope commented.

**Thor tried to reason with Banner, telling him they were not enemies and to think. What Hulk did next almost shocked Thor more than Loki's betrayal. He used the hand to lift Thor up and punched him hard, crashing him through some crates.**

"Ouch!" Aunt May said.

"Now that looked pretty bad." Bobbi said.

"The angrier the Hulk gets, the stronger he gets." Bruce said.

**Iron Man kicked some debris away before looking at the conditions of everything around him. Steve said relays were intact and Tony said even if he cleared the rotors, the thing won't re-engage without a jump so he needed to get in there and push. Steve said Tony would get shredded if the thing got up to speed.**

"So you know a little bit after all." Natasha joked.

"I'm not a scientist but I'm not stupid." Steve told her.

**Tony asked him to reverse polarity long enough for him to engage mac lever but Steve asked him to speak in simpler terms and Tony asked him to stand by a red lever that would slow the rotors down. Steve leapt to It and waited.**

"Well, not stupid but not a scientist either." Steve said.

**Thor crashed through some more crates. As he got up, he felt some blood oozing out of his nose. Putting his finger there, he looked at his blood and smiled. It had been a long time since a foe had made him bleed on the battlefield. He was going to enjoy this.**

"Warrior culture eh!" Daisy asked.

"Yes." Thor said, "While I have tempered myself, who doesn't love a good fight?"

"I sure do." Odinson said.

"Sif definitely liked one." Daisy said.

"Well, she is the Goddess of War." Loki reminded her.

**Thor raised his hand as Hulk rushed him. Just when Hulk was near, Mjolnir crashed through some crates, finding its way to its owner's hand. Thor smashed Hulk hard on the jaw, throwing him on a plane on the process which broke on impact.**

"Ouch!" Peter said.

"Even you are no match for Mjolnir." Thor said.

"But I can get stronger." Bruce said.

"You're assuming I'll let you fight long enough to get stronger." Odinson said.

**Hulk then roared angrily and broke a wing of the plane before throwing it on the charging Thor. Thor slid on his knees to avoid it. The wing shattered a car behind him. Thor got up and threw Mjolnir on Hulk. Hulk tried to catch it but it flew with him. The two fell on the ground. Hulk tried to lift it but couldn't as the hammer deemed him unworthy. His feet sank into the ground as he tried to lift the hammer.**

"Wow!" Clint said as he looked at with an agape jaw, "So there is an enchantment after all."

"You of all people should know." Thor said, "You saw me failing to lift it when I was unworthy."

"Good point." Clint shrugged.

"If Hulk couldn't lift it, I have no chance." Bruce sighed.

"And now that hammer is broken." Fury said.

"You have no idea what's possible." Loki echoed Hela's words.

**The distraction was all Thor needed to kick him on the face with a leap, staggering him back again. Before Hulk could react, Thor picked up Mjolnir and leapt on Hulk's back, holding him in a chokehold with Mjolnir as Hulk staggered violently.**

"Clash of the Titans." Rhodes said with wide eyes.

**Fury told Hill he needed full evac but as she walked, a grenade landed in front of her. She tried to shout out a warning but it exploded, sending her and other agents back. **

"This sucks." Sam said.

"When does it not?" Bobbi asked sarcastically.

"The answer to that is- never!" Logan said.

"I know right!" Storm said.

**Two agents snuck in, guns raised. Fury grabbed one from behind and threw him down before shooting the other down. He then shot the one he had thrown down while Hill shot down another agent who was aiming at Fury from behind.**

"Underrated badass." Bucky said to Hill.

"Thanks." Hill said.

"Well, I always appreciate fellow Canadians." Logan said dryly and everyone chuckled.

**Coulson walked towards a door as the announcement echoed and he completed his retinal scan. Hulk smashed Thor and himself onto an upper level. Before Thor could get up, Hulk lifted him and threw him off.**

"Looking bad for you." Bobbi said.

"I let him hit me." Thor revealed.

"What? Why?" Natasha asked.

"I figured if he was busy hitting me, he wouldn't have time to damage anything else or kill anyone." Odinson said and everyone felt their respect for him go up, realizing why he was worthy of Mjolnir.

"Well, sorry about that." Bruce said to Thor.

"Don't blame yourself." Natasha told him again.

**An agent informed Fury that Hulk and Thor were on research level 4 as Hill said Hulk would tear the place down and Fury commanded to get his attention. Hill asked an agent to distract Hulk and not get too close.**

"Distance doesn't matter unfortunately." Bruce sighed.

**The agent flew to where Thor and Hulk were fighting and as Hulk threw Thor off, he fired, shattering the glass. Hulk turned to him angrily as he said the target was angry.**

Everyone chuckled in spite of the tense situation.

**Thor slid away to avoid the bullets.**

"Why're you avoiding the bullets?" Bobbi asked, "I'm pretty sure you're bullet-proof."

"Doesn't meant they are not annoying." Thor pointed out.

**Hulk leapt on the jet and started smashing it. The agent tried to fly off with his jetpack but Hulk grabbed him and threw him off. He managed to produce a parachute and used it to safely make his way to the ground.**

"Lucky day for you, bub." Logan said to the agent.

**As Hulk continued smashing the jet, it exploded, sending him flying off.**

"On my way to meet the security guard." Bruce said.

**Iron Man used his beam to weaken a piece of debris lodged between the rotors before jumping on it, sending it down. Steve noticed some agents arriving below them. One of them suddenly threw a grenade and Steve leapt to the other side to avoid.**

"Oh my God!" Pepper said in shock.

**Steve then leapt down and punched an agent down before kicking the other away and throwing another out. Another man fired at him but Steve threw a piece of debris at him and he jumped away to avoid. Steve then leapt up and picking up a gun, exchanged gunfire with the agent.**

"Adjusting to modern weaponry?" Natasha asked.

"Yup." Steve said.

"And do you like it?" T'Challa asked.

"Yup." Steve said again.

**Fury and the others engaged in a gunfight with the controlled agents before Clint fired an arrow which exploded, sending some agents down. Clint fired another arrow which made the computers malfunction. Fury fired at him but he walked off. The Helicarrier started toppling.**

"Sorry." Clint said.

"I think I should be the one to say that." Loki said.

**Sitwell told Fury they had lost engine one and Barton had taken out their systems. Fury realized he was headed for the detention lab and asked if anybody copied. "This is Agent Romanoff." Natasha responded, finally recovering from what she had just experienced, "I copy." She made her way to her destination.**

"Now that's my agent." Bucky said and both of them smiled at each other as everyone felt the sexual tension between them and seemed uncomfortable.

"Guys, get a room." Scott said and everyone chuckled.

"They will, after this recording." Hope said and everyone laughed and Natasha and Bucky looked at the screen.

**Fury told Tony they were losing altitude and he started pushing the rotors as Steve engaged in gunfight with the agent and suddenly slipped and started falling before brandishing a rope to hang on.**

"Damn!" Sam said.

"And they consider Barton the least harmful Avenger." Fury said dryly and everyone knew not to underestimate Clint Barton.

**Thor walked towards Loki's cell, only to see him walking out of it. He leapt at Loki, Mjolnir raised, only to fall into the cell. He got up and looked back to see Loki fading away while the real Loki shut the door. "Are you ever not going to fall for that?" Loki asked mockingly.**

"I didn't the last time." Thor said and Loki sighed. Everyone decided they wanted to see that.

**Clint was walking through the dark passage when he sensed someone behind him and turning around, fired as Natasha narrowly dodged but Clint kicked her away. He tried to smack her with his bow but she kicked him away and jumping down, used a pillar as a support and kicked him away again. She leapt away to avoid another arrow as he leapt after her.**

"When did you get better than me?" Clint asked her.

"Ever since you started focusing only on archery and not on improving your fighting skills." Natasha said dryly.

**The two exchanged blows as Natasha grabbed his bowstring and he pinned her to the railing and it her but she punched him away and both of them brandished knives.**

"Getting worse and worse." Peter said.

"Yup." Benjamin agreed.

**Thor hit the cell with Mjolnir but only the glass cracked while the stability decreased. Loki said they should test Thor's immortality. That moment, the agent with Loki fell down and the two turned to see Coulson arrive, holding a strange weapon. He told Loki to move away and he complied before pointing to the weapon as Coulson said this was what they had made from the Destroyer and even he didn't know what it did as it activated and glowed.**

"He did later." Bobbi said as Daisy, Thor, Odinson and Loki watched the scene with wide eyes, knowing what was coming.

**The gun was slowly activating when Loki stabbed Coulson from behind. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Daisy yelled in despair as tears dropped from her eyes on seeing Coulson's first death and Bobbi put an arm around her.

Everyone wondered how close Daisy was to Coulson to react like this.

Thor and Odinson were breathing heavily, feeling some guilt as Loki looked at the screen with wide eyes, ashamed of himself.

Tony looked distressed as Pepper held his hand for comfort and he squeezed back.

Natasha and Clint were saddened by the scene too but they knew that something didn't add up. There was no record of any Daisy Johnson in SHIELD before Coulson's death and he had never mentioned her. They had also noticed the glares Fury was receiving from her and Bobbi. Something was up.

Fury closed his one eye sadly as him and Hill exchanged a look.

Peter, Wanda and Aunt May put their hands over their mouths in horror as Logan and Storm simply watched.

Steve sadly lowered his head as Bucky, Sam and Rhodes did the same as a gesture of respect.

"Should we continue?" Benjamin asked Daisy after 5 minutes and wiping her tears, she nodded. Benjamin pressed the play button again as Loki ran a hand over his head.

**The fake Loki disappeared in front of Coulson while the real Loki pulled the scepter out of Coulson's back. Coulson fell down, panting heavily due to his wound while Loki walked towards the controls. As Thor glared at him, Loki pressed the button and the cell fell down, with Thor in it.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

**Natasha blocked Clint's blow and punched him before blocking another one and twisted his arm before he tried to slice her with a knife but she avoided and grabbed his hand and he grabbed her hair before she bit him and flipped him down and punched him, making his head hit the railing. With a sigh, Clint looked up. Natasha noticed his eyes weren't blue any longer but their natural color. As his eyes flashed with recognition, Clint said in confusion, "Natasha...?" That moment, Natasha punched him out.**

"Why did you do that?" Clint asked.

"Better safe than sorry." Natasha said and Fury smiled with pride.

**The cell was falling on the ground at full speed, straight into the steel trap. Thor was thrown around inside it, trying to gain momentum. Finally, he put his feet on one side and leapt out, breaking the cell as it crashed into the trap while Thor fell face first on the ground and continued sliding.**

"Damn!" Rhodes said.

"So you got out of a containment unit made for me." Bruce said, impressed.

"That is why I am mighty!" Thor smirked.

**Loki was walking away when Coulson said he would lose because even though the heroes were scattered and the floating fortress fell from the sky, Loki lacked conviction. Before he could retort, the Destroyer gun blasted Loki and sent him flying through the wall. Loki staggered up as Coulson said, "So that's what it does."**

Everyone clapped happily at the scene as Loki just sighed.

**Tony roared and using all his strength, pushed the rotors hard, finally making them work and sustain the Helicarrier in the air. He asked Cap for a lever as he climbed back up. Tony got trapped between the rotors.**

"Oh my God!" Pepper said with wide eyes as her and Tony squeezed each other's hands.

"I am here, honey." Tony assured her.

**Steve managed to climb up and pulled the lever slowing the rotors down long enough for Tony to get out.**

"Phew!" Peter said.

**As another agent arrived to fire at Steve, Tony flew at him at full speed and knocked him out before lying next to him as his suit was low on power. Fury saw Coulson lying on the ground. He took the Destroyer gun away and knelt next to him as Coulson apologized.**

"You don't need to." Fury said.

**Fury asked him to stay awake but he said he was clocking out. "Not an option", Fury said. "It's okay, boss." Coulson assured him, "This was never gonna work if they didn't have something to..." Coulson stared at Fury with a glassy look without seeing. He was gone. Fury winced at the sight, a rare case of him showing emotion. One of his best agents and oldest friends…. gone!**

Daisy put a hand to her mouth as everyone looked saddened and Bobbi comforted Daisy who had tears in her eyes.

Loki didn't say a word, just putting his head in his hands.

**Fury got up as the medics arrived to take the body away. Pressing his comms, he broke the news, "Agent Coulson is down."**

"Unfortunately." Tony said in a sad voice.

**Hill, Natasha, Steve and Tony all heard the announcement and seemed sad. Later- Steve and Tony sat around a table as Fury paced around and Hill stood in a corner. "These were in Phil Coulson's jacket." Fury said as he held Phil's 'Captain America' trading cards in his hands, "Guess he never did get you to sign them." He threw them on the table in front of Steve and Tony as Hill watched from the corner. They were covered in blood.**

"Should have signed them." Steve sighed sadly.

Logan glared at Fury with a snarl for his manipulation and everyone wondered what that was about.

**Steve picked up one card which showed him giving a salute and looked at it with guilt-filled eyes. Fury said they were dead in the air and the communications were down. Tony was looking down to hide his grief. "Lost my one good eye." Fury said as he looked up with a sad smile, "Maybe I had that coming." He then admitted they were using the Teserract to build an arsenal of weapons but he didn't put all his chips on his number because he was playing something even riskier. **

"Something not approved but worked like a miracle." Tony said.

**Looking up to face everyone, Fury said, "There was an idea." Pointing at Stark, he said, "Stark knows this. It's called The Avengers Initiative." Turning to Steve, Fury explained, "The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could." He then looked at Tony, whose back was turned to him, "Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea, in heroes." Tony immediately got off his seat and walked away. "Well." Fury said with a sigh, "It's an old fashioned notion."**

"And worked like a charm." Hill said.

**Thor slowly walked towards where Mjolnir was lying in the grassy field. He raised his hand, trying to call it to him but it didn't come. Thor realized his grief and anger over Coulson's death had temporarily severed his link with Mjolnir. Pressing his fist, he started calming himself down.**

"Why can't you call it?" Peter asked.

"My grief and anger over Coulson's death temporarily severed my link to it." Thor explained.

**"You fell out of the sky." Bruce groaned as he managed to sit up. He looked at himself and realized he was naked and blackened. He looked around and saw the building was smashed really badly. He looked up to see a guard. Bruce asked if he had hurt anybody and the guard said there was no one around to get hurt though he had scared the hell out of some pigeons.**

"That is better." Aunt May sighed.

"Yup." Bruce agreed.

**Bruce said he was lucky as the guard said it was good aim and he was awake when he fell. The guard had seen him falling when he was big and green and buck ass nude.**

Everyone chuckled a little at that.

**The guard tossed Bruce some clothes and asked if he was an alien from outer space but Bruce said he wasn't and the guard realized he had a condition.**

"I do." Bruce said.

"And the aliens are coming." Tony said.

**A strapped Clint shook his head as Natasha said he would be all right and he realized he needed to flush Loki out. Clint asked if she ever had someone take her brain and play and she said she had.**

Bucky and Natasha held each other's hand tightly, having gone through the same thing.

**Natasha unstrapped Clint and told she had hit him hard on the head to cause cognitive recalibration and he thanked her before asking how many agents he had killed and she told him not to blame himself and that this was Loki, monsters and magic which they hadn't been trained for.**

"Nice points." Hill agreed.

**Clint didn't know where Loki had gone off unfortunately but knew he was going to make his play soon that very day. Natasha said they needed to stop him, they being whoever's left. "Well, if I put an arrow in Loki's eye socket, I'd sleep better I suppose." Clint said.**

"Now that is Clint!" Sam said.

"And you almost did it." Loki said.

**Clint asked Natasha why she wanted to wade into a war as she was a spy, not a soldier. He asked what Loki had done to her and she said, "I got red in my ledger, I'd like to wipe it out."**

Everyone felt great sympathy for Natasha.

**Steve asked Tony if Coulson was married as Tony remembered the cellist. Steve apologized, saying he seemed like a good man as Tony called him an idiot.**

"Hey!" Daisy said angrily as she glared at Tony, "He just lost his life and you're going to call him an idiot?"

"I'm sorry." Tony apologized, "I shouldn't have said that."

"He cannot process his emotions properly." Pepper told Daisy.

"I was- I was angry at him for dying." Tony said sadly and Daisy's expression softened, "I realized later how wrong that was."

**Steve asked the reason and Tony said for taking on Loki alone. Steve said he was doing his job and Tony said he was out of his league and should have waited. Steve said sometimes there wasn't a way out and asked if this was the first time he had lost a soldier. Tony snapped they were soldiers and he wouldn't march to Fury's fife.**

"It wasn't the first time." Steve sighed and Tony nodded.

**Steve said he wasn't either because he had the same blood on his hands as Loki.**

Fury winced, knowing it wasn't entirely false.

**Steve said they needed to put it behind them and get the job done. Loki needed a power source and they could put together a list. Tony said Loki had made it personal and hit them where they live. He wanted to beat them with an audience. Steve agreed, remembering the act at Stuttgart as Tony said this was previews and now they were in for the opening night and Loki was a full-tail diva.**

"I'm flattered." Loki said.

**Doing gestures with his hands, Tony said, "He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered." He stopped as Steve gave him a knowing look. "Son of a bitch", he muttered as he walked off.**

"Only I can have that." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

**Erik Selvig was working on the machine that would open the portal- right on top of Stark Industries.**

"Damn!" Rhodes said.

**Bruce put on his shirt as the guard asked if he was a big guy who got little or a little guy who got large.**

"I think that would be me." Scott said and everyone chuckled.

**Bruce said he didn't know at this point and needed to get to New York before shaking his head as the guard said his mind was confused and his body was all over the place.**

"He isn't wrong." Bruce said.

"**I know where I could do the most good, but it's where I can do the most harm." Bruce admitted to the guard. "Well, that's no different than anybody else." The guard said.**

"Wise guy." Steve said.

**The guard said he was stuck in New Jersey so Bruce could take his motorcycle. Bruce said he didn't know which way to. The guard took off his cap and said Bruce's mind was already made up and the rest of him would follow as he tossed him the keys.**

"He was a nice guy." Bruce said.

**Steve arrived at Clint's and Natasha's room and said it was time to go and asked if she could fly one of those jets.**

"Didn't you see me flying one earlier?" Natasha asked.

"Right." Steve sighed, "Stupid question." [1]

**Clint walked up to them and wiping his face, said he could. Steve asked if he had a suit. Clint nodded so Steve told him to suit up.**

"And Hawkeye's in." Clint smirked.

**Thor finally picked up Mjolnir and looked at it. Steve armed himself with his shield. Clint strapped his quiver to his back. Natasha activated her gauntlets. Tony worked on the Iron Man helmet and finally, the eyes glowed again. Thor raised Mjolnir and lightning struck it as his clothes started transforming into his battle armor while wind blew around him. Tony was in his armor, all decked out and started flying. Steve, Natasha and Clint walked towards a Quinjet, all suited up.**

"Now that was awesome!" Peter cheered.

"I wasn't in it." Bruce said.

"You get something better later." Odinson said.

**They reached the Quinjet. "You guys aren't authorized to be in here." The agent said, trying to stop them. Steve said casually, "Son, just don't."**

"Badass Cap." Scott cheered.

**Fury was looking at the cards as Hill walked up next to him and said the cards had been in Coulson's locker, not in his jacket.**

"What?" Steve said as everyone turned to Fury angrily.

"They were in the locker?" Natasha asked.

"You son of a bitch!" Tony shot out.

"Why did you lie?" Thor asked.

"That's what you do, don't you?" Clint asked.

"You needed the push." Fury said, "You were dysfunctional."

"So you will lie to get us to be functional?" Bruce asked.

"Guys, I know you don't trust him right now." Benjamin said, "And I understand why. But understand why he did it too. And we are here to move past everything."

Everyone sighed and turned back to the screen.

"This isn't over." Tony said.

"Nope. It has just begun, bub." Logan said, knowing the secrets would be out after this recording.

"**They needed the push." Fury said. That was when a Quinjet flew off as an unauthorized departure was announced. Fury realized they had found Loki and asked to get their communications back up as he wanted his eye on everything and Hill complied.**

"So it begins." Steve said.

"So it begins indeed." Odinson agreed.

* * *

**Next chapter is the final fight.**

**[1] I think this was a movie mistake. Natasha is the one who flew Steve to Stuttgart and out of there so I'm pretty sure Steve knows Natasha can fly a Quinjet. So the question makes no sense.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all with another chapter.**


	30. Avengers Assembled

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now I have over 200 favorites too! Yes! Keep it people! Keep blowing my mind you all!**

**Also, I got 202 favorites here and 202 kudos on AO3. Coincidence much?**

Chapter 30- Avengers Assembled

"That portal was a pain in the ass." Tony said.

"No kidding." Natasha agreed.

**Iron Man flew towards his tower at full speed as Jarvis told him the device was self-sustaining. Tony asked Selvig to shut it down but he ranted like a madman, saying it wanted to show them a new universe.**

"You really did something to him." Thor said.

"Yup. The Mind Stone can make people sound delusional." Loki said.

**Tony fired a beam but a barrier protected the device and he was sent flying back as Selvig was knocked out. Jarvis said the barrier was pure energy and unreachable so Tony looked down at Loki and switched to Plan B. Jarvis said the Mark VII wasn't ready for deployment so Tony told him to skip the spinning rims as they were out of time.**

"I so did not enjoy Plan B." Loki said.

"It's me improvising after all." Tony said and there were chuckles.

**Tony descended and had the armor removed from him as him and Loki marched towards each other and Loki asked if Tony was going to appeal to his humanity. Tony casually said he was planning to threaten as Loki said he should have left his armor on for that. Tony walked towards his little bar and said it had seen a bit of mileage and pointing at Loki, told him he had the blue stick of destiny.**

"So now I am the machine of destiny?" Vision asked, puzzled.

"It's a metaphor, Viz." Wanda told him.

**Tony friendlily offered a drink as Loki said stalling him won't change anything. Tony corrected that he was threatening and said he was having a drink as he got himself one. **

"You're pretty good." Steve told Tony.

"Thanks Cap." Tony said.

"Yeah, your battle of wits delayed him a little." Natasha agreed.

"That's Mr. Stark for you." Benjamin said.

**Loki walked towards the window and said the Chitauri were coming and nothing would change that. He asked what he had to fear and Tony said, "The Avengers."**

"The Earth's Mightiest Heroes." Peter cheered happily.

"Protector of this world." Aunt May agreed.

**Tony poured himself a drink and said, "It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. Earth's Mightiest Heroes type of thing." Loki chuckled saying how he had met them and Tony sad it took them a while to get any traction.**

"Not wrong there." Fury said.

"You were pretty dysfunctional." Hill agreed.

"Really, now I wonder, when were we ever not dysfunctional?" Clint asked.

"I'd say during our attack on Hydra, we were pretty functional." Banner said.

"And before we were split." Sam said.

"Those would be the only times." Wanda said.

**Tony then did a head count- Loki's brother who was the God of Thunder. Loki looked away as Tony put a bracelet on his wrist.**

"Now that was a brilliant idea." Bobbi said.

"Yup." Tony said, "It's what I do."

**Tony sipped his drink and counted the others- a super soldier who was a living legend and kind of lived up to the legend, a man with breath-taking anger management issues, a couple of master assassins and Loki had managed to piss of every single one of them.**

"Shows how smart you were." Odinson said, "Or not."

"Not the smartest idea from me." Loki agreed.

**Loki arrogantly said that was the plan and Tony told him it wasn't a great plan. "When they come, and they will, they'll come for you." Tony told him. "I have an army." Loki said. "We have a Hulk." Tony countered.**

"Burn!" Scott clapped.

"That can be a meme." Hope said.

"Sounds right." Tony said, "Dany: I have dragons. Cersei: I have the Mountain. Jon Snow: I have Lyanna Mormont."

Everyone laughed at Tony's joke.

"Now that was a great one." Pepper said.

"Aragorn: I have the dead army." Tony continued, "Jack Sparrow: I have a jar of dirt."

At this point, everyone was rolling in laughter.

"Never lose your sense of humor, bub." Logan told him.

**A confused Loki said he had thought Hulk had wandered off as Tony said he was missing the point. "There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you." Tony said before declaring, "Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it."**

Everyone applauded at Tony's stand against Loki and Tony felt flattered.

"Preach." Rhodes said.

**Tony took a sip of his drink as Loki marched towards him and touched his chest with the Scepter but nothing happened due to his Arc Reactor in the way. Loki tried again but the result was the same.**

"That thing is pretty useful." Sam said.

"And you had removed." Pepper said.

"Loki doesn't have the stick anymore." Tony shrugged.

**Loki was shocked as Tony mocked about performance issues when he was lifted up by the throat and thrown to the floor. Tony got up, telling Jarvis to be prepared. Loki lifted him up by the throat again and said they would all fall before him as Tony told Jarvis to deploy. Loki threw him off. He crashed through his window and to the street below. As Loki watched his descent, he heard something and turning around, narrowly avoided the flying suit. As Tony fell down, the suit flew after him and detecting his bracelet, put itself on him and just when he was near the ground, he was fully armored.**

Everyone applauded and cheered again at Tony.

"Already embarrassing me." Loki sighed.

**Activating his thrusters, Tony flew up and was face to face with Loki. "And there's one other person you pissed off!" As Loki raised the scepter to strike, Tony fired a repulsor, throwing him back, "His name is Phil."**

"Yes!" Daisy cheered happily at Tony's declaration.

"You deserved that for Coulson." Bobbi told Loki.

**That moment, a blue light shot up into the sky from the device. As Tony looked up, a portal opened in the sky. On the other side of it was space. Out from it came dozens of flying vehicles. Flying them were reptilian-like creatures which looked like they were a mix between organic human tissue and machine. The Chitauri! "Right." Tony muttered in horror, "Army."**

"They came in huge droves." Storm said, "That's what made them so hard to beat."

"Yup." Bucky agreed as he looked at the screen.

**As Tony flew up, one of them fired at him but he dodged and destroyed the offender with a repulsor. He tried to fire again but one of the transports smacked him on the head, staggering him. Spinning around to dodge, he fired mini-missiles from his shoulders, destroying more of them. But even Iron Man couldn't hold back an entire army of aliens all by himself. Many of them flew past him and towards the streets. The people were standing still in horror and shock, jaws agape. The Chitauri then started rapidly firing from their transports and the people ran off to protect themselves as their vehicles were destroyed. They also fired at the café outside which Steve had been sitting earlier as all the customers and waitresses, including Beth, ran inside and watched the destruction with horror.**

"What a jackass." Logan said to Loki.

"Not my best moment." Loki said, "Actually, one of my worst. No excuse for that."

"Good to see you're learning." Benjamin said to Loki.

**Loki stood on top of the tower and looked down with a smirk while his armor and horned helmet appeared. It had begun! The Other appeared to him again as Loki said his time had come. The Other said there was resistance and Loki said it was from few. The Other asked about the rest of the Chitauri and Loki said they would mow everyone down. The Other smirked and the conversation ended.**

"Damn!" Sam said, "I'm guessing the guy did do a number on you."

"Yeah. You can say that." Loki said, "But my actions were my own. Not anyone else's. I take full responsibility for everything I have done."

Everyone looked shocked at Loki on hearing that and felt respect for him, realizing that he actually had changed.

"It's a start brother." Thor told Loki.

"It's a start." Odinson agreed.

**Thor, fully dressed in his battle armor, descended near Loki and told him to turn off the Teserract or he would destroy it. Loki said there was no stopping it and only the war. Thor reluctantly agreed as Loki leapt at him with a roar and Thor side-stepped to avoid. Thor struck with Mjolnir but Loki blocked with the scepter and swung at Thor who ducked to avoid. Loki fired a blast which Thor deflected before both of them clashed their weapons. The resulting energy wave destroyed the "K" at the end of "STARK" on the building and sent it down.**

"My name is really hated." Tony joked and everyone snickered.

**On the ground below, police vans pulled up but even the cops were horrified at what they were witnessing. The Quinjet flew towards New York. As Natasha informed Stark they were heading north east. Stark said he was going to lay the Chitauri out for them as they flew after him. Tony flew past where Thor and Loki were battling, dodging some shots and making them hit each other. The Quinjet arrived and Natasha brandished its gun, firing at some Chitauri and killing them. Jarvis told Tony there were more incoming and he decided to keep them occupied. Thor swung at Loki who ducked to avoid before grabbing Thor and slamming him into some glass.**

"Why are you losing?" Peter asked Thor.

"I didn't want to hurt Loki." Thor admitted, "So I held back."

**Natasha and Clint saw Thor and Loki fighting. Loki slammed Thor down again before the Quinjet fired on him but he fired a blast of his scepter and it hit a wing, damaging the vehicle. Thor roared angrily on seeing that and started pummeling Loki.**

"And now you're not holding back." Loki said dryly.

**The Quinjet was all haywire before it 3started going down. Steve hung on the top to avoid losing balance as Natasha and Clint tried to safely crash it. They managed to safely crash land it, being SHIELD's best pilots not only in flying, but also crash landing.**

"You two are the best SHIELD pilots, aren't you?" Daisy asked.

"Yup." Natasha and Clint said simultaneously.

**The backdoor opened as Steve, Natasha and Clint ran out into the center of the city and what they saw horrified them. A giant reptilian creature floated out of the portal and all the people were paralyzed in fear on seeing it. From it jumped Chitauri foot soldiers, scaling on walls, crashing into buildings and killing people with their firearms. Steve asked Stark if he was seeing this and he said he was but still working on believing.**

"Don't blame you." Aunt May said.

"Nice use of humor there." Pepper told him.

"Best defense mechanism ever." Rhodes agreed.

**Stark asked about Banner and Steve said he hadn't shown up. Stark told them to keep him posted. Flying after the Leviathan, Tony asked Jarvis to find him a soft spot.**

"There weren't many." Vision remembered.

**Thor asked Loki to look at the destruction around him, asking him if the madness would end with his rule. Loki said it was too late to stop it. Thor said they could- together. Loki looked like he was going to break down but he suddenly smirked and stabbed Thor in the abdomen. Thor grunted and staggered back, dropping Mjolnir. "Sentiment!" Loki smirked. Thor angrily kicked him through some glass and lifting him up, threw him down. Loki rolled away onto a Chitauri transport. Thor ripped out the knife.**

"Really, you were very unreasonable during that time." Odinson said.

"I was." Loki agreed, "Not proud of it."

**Clint said they had civilians trapped in the roof as Steve saw Loki flying past them on a Chitauri transport with other Chitauri and destroying vehicles. Some Chitauri arrived and fired at the three as Natasha fired back and told Steve to go. Steve asked if Clint could hold them off. "Captain." Clint said as he notched an arrow, "It would be my genuine pleasure." He fired, getting one of them.**

"And my job begins." Clint said.

"You're an Avenger now." Wanda told Clint and the two smiled at each other.

**Steve ran off, avoiding the shots as he flipped around. Clint and an officer helped some civilians out of a trapped bus. Natasha commented it was like Budapest all over again as she fired at the Chitauri and Clint said they remembered Budapest very differently.**

"What happened in Budapest?" Peter asked innocently.

"Don't ask." Clint and Natasha said simultaneously.

**Steve leapt around as the cops tried to fire at Chitauri and a young cop said the National Guard would come in an hour. The police captain asked if the National Guard knew what was going on and the cop asked if they did in the first place. Steve leapt in front of some cops on a car and ordered them to save the people through the basement or the subway and keep them off the streets and he needed a perimeter as far back as the 39****th****. The police captain asked why they should take orders from him. That moment, some Chitauri destroyed a vehicles and caused a small blast, making the cops back off. Steve blocked one and smacked it away with his shield before turning around and blocking another. He punched it away and turning around smacked one out before using his shield to cut off one's weapon and smacked it away.**

"That's why." Bucky said.

**The captain now knew why to take his orders and said on comms and ordered his men on comms to do what Steve had said. Steve tossed the Chitauri's gun to the guard, telling him to see what he could do with it. Steve walked off as the cop dropped the hand stuck to the gun in disgust.**

"Eww!" Hope said.

"Is it just me or does that cop look like Agent Sousa?" Hill asked, remembering the man's picture.

"You're not wrong." Fury said. [1]

"Who's Sousa?" Steve asked.

"SSR Agent who worked with Agent Carter." Fury told Steve.

**Thor flew next to Selvig and checked his pulse. He was still alive. He then moved towards the device and struck it with Mjolnir but the barrier defended it and he was sent flying back.**

"Can't smash everything with hammers." Loki joked.

**The Chitauri fired at more vehicles as a family cowered in a car as the front of the car caught fire. The kid looked afraid and his mother covered him. The father started the car and drove into an alley. A Chitauri tried to fire at them from above but Steve leapt at it, throwing it down as his shield fell off. He saw the car coming and flipped to avoid as the Chitauri grabbed the car from behind and was dragged along with it. It broke the glass with a punch and tried to grab the kid as the mother tried to protect him and the father drove around when Steve picked up his shield and threw it, knocking the Chitauri out. The car rammed into some trash cans and stopped as Steve ran up to it and threw the unconscious Chitauri off. The grateful kid returned him his shield and he nodded.**

"That was so sweet." Aunt May said.

**Steve told the family to go underground and they complied. Iron Man fired mini missiles on the Leviathan and it turned to him as some debris fell on an ice cream cart. Tony joked they had got its attention and wondered about Step 2. He flew off as it followed him while Natasha leapt onto a Chitauri and stabbed it on the head before taking its weapon while Clint smacked one down with his bow and stabbed it with an arrow. Natasha ducked to avoid another Chitauri and deflecting its attack, smacked it out. Clint smacked another in the abdomen before knocking it out and shot one behind him without even looking.**

"That was awesome!" Peter cheered.

"Sure was." Benjamin agreed.

"Show-off." Tony grumbled.

"You two are great fighters." Steve told them.

"Thanks." They said simultaneously, flattered at the praise.

**Clint blocked a Chitauri's weapon with his bow and they were in a deadlock as Natasha stabbed one and Clint freed his bow from the deadlock. Natasha avoided another Chitauri and smacked one down and smacked the previous one too before pressing the weapon to another's neck and shooting it down. One Chitauri slammed Clint to the ground but he stabbed it with a fletchette, staggering it back before slamming it to the ground. Another one kicked him and he fell over a car. Natasha blocked two Chitauri's attacks and in a rotatory motion, fired at them, sending them down. She fired at more as they rushed her. Clint tried to elbow a Chitauri away as it slammed his head on the can and threw him away. He rolled away to avoid being hit as Natasha fought two more but they pushed her to the cab. She turned her head to avoid being hit. She got up and blocked an attack from one of them but it grabbed her by the weapon and tossed her onto a car. She fell on it and groaned in pain.**

"Damn!" Sam said.

"For ordinary humans with no powers, you two are holding up very well." T'Challa complimented and they nodded gratefully.

"Yes, you two are doing great." Bucky agreed.

**Clint ducked to avoid another Chitauri's swing and then shot it down. Determination flashed in Natasha's eyes and she got back up. Clint slid on the ground with his bow on the front as it smacked two Chitauris on their feet, putting them down. He turned around and shot another one down as Natasha battled one and stabbed it before shooting another and Clint shot one on top of a car. He kicked another one away as Natasha blocked attacks from another and stabbed it. Clint smacked his opponent away and shot it down. Clint and Natasha were then surrounded as the former raised his bow. **

"Uh-oh." Bobbi said.

"That is not good." Daisy said in panic.

**Suddenly, Steve leapt there and slammed the Chitauri away with his shield. He slammed another away with his shield in a rotatory motion and hit another on the feet, throwing it off. He slammed another down with his shield in a rotatory motion and stood in front of Clint and Natasha protectively. Some more Chitauri rushed them but lightning bolts descended from the sky and killed them all before Thor landed on the ground and used a car for support, still weakened from trying to destroy the Teserract. **

"Just in time." Bucky said as everyone sighed in relief.

**Steve asked Thor about the situation up there and Thor said the power surrounding the cube was impenetrable. Tony agreed, saying they needed to deal with the Chitauri. Natasha asked how they would do it and Steve said as a team. Thor said he had unfinished business with Loki as Clint jokingly told him to get in line.**

Everyone snickered.

**Steve told Clint to save it and said Loki was going to keep he fight focused on them and they needed that. He was about to give orders when they heard a bike stopping behind them and turned around to see Bruce getting off with a smirk.**

"And Hulk is in." Bruce smirked.

"**So this all seems horrible." Bruce said. "I've seen worse." Natasha said. "Sorry." Bruce apologized. "No, we could use a little worse." Natasha clarified. Steve told Stark Banner was there and he said to tell Banner to suit up as he was bringing the party to them. He then flew towards them, the Leviathan on his tail. Natasha commented how that wasn't a party as Bruce marched forwards. "Dr. Banner." Steve said as he turned around, "Now might be a good time for you to get angry." "That's my secret, Captain." Banner smirked, "I'm always angry." As the Leviathan came closer, Bruce turned into Hulk, tearing through his clothes, and punched it hard, toppling it. Tony fired a missile at it. The Leviathan exploded and the debris fell on them, though Steve protected Natasha with his shield while Clint took cover behind a car.**

"Yes!" Peter cheered.

**The Chitauri roared angrily. Hulk roared back louder as Clint notched an arrow next to him and Thor raised Mjolnir while Natasha loaded her guns. Steve stood with his shield as Tony descended next to him. The Avengers had assembled in a circle.**

"Avengers….Assemble." Steve said and everyone started applauding at the spectacle on the screen, awed by its surrealism.

"And that was the day I became an Avengers fangirl." Daisy admitted.

"And there came a day unlike any other, when Earth's Mightiest Heroes found themselves united against a common threat. On that day, they became The Avengers! The Invincible Armored Iron Man. Thor, God of Thunder. Hulk, the strongest superhero there is. Captain America, the First Avenger. Black Widow, a woman trusted by some and feared by most. And Hawkeye, the best marksman in the world." Fury announced and everyone clapped again, considering how awesome and surreal it sounded coming from him.

**Loki saw the spectacle below and commanded, "Send the rest."** **Two more Leviathans slowly came out of the portal along with more Chitauri on transports. Natasha said attracted everyone's attention to them as Stark asked Steve for their orders.**

"Now I finally listen." Tony said.

**Steve started commanding everyone, saying they had to contain the Chitauri until they could close the portals. Turning to Clint, he said he wanted him on the roof to call out patterns and strays. Turning to Stark, he told him if anything got more than three blocks out, he could turn it back or turn it to ash. Clint asked for a lift and Stark flew him off, calling him Legolas.**

"Thanks." Barton said grudgingly, flattered to be compared to the best fictional archer.

**Steve then turned to Thor and asked him to bottleneck the portal and light the bastards up with his lightning. Thor twirled Mjolnir and flew up. Steve then told Natasha the two of them would keep the fighting on the ground. "And Hulk." The indestructible green monster turned to the Captain. Steve raised a finger, "Smash!"**

"Best Captain ever!" Daisy cheered as Steve gave a flattered smile.

**Hulk grinned and leapt into the air onto a building, smashing the Chitauri hanging on it. Grabbing it, he leapt onto the opposite building, smashing another one and throwing them both down before grabbing a third one and leaping again. He threw that one into another building and it crashed through several floors while Hulk leapt into the air and smashed a flying Chitauri transport.**

"And I'm listening." Bruce said.

"I told you to do what you do best- smash." Steve reminded him.

**Thor flew up and stood on the top of the Chrysler Building. Raising Mjolnir skywards, he summoned a powerful lightning bolt. The lightning was conducted through the entire building, increasing Thor's power. He directed his hammer at the portal and with a mighty roar, discharged multiple lightning bolts. The bolts instantly destroyed multiple Chitauri vehicles that were coming through along with two giant Leviathans.**

"Wow!" Peter said, summing up everyone's reactions.

"If you had used more power, you could have hurt civilians." Wanda said and Thor and Odinson nodded.

**Fury was watching everything via monitors on the Helicarrier. Hill told him the Council was on and he solemnly nodded before shutting the monitor down and walking off.**

"Council of morons." Fury said dryly.

**Loki was flying around on the Chitauri transport when The Other contacted him again. He angrily asked Loki if this was the 'little' resistance he spoke about. Loki said the force lacked finesse as The Other retorted the warriors were fearless and welcomed a glorious death. Loki shook his head and said, "That may actually be the problem."**

In spite of the tense situation, everyone burst out laughing at Loki's wit.

"Yes, that is a problem- for you!" Benjamin said.

"And a blessing for us." Odinson said as Loki chuckled too.

**The Other asked Loki to lead them in that case as he wielded the Scepter. That was when Loki realized he had left the Scepter on Stark Tower.**

"Good thing you made that mistake." Natasha said.

**Clint fired at some Chitauri transports and told Stark some strays were sniffing his tail as Tony said he was keeping them off the streets. Clint fired at a Chitauri transport and destroyed it without even looking at it.**

"Now that is awesome!" Bobbi said with a smirk.

"Thanks!" Clint said.

**Tony flew past the archer. Clint fired a thermal tipped arrow on one transport, melting the metal as the Chitauri was down. Tony flew through a tunnel, leading the Chitauri on a goose chase. He avoided their shots and they crashed into the tunnel, getting destroyed as Tony flew out. Clint informed Stark Thor was taking down a squadron 6 and Tony grumbled that he wasn't invited. One Leviathan moved towards a building when suddenly Hulk leapt at it from inside, scaring the people. Grabbing it by the lower jaw, pulled it away, though its side still destroyed some windows.**

"This was just horrible." Aunt May said as she remembered living through that day.

**The cop to whom Steve had given the Chitauri gun was walking around with the gun. A Chitauri tried to fire at him but he took it down with the gun. Amazed at its capabilities, he informed the other cops, "If you find enemies down, get the guns. The guns are very good."**

"And you didn't know that before?" Pepper asked incredulously.

**Beth, another waitress and some more civilians were hiding in the café when a blast shattered the glass and she opened the door, running out with other civilians as the other waitress fell down, crying. A Chitauri fired at a man in front of Beth, killing him as she ran around in the middle of smoke when a blast destroyed part of a building and she ducked behind a car as some smoke and little debris covered her.**

Loki watched the scene, shaking and feeling ashamed of his role in all of this.

Tony was shaking too, remembering his trauma as Pepper held his hand for comfort.

**Beth got up and ran around, looking at the destruction around her in horror, including a dead Leviathan. She looked up to see Thor flying off when she saw the cop and he gestured her to run to him. But then a Chitauri shot him from behind and he died as Beth covered her mouth in horror. Suddenly, a Chitauri leapt at her and knocked her out.**

Everyone closed their eyes and sighed sadly at the scene, feeling respect for the dead cop.

**Natasha was pinned to a car by a Chitauri but she hit it on the side of the neck with a knife, destroying it. Taking its staff, she fired at another one, sending it flying off. She sensed movement behind her but turning around, saw it was Steve. She said none of it would work unless they closed the portal. Steve said their biggest guns couldn't touch it and she said it might not be about guns.**

"Not wrong there." Fury said.

**They looked up and Steve said she would need a ride if she wanted to go up. Natasha threw the staff away and said she had a ride, though she could use a boost. Steve asked if she was sure and she said she was and that it would be fun.**

"Really?" Bucky asked.

"Just trying to cheer myself up." Natasha said.

**Natasha she ran and leapt on a car and then on Steve's shield who pushed her up to a transport which she hung on to. Some Chiatauri fired near Steve and he turned to face them. Natasha cut off the chain of the Chitauri on the back and kicked it down. She then stabbed the other one, trying to control it. As other transports fired at her, Iron Man flew past them, firing his repulsors at some transports. He then flew down where Steve slammed a Chitauri to the ground and flip kicked another away. Tony fired a repulsor at a Chitauri, blowing it off before firing one at Steve's shield and it deflected off, killing more Chitauri.**

"That looks like foreshadowing at this point." Steve said.

"No kidding." Tony said.

**Tony then flew up a building and destroyed more of them with his repulsors while Clint shot down a Chitauri who was trying to climb that building. He ducked to avoid a shot and then fired on a Chitauri on a transport, toppling it on a Leviathan where Hulk roared and threw a Chitauri away before smashing more of them. Thor landed and with Mjolnir, sent two of them flying off. Hulk threw off more as Thor disarmed one of its gun and threw it off before throwing another off. Hulk ripped out a piece of the Leviathan and embedded it into its back. Thor charged Mjolnir and hit the piece hard, killing the Leviathan which crashed into an empty building. The two then stood there, side to side. Suddenly, Hulk sucker punched Thor sending him crashing to a side while Hulk gave a sniff of satisfaction. **

Everyone laughed at the scene.

"I will pay you back for that." Thor said.

"Good thing." Odinson said, "I never got the chance."

"And you never will." Bruce smirked.

**Selvig woke up, back to his senses, and looked around in horror. The army finally arrived in their tanks and fired at the Chitauri while also evacuating civilians. Steve was pinned to the ground by a Chitauri and its weapon but he managed to punch it away and got up as Clint told him the Chitauri had cornered a lot of civilians in a bank past Madison. Steve went there to save the civilians.**

"The army is here at least." Scott said with a sigh.

**The Chitauri had cornered the civilians in the bank, including Beth. She walked around and noticed the glasses and watch of some person who was probably dead by now and seemed horrified as she realized other people had been held hostage here before and killed. One of the Chitauri activated a grenade when Steve leapt in and threw his shield, knocking it down as the grenade dropped. The other two fired at him but he jumped behind an overturned table and kicked it at the two, sending one down and the other back. Steve then leapt over the table and punching the Chitauri, snapped its neck before throwing it down in the middle of the frightened civilians. He commanded everyone to clear out as the previous Chitauri grabbed him from behind and started taking off his mask as the two struggled. The one with the grenade got back up and tried to fire but Steve flipped behind his assailant and it was killed instead. The Chitauri picked up the grenade as Steve rolled and picked up his shield. The Chitauri threw the grenade at Steve and it exploded on his shield as he was sent crashing out through the window and onto a car.**

"Oh my God!" Peter said in horror.

"One of the worst attacks ever." Storm said sadly.

"But you all did the best you could." Logan assured them.

**Beth walked up to the door and her and two men tried to push it open. The army arrived at that spot too and fired at some Chitauri transports, destroying two as one soldier was also gunned down. One of them fired at the Chitauri with his machine gun as Steve picked himself up and looked around at the destruction in horror, disbelief and sadness, reminded of the horrors of World War II. Cops and firefighters arrived to help the civilians. A cop led Beth away as she looked at the now unmasked Steve and recognized him as the man who had visited the café earlier.**

"Maybe you should date her." Natasha said with a smirk.

"Come on, Nat." Steve groaned as everyone snickered at him.

**Steve looked determined to end this. A Councilwoman told Fury the Council had made a decision. Fury said he knew but because it was a stupid ass decision, he had elected to ignore it. Gideon Malick said Fury was closer than anyone else and he could scramble the jet. Fury countered that it was the island of Manhattan and he would not order a nuclear strike against a civilian population. Malick said they would lose everything if the Chitauri were not held and Fury said he would send out the bird they already had.**

"Malick." Daisy snarled.

"What?" Steve asked.

"He is Hydra!" Bobbi said, shocking everyone.

"What?" Clint asked in horror.

"Yes. He was Hydra." Fury said, "I found out a long time later."

"What happened to him?" Bruce asked.

"Hive killed him and his family." Daisy said.

**Natasha was riding the transport when Loki fired at her from behind. Turning around, she sighed and called out Clint for help. As both flew in front of Clint, he aimed and fired at Loki but he caught the arrow just before it reached his eye. He looked at Clint with a smirk when suddenly, the arrow beeped and exploded, sending him crashing to the tower, destroying the "S" and "T" of the Stark Industries building.**

Everyone clapped at the scene.

"Got you, you son of a bitch!" Clint smirked.

"Yeah, yeah." Loki groaned.

"And my name is even more hated." Stark joked and everyone chuckled.

**Natasha leapt off the transport landed on the building's top. Loki got up, only for a roaring Hulk to punch him into the building, crashing him through the glass. As Hulk rushed him, Loki got up and yelled, "ENOUGH!" Hulk stopped as Loki continued ranting, "You are all of you beneath me! I am a God, you dull creature, and I will not be bullied by a-" He was cut off when Hulk lifted him by the foot and started smashing him to the ground repeatedly. He stopped for a second and then smashed him again twice before throwing him down and leaving him lying on the ground. Walking away, he managed to speak in a guttural voice, "Puny God." Loki whimpered behind him.**

Everyone burst out laughing hysterically at this point, unable to control their laughter as Loki looked traumatized.

"Puny God." Daisy laughed.

"Puny Giant actually." Loki said after recovering himself.

"We need to see that again sometime." Natasha laughed.

"Later, bub." Logan said as he stopped laughing.

**As Natasha looked at the device, Selvig mentioned the Scepter. Natasha assured him it wasn't his fault as he didn't know what he was doing. He said maybe he did and said he had built in a safety to cut the power source- Loki's Scepter. Selvig said it may be able to close the portal and looked down to see it, saying he was looking right at it.**

"Fortunately." Natasha said.

**Thor smashed away two Chitauri away from their transports and twirled Mjolnir at the third one as a Leviathan burst from a building. Tony fired a laser at it and asked Jarvis for a soft spot and he said they would lose power before penetrating the shell. Tony asked Jarvis if he had heard the tale of Jonah and Jarvis said he wouldn't consider him a role model.**

"Still don't." Vision said.

"I do." Tony said.

**Tony flew into the Leviathan and exploded his missiles, destroying it as he fell out from behind it and crashed through some glass onto the ground. He tried to get up when some gunfire from Chitauri threw him down again. A shawarma joint was nearby.**

"Oh no!" Pepper said in horror with wide eyes.

"So that's how you found the Shawarma joint." Steve said dryly and the original 6 Avengers snickered.

**Clint shot a Chitauri behind him down and tried to fire at another one but realized he had run out and smacked it twice instead and kicked it away. He then saw many transports converging on him and ripped out his arrow from the dead Chitauri before pressing a button, making the arrow a trick one. The Chitauri transports fired at the roof, destroying it as Clint ran off and jumped down, firing the grapple arrow at the top and using it to swing into a lower floor, crashing through a window as he lay on the floor, groaning.**

"They are gaining the upper hand." T'Challa noted, concerned.

**Hulk smashed two Chitauri down and kicked one away before throwing another away when many transports converged on him and fired at him simultaneously, staggering him back as he roared. A pilot was sitting on the Helicarrier in a plane as he was informed Director Fury was no longer in command. He started flying off as Hill informed Fury about it and he ran out, firing a missile launcher at the plane's tail, making it crash land and stop. He saw another plane flying off as threw the launcher down before taking out a gun but the plane was gone.**

"Shit!" Sam and Rhodes cursed at the same time.

**Fury ran inside and told Stark the missile was headed for the city in 3 minutes. Stark asked Jarvis to put everything in the thrusters and the AI did as Tony blasted the Chitauri hitting him off and flew up. The missile was fired at the city. Steve's shield returned to him as Mjolnir returned to Thor and both of them smacked Chitauri away before a shot hit Steve near the abdomen and he fell down. Thor blocked shots from the Chitauri with Mjolnir and hit a car with it, sending it flying at them and crushing them. He then threw Mjolnir in another direction and gave Steve a hand, helping him up. "You ready for another bout?" He asked Steve. "What, you getting sleepy?" Steve joked dryly as Thor called Mjolnir back. **

Everyone snickered at Steve's and Thor's growing bromance.

**Erik opened his laptop as Natasha moved the Scepter to the device to close it at the crown. It penetrated the barrier as Natasha said, "I can close it! Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down!" Steve ordered her to do it but Stark stopped them, saying he had a nuke coming in and it would blow in less than a minute. He knew just where to put it. Stark flew up to the nuke and grabbing it, started flying off as Jarvis tried Pepper's number, as Tony thought it was a one-way trip and needed to talk to her one last time.**

"You thought you were going to die?" Pepper asked.

"Well, not an unreasonable assumption." Tony said when Pepper hugged him tightly and he hugged back while Rhodes, Peter and Aunt May shifted away uncomfortably.

"You did the right thing." Pepper assured him finally realizing how much the world needed him.

**At the Stark Industries Plane, Pepper and some other employees were watching the news when Pepper's phone vibrated due to Tony's call but she didn't hear.**

Pepper cringed at the scene but Tony gave her a reassuring smile.

**Tony increased his thrusters' power and flew up as Steve, Thor, Hulk, Natasha and Selvig saw him. Tony flew through the portal as the call failed. The SHIELD agents all cheered at that as Hill sighed in relief and even Fury had a slight smile. Tony saw the Chitauri mothership** **and let the nuke go as his suit's power wore off due to him being in space. As he started falling down, the nuke flew up to the mothership and exploded, destroying the base utterly. The explosion was reaching Earth though so Steve sadly asked Natasha to close the portal but Stark fell through the portal right before Natasha closed it. The other Chitauri and Leviathans died and fell down when cut off from their power source.**

Everyone applauded at Tony's bravery which had finally ended this fight.

"You did it." Steve said, "You made the sacrifice play."

Tony simply nodded with a smile, though he seemed uncomfortable, remembering how this had begun his trauma and made him prepare for whatever was up there. Pepper held his hand for comfort.

**"Son of a gun." Steve muttered. Thor realized Tony was not slowing down and twirled Mjolnir but Hulk leapt into the air and caught him, sliding down via a building. He put Iron Man down as Thor and Steve ran up to him. Thor turned him around and ripped off his visor as Steve tried to listen for a heartbeat but the suit prevented him. The two looked saddened, thinking Stark was dead. But then Hulk roared loudly, startling them all as Stark's eyes snapped open. "What the hell?" He said frantically, "What just happened? Please tell me nobody kissed me?"**

Everyone burst out laughing at that, all the tension in the room gone.

"That was the second funniest thing ever." Scott said.

"What's the funniest?" Hope asked.

"Hulk smashing Loki." Scott laughed and everyone laughed again as Loki sighed.

**"We won." Steve simply said. "Alright. Hey. Alright. Good job guys." Stark said cheerfully, "Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day. Have you ever tried shawarma? There's a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is, but I wanna try it."**

"What a way to find a shawarma joint." Natasha said, "Crashing through a Leviathan."

**"We're not finished yet." Thor pointed out.** **"And then shawarma after." Stark said. Loki woke up, groaning as he was still feeling the pain from Hulk's beating. Turning around, his eyes widened as he saw Tony, Hulk, Steve, Clint, Thor and Natasha in front of him. Natasha held the Scepter as Clint had an arrow pointed at him. "If it's all the same to you." He groaned with a smirk as he tried to get up, "I'll have that drink now." A snarl from Hulk told him that wasn't going to happen.**

"And that ends the Battle of New York." Benjamin said finally.

"When the world finally discovered that aliens existed after all." Storm said.

"You really thought you would get a drink?" Thor asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope." Loki said.

**The deeds of the Avengers were shown on several news channels. Some praised them while others criticized them. "Heroes in New York? Give me a break." An elderly man said on TV as he played chess with another one.**

"Him again!" Tony said.

"He appeared twice in this one." Steve said. No one commented anymore as they had gotten used to it at this point.

**Beth the waitress was interviewed on TV, incredulous that some thought it was the Avengers' fault. She said Captain America had saved her life and wherever any of them were, she would just like to thank them. **

Steve smiled, happy. This Beth seemed to be genuinely interested in Steve Rogers, not Captain America.

**Fury stood as the Council asked him where the Avengers were and he said he wasn't tracking their whereabouts currently as they had earned their leave of absence. They asked about the Teserract and he said it was away from their reach. The Council said it wasn't his call to make and he said he didn't make it, just didn't argue with the God that did. They said Loki should be answering for his crimes and Fury said he would be.**

"Good going." Loki told Fury.

**A Councilwoman said Fury didn't understand what he had unleashed, saying the Avengers were dangerous. "They surely are." Fury said, "The whole world knows it. Every world knows it." Malick asked if a statement was the point of all this and Fury said it was a promise as he walked off and shut the monitors down. **

"That is a badass statement." Tony said.

**The scene with Hill in the beginning was shown again as Hawley called out to Hill and she snapped back to the present as Hawley asked about the worst mistake. Hill said they all knew who had made that. The Council thought the Avengers a threat and Hill thought them a joke but Fury only ever saw them as the Avengers. And if he hadn't, Midtown Manhattan would be a smoking crater. One of the Councilmen said the topic wasn't of any concern right now. **

"Of course it isn't." Fury said in disgust.

**Hill said it was a bad idea as Thor, Steve, Tony, Bruce, Natasha, Clint and Erik led a muzzled and cuffed Loki to Central Park. Hill said they were the wrong people at the wrong time but it worked and they came together and saved them. Selvig took out the Teserract and keeping it in a case, handed it to Thor who put a hand on his shoulder with a smile, happy to see him back to his senses. Hill said it was infuriating as they had all been trained to believe in a system and not to hope but Fury saw a current under the system. Thor nodded at the other Avengers and Erik in goodbye and used the Teserract to transport himself and Loki to Asgard. **

"And you're gone." Tony said.

"For a while." Thor said.

**Steve and Tony shook hands as Natasha handed Bruce a bag and he jumped into Tony's car with him and drove off as Steve drove his bike away. "The Avengers were the mistake that saved the world." Hill declared, "That's my official statement."**

Everybody applauded happily at Hill as she gave a flattered smirk.

**The Council looked disappointed as Hill called them morons for trying to nuke New York and said they had it on the record, as in they had recorded it, shocking them all. Hill shut off the interrogation room and getting up said, "So if you're thinking of coming after Nick Fury. Ever. Think really, really hard." She shut off the monitors and walked out. **

Everyone clapped at Hill again.

"That was so awesome!" Peter cheered.

"You go girl." Hope said.

"They are afraid to face the consequences of their actions and wanted us to face consequences." Tony grumbled, "Hypocrites."

"I knew I didn't make a mistake, Hill." Fury told her and she nodded with a proud smile.

"Canadians are awesome!" Logan said and everyone chuckled.

**Fury asked Hill how it had gone and she said she should have his job within a month.**

"I won't mind you having it." Fury told Hill.

**Fury commended her and said she should ask for a chair and she said she would keep that in mind. She then asked how it worked with the Avengers as they had gone their separate ways, some pretty extremely far.**

"That one being me." Odinson said.

"Yes." Thor agreed.

**Hill asked what if they got into such a situation again. "They'll come back." Fury said. "Are you really sure about that?" Hill asked. "I am." Fury said. "Why?" Hill asked. "Because we'll need them to." Fury said and she nodded before walking off, talking with another agent along the way.**

"And we did." Steve reminded everyone.

**At Stark Tower, Tony and Pepper looked at blueprints of new rooms they were making in the tower as the two kissed and outside, the 'S', 'T', 'R' and 'K' of the "Stark Industries" was shattered, with only the 'A' left.**

"The Avengers Tower." Tony introduced with raised hands as everyone clapped lightly.

**On a distant planet, The Other kneeled to someone saying, "Humans. They are not the cowering wretches we were promised! They stand. They are unruly and therefore cannot be ruled." Whoever was sitting on the chair was turned the other way. The person looked up as The Other kneeled down in fear again and said, "To challenge them is to court...Death." The being on the chair turned, a cruel smirk on his face. He was purple in color and had armor on him with a helmet too. He gave off an aura of terror.**

All the viewers gasped on seeing him, already terrified by him. Though no one from the past except Loki knew who he was. The aura of terror around him actually made Loki look like the naughty little brother Thor always made him out to be.

"Who-who is that?" Steve asked. Wanda shuddered, realizing this was the same being she had seen in Odinson's and Benjamin's memory.

"Thanos." Loki whispered, visibly terrified.

"Thanos?" Tony asked.

"He showed you the power." Thor realized, "He was the one who was behind everything and made pawns out of all of us."

"He is the one against whom we want you united." Benjamin said as everyone turned to him.

"So he is the one?" Steve asked.

"Yes, Captain." Logan nodded.

"What is he?" Natasha asked.

"A genocidal warlord from Titan." Storm said, "His people were threatened by overpopulation. He proposed a solution."

"To randomly kill half of the people so the other half could thrive." Bobbi said.

"What?" Tony asked, "Is he insane or something?"

"He is." Bobbi said, "But his idea was dismissed by the people and they exiled him. Eventually, he was proven right as Titan was devastated and became uninhabitable."

"Thanos believed the vast swell of life in the Universe was depleting its resources." Odinson said, "So he decided to destroy half of life on all planets."

"And when he found out about the Infinity Stones, he decided to use them to wipe out half of the life from the entire Universe." Logan revealed and everyone had horrified looks on their faces.

"That was his goal all along." Loki said, "And that is why I didn't want to give him the Teserract even when we won."

"He has been in my head all this time!" Tony said.

"I'm sorry." Steve told him, feeling sympathy, realizing what Tony had been thinking about all this time.

"A Confederacy of six extraterrestrial species struck a deal with Hydra to take Inhumans and Gravitonium from them in exchange for protection from Thanos." Daisy said, "Didn't work out so well for any of them."

"And what happened?" Steve asked.

"We will tell you later." Bobbi said and everybody groaned.

"We knew his appearance would rattle you so we added a scene to calm you down." Benjamin said as they all turned to the screen.

**Steve, Thor, Tony, Bruce, Clint and Natasha all sat quietly around a table in the shawarma joint, silently eating their shawarma. The screen went black.**

"That's when I arrived." Rhodes sighed, "I was hunting members of the Ten Rings when this happened. So I arrived to help in the fight too late."

"Don't worry. We handled it." Tony said.

"Now, I'm sure you're all tired and hungry and need to process everything you have seen." Daisy said and everyone nodded as it was true.

"Well then, let's have food and then go to sleep for the night." Logan said as they all got up and moved towards the dining room.

* * *

**Finally! Phase One is finished! I did it! I finished a Phase!**

**I would also like to thank Animefortin95 for suggesting that Steve say "Avengers Assemble" during the assembling scene.**

**And I added all the deleted scenes of this movie except one of them because they were all awesome, especially the one with Hill and the part where Clint and Natasha fought off the Chitauri as it showed how heroic they were too.**

**And I also liked the part with the cop and Beth the waitress as it showed this entire battle from a civilian perspective. **

**And am I the only one who suddenly ships Steve and Beth? Lol.**

**[1] Enver Gjokaj, who played the cop in the deleted scene, also played Daniel Sousa in 'Agent Carter.' **

**Also, fun fact- Ashley Johnson, who played Beth the waitress, voiced Gwen Tennyson in Ben 10: Alien Force and Ben 10: Ultimate Alien and also Ellie in 'The Last of Us' and 'The Last of Us Part II' video games.**

**See you all next time with a break. **


	31. Break III

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thank you for all of your recent reviews. Real nice to have you back and finally got a chance to reply to you. Yes, this movie put them on top. I have a good eye for anything Tolkien, Marvel and DC. I know that about Bruce's dad and glad you liked the memes. Not too sure about the Celestials though. I also believe all of the deleted scenes should have been in the final cut. The narration by Fury was taken from the intro of EMH Season 2. Not in this break but next break, some guests can come around. You committed blasphemy! Off with your head! Just kidding *Chuckles* I don't hate you. It actually sounds like a fun topic to fight on for the characters with LOTR vs. Star Wars. I'm not a Steve/Beth fan either. It was a joke. But I won't mind it. I was annoyed by the movies ignoring the shows too. A lot. Guess so on Natasha and the Quinjet. I knew about Ashley Johnson being Ellie but I found out about her being Gwen Tennyson yesterday. Thanks for the congrats. Also, for Thunder and Steel's sequel, Beta Ray Bill and Thor won't have the entire huge fight they had because of Odin but there will be a small fight. And I won't bring in Captain America or Iron Man. I had many opportunities to reference Captain Marvel in that story but I blew all of them so now bringing her in would be weird unfortunately so not seeing her. And you're welcome for 'The Late Night Show Starring Wade Wilson.' Yeah, the harem fics are annoying and infuriating but I don't comment on them at all. Naruto and Harry Potter have a lot of those. I'm not a huge fan of Jimmy Fallon as his humor feels forced at times but he's fine but I love Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert. Also, I think you might want to check out my 'Fanaticism is a disease.' You'll love it. And I have a feeling Thanos snapped at the same time you tried to make Wade disappear. Damn! And I will reply to your comment on 'Heroes from two worlds' on Chapter 3 of that.**

Chapter 31- Break III

Everyone sat quietly in the dining room, eating silently as the people from the past tried to process what they had just witnessed and heard.

"Half of all life in the Universe." Tony scoffed, "And I thought Ultron was bad."

"Thanos was feared by many throughout the galaxy." Benjamin said, "For good reason."

"And he tortured you?" Thor asked Loki.

"Y-yes." Loki said, appearing a bit traumatized, "He did. And then he gave me the Scepter and allowed me to lead the Chitauri against Earth."

"You always planned to double cross him?" Steve asked.

"Yes." Loki said, "I wanted to rule the Earth but knowing his intentions, I intended to hide the Teserract from him. I was crazy, but not crazy enough to wipe out half of all life in the Universe."

"That is very reassuring." Clint said dryly.

"And to do that, he needed the stones?" Wanda asked and everyone from the future nodded.

"If he tries that, I feel the Mind Stone will warn me." Vision said.

"It will. But it's of no use, bub." Logan told him.

"Compared to him, you actually seem like the mischievous little brother Thor always makes you out to be." Bruce told Loki.

"If that ever happened, I can't imagine how badly the world would be affected." Aunt May said.

"Accidents will happen. Governments will fall." Pepper said.

"There will be riots, man." Scott said, "It'll be a disaster."

"And he thinks it will save everyone?" Hope scoffed.

"Why didn't he just double the resources?" Peter asked.

"He was told 'no' to an idea that he had felt was the only solution." Odinson said.

"And then he was proven right to himself when that solution was not acted upon." Storm said.

"So, his Messianic complex- he is now committed to following through on the idea that he had many, many years ago." Logan said and everyone visibly shook. Logan himself was reminded of Erik Lensherr who was like Thanos in that regard, though not insane.

"Insane, committed and believes he is doing the right thing." Steve summed it all up.

"Now that is just horrible." Sam said.

"No kidding." Rhodes agreed.

Natasha had remained silent this whole time, processing some other info and decided it was time to act on it now.

"Daisy." She said and the woman in question looked up to her, "How do you know Coulson?"

The question caught her off guard, "What?"

"There is no record of you in SHIELD before Coulson's death." Natasha said, "And he never mentioned knowing someone by your name. So I'm going to ask again, how do you know Coulson?"

"That is something I have been wanting to ask too actually." Clint said, "I noticed it too."

"Well, if you want to know the answer, that is the person to whom you should ask this question." Bobbi said as she pointed at Fury and all eyes turned to him.

"What is it, spy?" Tony asked.

"I believe you're hiding something." T'Challa realized.

"Of course he is." Loki said, "He is as manipulative as me."

Fury wasn't saying a word so far.

"It is of no use, Fury." Daisy told him, "Just tell the truth."

"We brought you lot here so that there are no more secrets." Logan said.

"Which means that some truths must come to light." Benjamin agreed.

Fury gave a deep sigh, knowing he was busted now.

"Tell them." Hill told him and he turned to face everyone.

"Romanoff. Barton. You remember Project T.A.H.I.T.I.?" Fury asked them both.

"Yes." Clint said, "But I thought that never came to fruition."

"You were wrong." Fury said.

"What is Project TAHITI?" Tony asked.

"We at SHIELD found the body of a dead alien of a species called the Kree." Fury said.

"Kree." Thor said, "I know of them."

"The cells of the Kree had cellular regeneration capabilities." Fury said and everyone caught onto what he was getting at, "So we decided to experiment on it. The goal of the project was to bring back an Avenger if they ever died."

"But the few people on whom it was tested showed signs of mental deterioration, including carving alien symbols onto walls." Hill said.

"Coulson was the head of the project and advised us to shut it down." Fury revealed.

"But you didn't?" Steve asked, feeling disgusted to his core.

"After the Battle of New York, I sent Coulson's corpse to the Guest House, the place where the Kree body was kept." Fury clarified on seeing the confused looks, "And they used Project TAHITI on him. They repaired the damage that had been done to him on a cellular level and after 7 surgeries, he came back."

Everyone gasped on hearing that, panting heavily. That was a huge shock to all of them! Biggest shock of the day actually!

"Agent is alive?" Tony asked as he started breathing heavily, "I need air. I need air."

"Breathe Tony. Breathe." Pepper said as she held his back and his breath slowly came back to normal.

"But he was showing signs of mental deterioration to so I had his memories of the operation wiped and replaced with a memory of relaxing in Tahiti to make him believe he was resuscitated there." Fury revealed as Daisy and Bobbi glared at him, the former remembering the pain Coulson had went through on regaining his memories, "Though he eventually regained his true memory of what happened and figured it all out."

Everyone was glaring daggers at Fury at this point, and Fury knew it.

"I know you're all upset with m-"

Fury was cut off when Clint shot out of his chair and punched him hard on the face, whipping it to the other side.

"You son of a bitch!" Clint snarled, "You have been lying to us all this time? How could you?"

"And if you say we needed the push, I'm going to do the same thing Clint did." Tony told him.

"How could you do that Fury?" Steve asked.

"And you knew too?" Natasha asked Hill and she nodded guiltily.

"We're done." Natasha said as the Fury and Hill looked at her in shock.

"What?" Hill asked, sure she had misheard.

"It is clear you don't trust anyone, Fury." Natasha said, "Not me. Not Clint. Not Tony. Not Steve. Not even Hill probably. No one. You manipulated us all, just like the Red Room did to me. And staying with him has made you just like him, Hill. So this is it. We're done."

"Roman-"

"What? Trying to manipulate her again?" Bucky asked him with a glare.

"So you're as bad as me." Loki said dryly.

"Why did Coulson never reach out to us?" Thor asked.

"I asked him a few times." Daisy said, "He was going through a life changing experience at first and then tracking down threats to SHIELD. Then the Hydra uprising happened, followed by the Inhuman outbreak, Hive, and what not. He then said he was too much of a coward to face you guys after this long. And that was his biggest regret in his life."

"So you were all in some kind of a team?" Sam asked.

"Yeah." Daisy said, "We were the Agents of SHIELD. Coulson, me, Melinda May, Leo Fitz, Jemma Simmons and Grant Ward at first."

"Ward was Hydra." Hill said and Daisy nodded.

"May was with you lot too?" Natasha asked and Bobbi nodded.

"After we got rid of Ward, me and Hunter joined, along with Mack and Antoinne Triplett, who died unfortunately." Bobbi said, "Unfortunately, a mission me and Hunter were on a year later went south so we had to leave the team."

"I made Coulson the Director after the Hydra uprising." Fury said, "So he could lead SHIELD."

"And he did. Until Jeffrey Mace and then Ghost Rider, LMDs, Aida, space, time travel, and all that." Daisy summed up as everyone struggled to absorb the info.

"And is he around right now?" Natasha asked.

"No." Daisy said, "It's a bit of a long story."

"I'm pretty sure we have time." Peter said dryly.

"We recruited a doctor who started making Life Model Decoys." Daisy said, "One of them was a bot called AIDA. But he used her to create something called the Framework, which was a virtual life which removed all of our biggest regrets. Unfortunately for all of us, AIDA got feelings of her own due to an incident and decided that she wanted to have the love of Leo Fitz."

"Murder bot in love? Sounds like a recipe for disaster." Tony said, though Vision did not comment.

"So she sent most of the team into the Framework where everyone's biggest regrets were removed but most of them worked for Hydra while SHIELD was considered a terrorist organization." Daisy said, "Me and Jemma went inside though and managed to help everyone out. AIDA also returned but in there, she had experimented on and taken the powers of many Inhumans, so that made her all powerful. And Fitz was never going to love her as him and Jemma and meant to be. So she angrily tried to destroy us all."

"What happened then?" Clint asked.

"Ever heard of some vigilante with a flaming skull?" Bobbi asked and everyone seemed shocked.

"That guy?" Scott asked, "Skull guy? He is real?"

"Yes." Daisy said, "He made a deal with the Devil."

"I'd call BS but after all that has happened, probably not. Which is surprising." Tony said.

"He was called the Ghost Rider. And he used it to punish sinners. He was the only one who could beat AIDA but she always escaped whenever he came around." Daisy said, "So Coulson made a deal with the Rider."

"What?" Fury asked.

"To take it inside him and use it to beat AIDA." Daisy revealed to everyone's shock.

"So you're trying to tell us that Coulson used a cosmic force to beat a murder bot turned Inhuman?" Natasha asked and she nodded.

"Yes." Daisy said, "And he did it before returning the Ghost Rider to Robbie Reyes, the guy who had it. But he made a deal with and we only found out one year later."

"What was it?" Clint asked.

"Using the Ghost Rider burnt the GH.325 out of his body." Daisy said and everyone looked confused.

"That was what was keeping Coulson alive." Fury said.

"So he died again?" Steve asked, "Is there no way to save him?"

"There was. But a guy called Glenn Talbot absorbed a lot of Gravitonium and used it to try to tear the world in half and also beat Thanos." Daisy said to everyone's horror, "And the thing that could have saved him was used to stop Talbot instead. It was his choice. He made peace with it and accepted his death."

"So when did that happen?" Bruce asked.

"At about the same time Thanos attacked." Bobbi said.

Everyone was silent for a few minutes, trying to process the info they had just learnt.

"I know you're all pissed at Fury and Hill." Logan said finally.

"And you have every right to." Benjamin said as the winced, "But you will have to find a way to work through this."

"Yeah. In my dreams." Clint snarled.

"I know it sounds impossible." Odinson said, "But eventually, you will all have to learn to trust each other again. All of you. That is the only way to get through everything that will come at you."

"Fury. Hill." Storm said as the two turned to her, "No more secrets."

"Well." Benjamin said, "You want to go to your rooms?"

Everyone just nodded, to tired and shocked to talk much. So they were all led to their rooms where they decided to go off to sleep.

"You two going?" Benjamin asked Daisy and Bobbi.

"Yeah." Daisy said, "Juggling time between the Avengers and S.W.O.R.D. is something near impossible to do."

"I get it." Logan said, "Hope to see you all some other time."

"Yeah. We will." Bobbi said and they hugged the two before going off to the S.W.O.R.D. base.

"I think I'm going too." Storm said.

"Really?" Logan asked.

"Yeah." She said, "I have a teaching job, unlike you."

The two chuckled and kissed as Storm said, "Good luck."

"You too." Logan said and she walked off too, back to Xavier's Institute for Gifted Yougnsters.

Benjamin went back to his room where 2035 Wanda was waiting for him and the two kissed.

"Spilled the beans about Coulson I believe?" She asked and Benjamin nodded.

"Yeah. It had the exact effect we thought it would." Benjamin said, "But hopefully, they work through it sometime."

"I hope so too." She assured him and he nodded, thinking of everything that had happened and everything the people from the past will probably do on seeing and learning everything.

Hopefully, it turned out well.

* * *

**Chapter done! Pretty intense to write. Some of the reactions were taken from Stand with Ward and Queen's "Crisis on two earths" so thank you to him but I hope I did a good job myself.**

**Now I don't hate Fury or Hill. They're among my favorite characters actually. But I doubt anyone would forgive them anytime soon for keeping Coulson's resurrection a secret.**

**And yes, SWORD is a thing in this version of the MCU. The members would be- Fury, Hill, Daisy, Bobbi, Hunter, Fitz, Simmons, Melinda, Mack, Yo-Yo, Deke, Talos and Sorben. **

**Now that Storm, Daisy and Bobbi have also watched some of the films, it's time to bring in the Netflix MCU characters to see their reactions.**

**I'm so not gonna enjoy writing the next 2 movies though. *Sighs***

**SOMEBODY SAVE ME FROM THIS NIGHTMARE! I CAN'T ESCAPE THIS HELL!**

**All right. I'm all right. I'm all right. I'm good. Phew.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	32. The Mandarin

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes, their turn. Yeah, I think it would be fun to flip it around. Later they will. Natasha is blonde but Steve's beard hasn't grown yet for this story and let's just say Bucky has a prototype arm before he gets the Vibranium one. Yes, that is the song I was referring to. I love Three Days Grace and I loved Adam but Matt is great too. Glad it was a good choice. I survived the first Twilight (Shitlight) movie and some scenes of 50 Shits of Grey so this is nothing. To be honest, I don't hate any of these 2 movies and I think Iron Man 3 is a 7.3/10 and Thor: The Dark World is a 7/10 but they are both the lower ranking MCU movies with TDW being at the bottom. Thanks a lot for the good luck and I will get through this.**

**Nobody: I cried 3 times when I watched Endgame. First time was when Natasha died. Second time was when Tony died and I continued crying up until his funeral. And third time was when Steve went back to his time. Now if I was a Tony hater, why would I cry at his death? I just don't approve of his behavior in Civil War and Homecoming. The only chapter in which I unintentionally ended up bashing Tony was 'Drunken Brawl' and I apologized for it next chapter and even overcompensated for it. And don't kid yourself. Tony wasn't fighting Bucky to let out his emotions. He was trying to kill him. And don't give the argument that Tony could have killed him easily with missiles and what not. Tony wanted to kill Bucky slowly and intimately like he saw the brainwashed Bucky killing his mother. I never said I blamed Tony for Wanda's parents. I didn't even call him out for it. The maximum responsibility he has regarding that would be not being responsible about where his weapons went. So some of it is his fault but not all of it. So I don't know where you got me blaming Tony for Wanda's parents from. Yes, Clint did come back but that doesn't give Tony the right to betray him. Even if he had to make a crack about his family, Tony had the device that froze the cameras as proven by when he talked to Sam. So why didn't he use it while talking to Clint? Thus, Tony outed Clint's family. And did you even read Chapter 7 properly? Zola implied for like 1 second that Hydra had something to do with the deaths of Howard and Mariah and he also said he had been stalling so it is not unreasonable to assume that he could have been lying. Still, I'd say Steve suspected it was Bucky but never looked into the matter to protect himself. So not telling Tony that he suspected something doesn't make him a monster. And yet I had Steve apologize to Tony for not sharing his suspicions. If you don't read stuff properly, don't argue.**

**A person: I actually don't hate any MCU movie. Not even Thor: The Dark World. The worst of them are also 7/10 for me. But Iron Man 3 is still very low on my list and that and The Dark World are not two movies that can be watched properly back-to-back because they have a lot more flaws than most other MCU movies. Thanks for reminding me of the deleted scene. I think I should add it. I think Iron Man 3 was going great in the beginning but then I saw "Ole, ole, ole, ole, ole!" That twist ruined the movie for me. Yes, Thor: The Dark World is the least interesting.**

Chapter 32- The Mandarin

The next day, everyone woke up and had breakfast. No one spoke as tensions from the previous day were still very high.

When they went into the viewing room, there was one more couch though this time. And on it were Matt Murdock, Elektra Natchios Murdock, Jessica Jones Cage, Luke Cage, Frank Castle and Trish Walker.

"What're you guys doing here?" Benjamin asked.

"We had nothing better to do for the day." Elektra said.

"So we just decided to sit here and watch some movies." Luke said and everyone laughed.

"Movies. I like that." Tony said.

"You like a lot of stuff." Trish said, "Like screaming."

Everyone laughed again at Tony.

"It was a long time ago, Trish." Tony said, "I have changed."

"We know you have, Stark." Jessica told him.

"I'm interested to see how much." Frank said.

"I'm pretty sure he has changed a lot from back then." Matt said.

"You can't see bub. So why're you here?" Logan asked him.

"I can hear." Matt simply said.

"Well, in that case, I think he can stay around too." Steve shrugged.

"Now, we have to begin with-" Odinson trailed off.

"What is it?" Natasha asked him.

"Tony again." Odinson sighed.

"NOO!"

"YEES!"

Tony was happy, "Yeah it's me again! I'm gonna have so much fun watching myself work."

"It's about your PTSD after New York and the Mandarin business." Frank said and Tony's smirk vanished.

"Damn! You didn't have anything better to show?" Tony asked.

"You didn't have anything better to do?" Matt asked and everyone laughed.

"And then you had to tell me about it when I'm not that kind of doctor." Bruce said.

"All right. All right. Gang up on me." Tony said.

"I'm with you on this one." Pepper assured him.

"Thanks Pep." Tony said.

"As much as I hate to say it, me too." Rhodes said.

"Thanks a lot bro." Tony said to him.

"Well, let's get started." Benjamin said as he turned the TV on. Fury and Hill sat with Benjamin, Odinson and Logan this time, for reasons anyone could figure out.

**Tony's suits were shown exploding as his voice was heard saying, "A famous man once said, "We create our own demons." Who said that? What does that even mean? Doesn't matter. I said it because he said it. So, now, he was famous and it's basically getting said by two well-known guys. I don't, uh..." Tony sighed, "I'm going to start again. Let's track this from the beginning."**

"I remember that." Bruce said.

"So you were only pretending to be asleep?" Tony asked.

"I remember bits." Bruce said.

**On New Year's Eve in 1999, Bern, Switzerland, Tony Stark was at a party after a conference with Maya Hansen. A young Happy Hogan was there too with long hair as Tony was complimented on his speech but he barely remembered giving it due to being drunk.**

"That is Happy?" Natasha asked, amused at the sight as everyone else had the same reactions.

"This is the speech you gave while drunk?" Scott asked and Tony nodded as everyone laughed.

"Damn!" Hope said.

**Ho Yinsen arrived and lead Tony to Dr. Wu, introducing them both as Tony joked how he had finally met a man called 'Ho.' Wu was a heart doctor and Tony joked how Maya would need one after he was done with her, dismissing them both as Yinsen said maybe another time.**

"Oh boy! Of course! I remembered that." Tony sighed sadly, guilty over his treatment of everyone.

"You're a changed man now." Pepper said, "You can feel ashamed of what you did, but do not let that define you."

"Thanks Pep." Tony said with a smile.

**Tony and Maya went to the elevator with Happy as Tony was heard narrating how his demons from 1999 returned to haunt him. A limping man with a cane arrived, telling Maya he was a big fan of her work and that he had been following her research. He forced his way into the elevator and said they were a private think tank called Advanced Idea Mechanics or A.I.M. and gave her 2 cards.**

Pepper clenched her fists angrily on seeing Killian as Tony glared at him.

"Are you too drunk or too much of a jerk?" Sam asked Tony.

"Both." Trish said, "That's what he was like back then."

**Maya went out as Tony told Killian he was interested to work with him and agreed to meet on the rooftop in a few minutes.**

"And you never showed up?" Bruce then asked.

"Nope." Tony said, "Unfortunately."

"Some heroes create their own villains." Frank said.

"Is it just me or are you the Punisher?" Tony asked.

"I'm the Punisher." Frank said.

"How did you join their ranks?" Rhodes asked.

"Because they're not half-measures." Frank said.

**Tony and Maya looked at her laptop as she showed him a brain scan and how she was trying to access the area that governed repairs and chemically recode it, impressing Tony.**

"That is pretty impressive." Bucky said.

**Happy touched her plant but she told him not to as she didn't like it and Tony supported her in that. The two went to her bedroom as Happy touched the plant anyway, breaking it a little.**

"Respect the plants." Thor said in agitation to Happy.

**The plant was then shown glowing like fire and growing back as Maya said she called it Extremis.**

Pepper shivered on seeing that, reminded of the experiment on her as Tony put an arm around her for comfort.

**Tony told Maya she was the most gifted woman he had met, flattering her, until he added in Switzerland as she took his glasses.**

Everybody snickered.

"We all know who is the most gifted woman I have met." Tony said with an arm around Pepper said as everyone smirked.

**The leaf exploded as Maya explained it was a glitch when Happy ran in and tackle Tony to the bed thinking it was a real bomb as Tony said how Happy was on top of him. Happy got up as Tony explained the situation.**

Everybody laughed at the scene.

"Sweet Christmas!" Luke said.

"The IGH guys could never do that." Jessica said.

**People were heard counting down and wishing each other a Happy New Year as Tony, Maya and Happy wished each other too before Happy walked off and the two made out.**

"There it goes again." Elektra said and everyone chuckled.

**People were bursting fireworks outside as Killian was shown waiting for Tony who never arrived.**

"And you've created another villain, bub." Logan told him.

**Tony was heard narrating how he had created demons as the next morning, he was shown taking his glasses and writing "You Know Who I Am" on the card as he walked off. Maya, now in her inners, was shown working on her laptop as she looked at Tony one last time.**

"At least she didn't seem that bothered by a one-night stand." Clint said.]

**Present Day Malibu, California was shown as Tony was heard narrating how the Afghan cave had changed him and he was different and that everyone knew who he was.**

Everyone shook their heads at Tony's amusing narration.

**Tony finished his micro-repair implant sequence as Jarvis said how he had prepared a safety briefing for Stark to entirely ignore.**

Everyone laughed hard at this point.

"Why are you not witty as you used to be?" Wanda asked Vision and everyone nodded as she had a point.

**Tony then saw Dum-E in a hat and said it had earned it before asking it to clean blood on his mat as he did some basic martial arts and hit a wooden wing-chun dummy.**

"Dum-E." Wanda said happily.

"As cute as ever." Sam said.

"And I treat him better." Tony said.

"Very nice of you." Rhodes said.

"Even non-living things need love sometimes." Luke agreed.

**Jarvis said how Tony had been awake for 72 hours as U raised a camera and Tony gave a funny speech to welcome Mark 42 which was under testing. He asked Jarvis to drop the needle and 'Jingle Bells' by Joe Williams started playing as Tony danced to the tune.**

Everyone laughed again at Stark's antics.

"Just wait till you see what happens next." Tony said.

"I have a feeling you won't enjoy it." Benjamin told him.

**Tony tried several poses before the pieces of his suit started flying up to him, forming the left arm and part of the right one as Tony asked Jarvis to send them all and soon, the pieces were flying around and breaking the room as Tony managed to get the right leg too.**

"I think you moved a little fast." Steve said.

"Yeah. That's me." Tony said.

**Tony asked to slow down a little bit as the pieces broke the workshop and he managed to get the left leg before a piece hit his crotch, hurting him a little and another piece hit him from behind, throwing him down.**

No one could control their laughter at this point.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. I will get all the dirt on you." Tony said jokingly.

**Tony used the repulsors to save himself as the rest of his suit put itself on him and he dodged the visor. It flew back at him and hitting a pillar, turned upside down so Tony flipped and put it on his face upside down before landing, though his face was a little hurt and he said, "I'm the best."**

Everybody clapped at Tony managing to assemble the new suit.

"That was awesome!" Peter said.

**Then a stray piece hit him on the back and the entire suit broke as he fell down and Jarvis said it was a pleasure to watch him work.**

Everyone laughed again.

"That just sucks." Aunt May said.

"Yeah, all the hard work destroyed by a stray." Hope said.

"I knew you'd get the feeling." Tony said.

"I think you meant it was a pleasure to see him fall down a lot." Clint joked to Vision and everyone chuckled.

**Tony's voice was heard saying how 72 hours was a long time between siestas and it couldn't get worse until he turned on the TV and saw 'him.' A strange bald man with a beard was seen on TV as his firing squad executed prisoners and he said that while some considered him a terrorist, he considered himself a teacher who teach America it's lessons as he had attacked the Ali Al Salem Base is Kuwait. Footage of the explosion was shown as he said President Ellis resisted him too much and while they knew who he was, they didn't know where he was and they would never see him coming. A symbol of two swords between 10 rings was shown.**

"Damn!" Scott said as everyone watched the disturbing footage, "That footage was very well made!"

"I know right!" Tony said, "Even I bought it."

"It is pretty convincing." Bucky agreed.

"Well, considering who was behind it, not surprising." Logan pointed out.

**The news reporters talked about the footage and how attempts to find this terrorist known as the Mandarin had been unsuccessful. Ellis was seen introducing people to Colonel James Rhodes in his War Machine Armor which was repainted and called Iron Patriot as a countermeasure against Mandarin and the news reporters joked how Ellis' response was to repaint War Machine in red, white and blue and call him Iron Patriot in case the paint was subtle.**

Everyone snickered as Rhodes had his head in his hands, "That name and color didn't work on me."

"Yeah. Sounds about right." Natasha said, "Though it may suit better on Steve."

"You know what Romanoff." Steve said as everyone chuckled.

**Tony and Rhodes watched the news in a café as Tony mocked the name and Rhodes argued it sent a better message. Tony asked about the Mandarin and Rhodes said it was classified. There had been 9 bombings and 3 were public as Rhodes said they couldn't find any device and Tony said he could help with the new stuff he had built. Rhodes asked when he had slept the last time as Tony argued Einstein only slept for 3 hours in a year.**

"Not a good argument." Pepper told Tony.

**Rhodes tried to tell Tony how everyone was concerned about him and that he was not trying to be a dick when they saw 2 kids behind him and he shut up.**

Everyone chuckled at that again.

"Sucks." Rhodes said.

**Tony asked the girl her name and she said it was Erin as he took her drawing to give an autograph as Rhodes said the Mandarin wasn't superhero responsibility but American responsibility. The drawing was of him diverting the nuke to the portal, which made him start breathing erratically as he broke the crayon and the kid asked him how he had escaped the portal. That caused Tony to bolt the area as he wrote on the drawing "Erin help me" and he walked into his Mark VII as Jarvis told him he was having an anxiety attack. Rhodes told him it wasn't a good look but he said he needed to split and flew off.**

Pepper held Tony's hand, hoping to offer comfort as he clearly looked uncomfortable.

"Erin didn't help you obviously, but we can." Steve assured Tony as he turned to him.

"Look man, I don't like what you did during the Accords fiasco." Sam told him, "But let's just say that if after all of this, we move past that, I'm ready to help you."

"Thanks." Tony said gratefully.

"PTSD." Frank said, "Changes everyone. For better or worse."

"What do you think about me in that case?" Tony asked.

"I think better eventually." Matt said.

**At Stark Industries, Happy, who was now the head of security, was telling all the employees to wear their ID tags as Pepper arrived Happy suggested robots could replace the janitorial staff because the human element of human resources was their biggest point of vulnerability and they should start phasing it out immediately.**

Everyone snickered.

"The guy has brains." Jessica complimented with an amused phase.

"Well, he learnt from me." Tony joked.

"I can see that." Thor said.

**Pepper was incredulous and told him that while she was thrilled that he was head of security, staff complaints had risen by 300% but he took it as a compliment because it meant someone was hiding something.**

"So this guy is like the CW." Logan said and everyone laughed again.

**Pepper was informed her 4:00 was here and Happy asked if he had been cleared with him. Pepper opened the room to see Aldrich Killian, no longer having the cane and looking very handsome. Pepper was shocked as Aldrich said she looked great and Pepper told him he looked great. She asked what he had been doing and he said he had been with physical therapists. Happy inquired about the ID tag but Pepper sent him out, saying it was okay.**

"No its not okay." Pepper said angrily.

"Jerk." Tony said about Killian.

"I think the ID habit was pretty good in that case." Loki said dryly.

**Happy sat outside and looked at Aldrich's right hand man Savin who was reading a newspaper as Happy pointed at the ID tag and he showed him.**

"Yes it is good." Odinson agreed.

**Aldrich told Pepper he had an idea called Extremis and putting a device on the left side of his head, opened a hologram of the brain, though he ended up opening one of the universe by mistake before opening one of the brain. Pepper said it was amazing and Aldrich said it was a live feed of his brain which he would prove.**

"Okay, people can do that?" Scott asked.

"Want to learn more science, hang out with me." Tony joked.

**He asked her to pinch him and she did as his brain's pain center reacted. Extremis harnessed the body's bioelectrical potential and put it in an empty slot which proved the brain was destined to evolve, awing Pepper.**

"In the right hands, that would be something." Trish said.

"Which means, unfortunately, not many hands." Elektra said.

**Happy got a call from Tony and they talked as he spoke about all of his previous embarrassments as Tony's bodyguard and told him about Killian who was now rich and handsome and they had met him in the Science conference in Switzerland in 1999, though Tony didn't remember.**

"Now I do." Tony said.

**Happy said they were talking business and now it was weird with him showing her his big brain so Tony asked him to flip the screen which he failed to do.**

"Is he an idiot or does he not want to flip the screen?" Aunt May asked.

"I wish I knew." Tony said.

**Happy continued ranting and talked about the shifty guy with Aldrich as Tony looked at his credentials and asked Happy to secure the perimeter. Happy told Tony that Pepper was the best thing to happen to him and he was ignoring her.**

"He's got a point there." Rhodes said as Tony and Pepper blushed.

**Happy said he was gonna follow the guy and if it got rough, no problem. Tony said he missed Happy and Happy said he missed him too but now he was off with his super-friends and the world was weirder. Tony told Happy there was a gal trying to steal printer ink in HR so he should zap her with a taser as he cut the call.**

"I know he rants but why didn't I take him seriously at the time?" Tony said guiltily.

"Hey!" Pepper said as he looked at her, "It's not your fault."

"Attacks come at us from all ways." Frank told Tony as he remembered Billy Russo, "We can't see them all coming. So don't blame yourself, Stark."

Tony nodded in appreciation.

**Aldrich told Pepper about his idea but she said while it was amazing, it was highly weaponizable so she couldn't help him. Aldrich said he had asked Tony to join AIM 13 years ago but now there was a new genius on the throne with less of an ego but she still refused even though she would like to help him.**

"Good call, Pepper." Hope told her and she nodded.

**Aldrich walked out and said he was disappointed but his father used to say failure was the fog through which they glimpsed triumph. Pepper said it was deep as Aldrich said his father was an idiot.**

"And the son is a psycho." Tony snarled.

**Aldrich said he would see her again and kissed her on the cheek before walking off.**

"Jackass." Logan said.

**Happy told Pepper the car was ready and she quickly went to get her other things as Happy took a picture of the nameplate of Aldrich's car.**

"Smart guy." Matt said.

**Pepper drove back home to see a huge stuffed bunny that couldn't fit in the house. She walked in to see Tony in his armor and he said everyone needed a hobby while she said he wore his in his living room. He asked if she had seen her present and she asked how they would fit it through the door. He said he was calling some guys to blow the wall open.**

"Okay, what?" Natasha asked.

"You are an interesting person, Mr. Stark." T'Challa said in amusement.

"I know I'm over the top." Tony said.

"That was way beyond that." Scott said.

**Tony gave her a massage and she got up to get a kiss but he acted like he was stuck so she had to kiss the slit but she decided to get a crowbar. He said there was a radiation leak but she would take her chances as she walked down to see Tony doing pullups while communicating via interface and said it was a new level of lame and Stark said he was busted.**

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Hope said and everyone chuckled.

"Damn!" Sam said, "That is lame."

"Thank you." Pepper said.

**Pepper realized he had eaten without her and he said they were going to host her as he wasn't sure if she would come home or have drinks with Aldrich Killian. She looked angry and said Tony was spying on her though he just said Happy was concerned. She started walking away as Tony called her back and apologized, saying he was a piping hot mess.**

"To be honest, it was Happy being concerned." Natasha told her.

"Now I know." Pepper sighed.

**Tony said nothing had been the same since New York and she sarcastically said she hadn't noticed. "Gods, aliens, other dimensions. I'm just a man in a can." Tony said and that the only reason he hadn't snapped was that she had moved in.**

"Stuff affects us all." Steve said sympathetically, "How we deal with it is what matters."

"Thanks Cap." Tony said.

**He said he loved her and he was lucky but he always had to tinker down here as a threat was imminent and he had to protect her because he cared about her most. His suits were a part of him though Pepper argued they were machines and distraction. Pepper then hugged Tony and removed his head piece, saying she was going to take a shower and he was going to join her to cheer him up and help him.**

In spite of the sexual subtext, no one felt like joking this time as it was clear how damaged Tony was and how Pepper was trying to help him.

**Later, the two were sleeping as Tony dreamt of battling the Chitauri and carrying the nuke into the wormhole. He groaned in his sleep as a concerned Pepper tried to wake him up.**

"You know what man. I will help you after this as long as you pick a time when I'm not tired." Bruce told Tony.

"All right. Thanks science bro." Tony said gratefully.

**Suddenly, the Mark 42 grabbed Pepper and she gasped as Tony awoke and shut it down before dismantling it with a mental command.**

Everyone gasped at the scene.

"Did your suit just attack her?" Rhodes asked Tony.

"Watch the scene." Luke said.

**Tony tried to catch his breath and said he had called it in his sleep so he should recalibrate the sensors but Pepper said she was going to sleep downstairs and to tinker with that.**

It was impossible to take a side in this argument as Tony had PTSD which had made this happen but Pepper had been almost attacked by the suit so her reaction was understandable too.

The two looked at each other apologetically.

"Instead of building suits, spend time with us maybe." Natasha told Tony.

"You're not the only one with demons." Frank said.

**At the Chinese Theater, a man was sitting quietly with his tags as Savin approached him and gave him a case, saying he had done a lot for him. The man thanked him for understanding as he walked off while Happy tried on glasses nearby, watching them both from a mirror.**

"Smart maybe but not so subtle." Jessica said.

"Maybe you can train him." Matt told her and they all snickered.

**Happy then bumped into the man, making him drop the case as the doses fell out. Happy apologized as the man's face glowed. Happy helped him in picking them up while keeping one himself as he walked off but Savin bumped into him.**

"That is not good at all." Wanda said.

"The Extremis is about to explode." Vision said.

**Savin asked if he was seeing a movie and Happy showed him the dose. Savin tried to take it as Happy punched him but he dodged. Happy punched again and he staggered back. The man glowed too, shocking Happy. He then grabbed Happy's arm and flipped him over his shoulder, sending him crashing through glass as everyone ran and the man took a high dose and called out to Savin.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

**The man exploded, destroying the theater as a wounded Happy lay on the ground and saw the man's tags while there was no sign of him. Savin got back up in spite of his wounds and tattered clothes and putting chewing gum in his mouth, walked off as Happy lost consciousness.**

"Oh boy! This is getting worse for us all." Rhodes said.

"No kidding." Tony sighed.

* * *

**Well, we're getting through this for now.**

**I have realized that Iron Man 3 is a great Tony Stark movie but not a great Iron Man movie. The scenes with Tony are all enjoyable as there is conflict in them and RDJ is just amazing. But "Ole, ole, ole, ole, ole." Someone snap that guy's neck please.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	33. Harley Keener

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoyed. Yeah, Matt is a snarky devil and I agree on Frank. Jarvis was much better than Vision. Jarvis had snark and Tony designed him to be witty like him. Vision is plain and boring compared to that. Sounds like a great lineup for the Thunderbolts. Fury and Hill are afraid the Avengers would deck them right now so the future people are the best ones to sit closer to. Agreed on Tony. I have survived a lot of stuff but let's not talk about it as it would make me look arrogant, which I'm not. Couldn't resist cracks at the CW. They deserve it. Glad you loved it.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. Glad the story is great and nicely written. All right, not much 'bub' now.**

**Nobody: I did read the comic recently for another story of mine and all that I saw was Clint saying he wanted to retire and the next panel showed him with his family. It wasn't explained how he got there or anything like that. Besides, if no one knows about Clint's family, they are safe no matter what Clint does. So them being in danger because of Clint coming back is a lame argument. Them being in danger because Tony couldn't keep his mouth shut is the truth. **

Chapter 33- Harley Keener

"So I'm guessing Mandarin took credit for that too." Scott said.

"He did." Tony said.

**The Mandarin interrupted another broadcast, saying how fortune cookies looked and sounded Chinese but were actually an American invention so they were hollow and full of lies and left a bad taste in the mouth.**

"That is incorrect info." Sam said, "They were made by a Chinese immigrant."

"David Jung." Tony supplied and everyone nodded.

**Mandarin said his disciples had destroyed the Chinse Theatre and that this season of terror was drawing to a close but the big one was coming- The President's graduation.**

"I know he is a faker and all that, but that imagery is still some disturbing shit." Jessica said.

"Considering where he is getting his funding from, not a surprise." Frank told her.

**Happy, now in a coma, lay in the hospital wing as a female doctor set everything up. Tony was there and asked her to leave the TV on as Downtown Abbey was playing and it was his favorite show as he thought it elegant. She agreed.**

"He even woke up to that show." Pepper remembered.

"Yup. I knew he would." Tony said.

**He also told her that Happy wanted everyone to wear their badges so to make sure everyone did as his men wouldn't let anyone in without them anyway. **

No one commented as they were all engrossed by the scene going on before their eyes. One of the rare cases of Tony showing empathy like that.

**Outside, several reporters stood, waiting for Tony Stark to hear his reaction to the latest attack.**

"Why do they always clamor up like that?" Luke wondered.

"It's their job." Matt said simply as he had more empathy for them than others due to Karen being a reporter.

**As Tony walked out, all of them started asking him questions. As Tony walked to his car, a male reporter asked when someone was going to kill the guy.**

"Shouldn't have asked that." Rhodes said.

**Tony turned to them and said, "Is that what you want? Here's a little holiday greeting I've been wanting to send to the Mandarin. I just didn't know how to phrase it until now. My name is Tony Stark and I'm not afraid of you. I know you're a coward. So I've decided that you just died, pal. I'm gonna come get the body. There's no politics here. It's just good old-fashioned revenge. There's no Pentagon, it's just you and me. And on the off chance you're a man, here's my home address. 10880 Malibu Point. I'll leave the door unlocked." He then asked the reporter, "That's what you wanted, right?" He took the man's phone and threw it at a wall, breaking it as the other reporters gasped. "Bill me." He said before sitting in his car as it was driven off.**

"Okay, I want to know one thing." Natasha said, "Are you really brave, or really stupid, or both?"

"Both." Pepper said.

"You just gave your home address to a terrorist." Aunt May said.

"I know why you did that." Steve said, "You were in a highly emotional state. But what if Aldrich had actually decided to take up your offer."

"And trust me. A guy like him would have come prepared." Logan said and Tony paled.

"You're right. It was stupid." Tony agreed before turning to Pepper, "All it did was put you and me in danger. And I don't want to repeat that mistake."

"I know you won't." Pepper said as she stroked his cheek.

**Later, Tony was in his house as Jarvis compiled the Mandarin database for him drawn from SHIELD, FBI and CIA headquarters. With the holographic technology, Tony and Jarvis managed to reconstruct the crime scene. **

"Whoa!" Peter said in awe, "That is great technology."

"You want to fight crime on the streets, kid?" Elektra asked as he turned to her, "Stop relying on tech."

"She's got a point." Benjamin agreed, "We are not Mr. Stark. We should rely more on ourselves than technology."

"So you don't like the suits I made or something?" Tony asked.

"It's not that." Benjamin said, "It's just that I got over-addicted to it for a while so I decided to take a break and make my own suit to do stuff. And I realize that is better for me. Tech-based suits are best for big threats like the Chitauri."

Tony nodded, deep in thought. He cared for Peter and only wanted what was best for him. But he should also let Peter have a say in what he wants. Because an overuse of tech-based stuff might not be good for someone like Peter.

"You're right." Tony agreed, "I shouldn't push you too much towards tech, kid. Otherwise you won't be able to do much without it."

"I was doing fine in the streets before your tech, Mr. Stark." Peter said, "I think I will do just fine. But like the other me said, the tech-based suit is good for big stuff."

**Tony commented how Mandarin was a name of an ancient Chinese war mantle which meant "advisor to the king." Jarvis told him the heat from the blast was in excess of 3000 degrees Celsius and any subjects within a 12.5 mile radius were vaporized instantly. No bomb parts were found in a 3 mile radius of the Chinese Theatre. Tony looked at the virtual unconscious body of Happy and wondered when a bomb was not a bomb. **

"When it is a cover for an experiment gone wrong." Bruce said.

**Tony then managed to find the virtual dog tags and asked if there were any military victims but Jarvis said there weren't according to public records. Tony asked to bring up the thermogenic signatures again and factor in 3000 degrees. Jarvis managed to plot the last 12 months of thermogenic occurrences so Tony asked him to take away all the ones that were Mandarin attacks, which Jarvis did. Tony then saw Rosehill Tennessee still looked like a Mandarin attack and asked Jarvis if it was one of his but Jarvis said it predated any known Mandarin attack. **

"Because it is covered up really well." Clint said.

**An image of Sergeant Chad Davis appeared as Jarvis said the incident was the usage of a bomb to assist in a suicide. **

Frank winced at the scene, reminded of Lewis Wilson. The situations were different as Davis had been injected with Extremis but the wording in this scene made it sound exactly the same.

**Tony said the heat signatures were remarkably similar and asked Jarvis to create a flight plan for Tennessee as he shut the holograph off but then the doorbell rang and Tony commented how they were supposed to be on total security lockdown but Jarvis said there was only so much that could be done after Tony had given the world's press his home address.**

"I tried my best." Vision said.

"We know you did." Wanda told him.

"Just proves how much of an idiot you are, Stark." Fury said.

"You speak one more time, I'm going to walk over to your couch and throw up on your eyepatch." Tony said as everyone glared at Fury, who simply sighed.

"You're a smart man, Fury. So I hope you know when to not open your mouth." Odinson told him.

**Maya Hansen knocked on the door and it opened as Tony in his suit told her to stop where she was and jokingly asked if she was the Mandarin. Maya chuckled at how he didn't remember and Tony said he didn't remember what he had for breakfast. Jarvis reminded him that he had gluten-free waffles.**

"I wonder what he'd do without you." Rhodes said to Vision.

"I won't get half as far as I have." Tony said.

**Maya said she needed to be alone with him somewhere that wasn't here.**

"I know she isn't asking you out or anything, but that is some poor wording." Scott said.

"I know right!" Tony said.

**Tony said he would normally go for that sort of thing but now he was in a committed relationship. That was when Pepper threw down two bags and walking down, asked if anyone was there. Tony introduced Maya to her and she chuckled at the fact that Tony did remember her.**

"You're a troll, you know that?" Natasha asked as everyone chuckled.

**Tony jokingly asked her if a 12 year old kid was waiting for him in the car and she joked that the kid was 13. **

Everyone chuckled.

"She almost got you there." Loki said.

**Maya said she needed his help. Tony asked the reason and she said she had read the papers and didn't think Tony would last the week. Pepper said she wasn't expecting guests or ex-girlfriends but Tony corrected that it was a one-night thing and was a great one. Pepper told Maya she had saved herself a world of pain, offending Tony. **

"Really, I'm that bad?" Tony asked.

"You are." Pepper and Rhodes said simultaneously.

"There are always chances of improvement." Trish said.

**Pepper said they needed to go out of town but Tony refused. Pepper said normal people behaved like that as Maya saw the big bunny and asked if that was normal, to which Pepper said it sadly was. Tony yelled it was a big bunny and to relax about it while Pepper told him to calm down. He said he had gotten it for her and she hadn't even told him she liked it. She said she didn't.**

"A dress or a small soft toy would have sufficed." Pepper said.

"To be honest, a big bunny is over the top even for you." Sam told him.

**Maya then pointed at the monitor and asked if they needed to worry about it.**

"You do." Hope said.

**A missile hit the window at that very moment and exploded, sending the three of them flying back. **

"Oh no!" Rhodes said.

"Oh boy!" Sam said at the same time.

"This is why you don't give terrorists your address." Logan said.

**Tony mentally called the Mark 42 and it assembled around Pepper just before she fell, saving her.**

"That kids, is the definition of irony." Jessica said and everyone chuckled.

"The very suit that attacked you a day ago is now saving your life." Trish said.

**Helicopters flew up to the area, Savin sitting in one of them. Pepper saved Tony from falling debris and the two tried to escape the area as Tony saw a barely conscious Maya. He asked Pepper to take her and go as the ground between them broke. Pepper complied and picking up Maya, ran towards a window and tried to fire a repulsor but it didn't work. When she lowered her hand, the repulsor suddenly worked and the two were launched out, crashing through the window. **

"Damn!" Scott said.

"That is one prematurely used suit." Steve said.

"You're not wrong." Tony told him.

"But it was necessary." Steve told him.

**Tony ran around in the house, avoiding all the falling debris as the house fell apart on top of him. Pepper called out to him from outside. Jarvis told Tony that Pepper was clear of the structure so he called his suit back. It disassembled from around Pepper and as Tony was crawling in his house to avoid gunfire, assembled around him. He stood up and asked Jarvis about the flight power. Jarvis said he was working on it as the suit was still a prototype. It was only at 22% power currently.**

"Still, better than no suit." Bucky said.

**Tony tried to fire a missile at one helicopter but it was offline. The firing continued as the house fell apart and Tony fell around until he fired a repulsor at some debris and it crashed through the window, hitting a helicopter and taking it down.**

"Score!" Rhodes and Sam said at the same time.

**The helicopters still continued firing as Jarvis told Tony his suit wasn't combat ready. Tony took out a small piece from the arm and throwing it at a helicopter, fired a repulsor, causing an explosion that destroyed the helicopter. Pepper watched as the helicopter crashed right in front of Tony, sending him back as he hung on for dear life. Tony was thrown around and he saw as Dum-E and U were blown to bits.**

"No!" Wanda said, having grown attached to the two bots due to the recordings.

**Tony saw his suits getting blown up too.**

"Oh my God!" Bruce said.

"This is getting worse and worse by the moment." Thor said.

**Tony was finally thrown from the house as it started crashing into the water. Eventually, falling pieces of his house fell into the water along with him as Pepper walked up to the edge and called out to him in despair.**

Tony and Pepper held each other's hands for comfort.

**Tony started sinking in the suit as Jarvis asked him to take a deep breath and detached the gauntlet from his hand. The gauntlet then grabbed Tony's hand and started pulling him up.**

"That is a really nice suit." Natasha said.

**Jarvis said the flight power was restored and as the gauntlet reattached itself, the suit flew off with Tony inside it just as the helicopter left.**

"At least you're out of there in one piece." Wanda told him, "Though your house is gone."

"Fortunately, that was the only thing I lost that day." Tony agreed.

**An unspecified amount of time later, Tony was woken up by Jarvis and a beeping sound as Tony told him to kill the alarm but Jarvis told him that was the emergency alert triggered by the power dropping below 5%. A stag looked up and ran off as a screaming Tony crashed and flew through some trees, crashing through them too before falling in the snow.**

"Ouch!" Aunt May said.

"So, how badly were you hurt?" Steve asked, cringing.

"Not that bad." Tony said, "Though my face hurt. And my arm."

"I think your face and arm always get hurt." Pepper said.

"Especially the arm." Rhodes reminded him.

"Good point." Tony agreed.

"Don't know what I'd do without my arm." Clint said.

**Tony took off his visor and noted the snow, asking Jarvis where they were. Jarvis said they were 5 miles outside Rose Hill, Tennessee, shocking Tony who said it wasn't his idea as he needed to get Pepper. Jarvis said a flight plan had been prepared and this was the location. Tony asked Jarvis to open the suit.**

"I was malfunctioning." Vision said.

"I know." Tony said.

**Jarvis said he was malfunctioning as the suit came off. Tony sat up and took deep breaths, saying it was brisk and he needed to cosy back up but Jarvis said he needed to sleep and the suit powered down as Tony asked Jarvis not to leave him but it was too late.**

"I get it. Don't overuse the battery." Tony said.

"This was the test of your life, man." Rhodes said, "Having to fight without your suits. And you did great."

"Thanks pal." Tony said.

**Tony carried the suit through the snow, stopping to steal a poncho from a wooden Indian before he called Pepper through a secure Stark server outside a place called 'Texaco', apologizing for putting her in harm's way, saying it was stupid and selfish and won't happen again. He then apologized for the big bunny and finally apologized in advance as he couldn't come home and needed to find the Mandarin. He also told her he had stolen a poncho from a wooden Indian.**

Almost everyone found their eyes a little wet at Tony's display of affection and were also amused by his way of showing it.

Pepper simply smiled at Tony as the two held hands.

**Tony carried the suit through the snow again, eventually finding a work shop where he put it next to him on a couch and relaxed. That was when a kid arrived and pointed a potato gun at him. Tony said it was good but it would diminish his FPS, until the kid fired at a glass bottle, destroying it. Tony was impressed but said now Harley was out of ammo.**

"That is a badass kid." Sam said.

"Harley Keener." Tony said, "Nice kid. And smart."

**Harley asked what was on Tony's chest and he said it was an electromagnet and he should know as he had a box full of them. Harley asked what it powered and Tony moved out of the way to reveal his suit as Harley gasped in awe. He asked if it was Iron Man and Tony said technically he was. Harley told him he was dead technically as he gave him the newspaper which had a headline of him presumed dead.**

"He is already looking like a younger version of you." Rhodes said.

"Duh." Tony said.

**Harley asked what had happened to the suit and Tony said he'll fix it. Harley asked if he'd do it like a mechanic and he agreed. Harley started about what he would do if he was building Iron Man and War Machine, though Tony corrected that it was Iron Patriot now, which Harley found way cooler but Tony disagreed.**

"No, it's not." Rhodes agreed with Tony.

"Iron Patriot sucks." Scott agreed too.

"Thanks man." Rhodes said.

**Harley said he would have added the retro-reflective panels to make it stealth mode, impressing Tony who agreed it was a good idea.**

"Smart, snarky." Natasha said.

**Harley accidentally broke the suit's finger and Tony asked him to leave it alone before telling him he'd fix it. Tony then asked him who was home. Harley said his mom had left for the diner and his dad had gone to 7-11 to get scratchers but he had probably won as that was 6 years ago. Stark said dads left and there was no need to be a pussy about it.**

Tony felt everyone's glares boring into him.

"Dude, what the hell?" Rhodes asked, "That is a horrible thing to say to a kid."

Aunt May said, "If you ever talk to Peter like that, I will-"

And she ended it there, leaving Tony thinking about the countless implications.

"You have every right to be upset about how your father treated you." Matt said, "But you have no right to be so callous to a child because of that."

"You're right." Tony said, feeling shame for what he had said to Harley, "I was a dick to that kid. It's a miracle he still helped me after that." [1]

"We're here to learn from our mistakes after all." Pepper said gently.

**Tony told Harley he needed a laptop, a digital watch, a cell phone, a pneumatic actuator from Harley's bazooka, a map of town, a big spring and a tuna fish sandwich. Harley asked what was in it for him and Tony said salvation, asking him the name of the kid who bullied him at school, as he recognized the signs of a kid who is bullied. He then gave Harley a small flash grenade from his suit, telling him it discouraged bullying and was non-lethal, only to cover one's ass. Harley accepted it and decided to help Tony, finally introducing himself as Harley Keener as Tony called himself the mechanic. He then asked Harley about his sandwich again.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Outside the destroyed house, police, firemen and reporters had assembled, doing their usual job as Pepper stood there too. She picked up a broken helmet and touched it with her head, only to realize it was beeping. She put it around her head and when the retinal scan was verified, Tony's apology began playing. The very sound of his voice was enough to make Pepper smile happily as happy tears escaped her eyes.**

Everyone smiled at the scene, knowing how relieved Pepper would have felt.

**Later, Pepper drove Maya away, asking her why she was in the house. Maya said she thought her boss was working for the Mandarin and they needed to get someplace safe.**

"He is the Mandarin." Tony said as Benjamin and Logan exchanged a look with Matt, Elektra, Frank, Jessica, Luke and Trish, knowing that he wasn't.

**Pepper was confused until Maya told her she was actually a biological DNA coder running a team of 40 out of a privately funded think tank, not a botanist as Tony had described. Pepper asked if her boss had a name and Maya said it was Aldrich Killian. Pepper looked at her in shock.**

"Busted." Hope said.

**Aldrich was on the phone as Savin told him they had taken the house down but there was no sign of a body. Aldrich said the master was about to record and cutting the call, told his men not to make eye contact unless they wanted to get shot in the face. The Mandarin prepared himself and arrived at the location, ready to record.**

"Stealing Aldrich's glory all over again." Tony said dryly.

**Tony and Harley walked together as Tony said the sandwich was fair but the spring was a little rusty, though he'd make do with the rest of the raw materials. He then said he was hoping for something a little more adult when Harley had mentioned his sister had a watch. Turned out Tony was wearing a 'Dora the Explorer' watch.**

Everybody laughed as Tony held his face in his hands and shook his head, "Someone shoot me."

"That is a nice watch." Peter said with laughs as everyone continued laughing at Tony who looked embarrassed.

**Harley said she was only six and it was a limited edition.**

"Inquire about age next time. Got it." Tony said.

"It's limited edition. You should be happy." Pepper joked and everyone laughed again as Tony looked offended.

**Harley asked if they could talk about New York or the Avengers but Tony said they couldn't, asking the kid to give him space. The two stopped in front of the place where Chad Davis had blown himself up. Tony asked the official story and Harley said Chad Davis had won some medals in the army but had gone crazy one day and blown himself up. Tony remembered that six people had died but there were only five ash-imprints. Harley said that according to people, the shadows were marks of people going to Heaven except Chad as he had blown himself up and gone to Hell.**

"When I call something superstitious, trust me, it is." Matt said, "And this is."

**Tony asked if he bought that and Harley said that was what people said.**

"People can be wrong." T'Challa said.

**Harley then said the crater reminded him of New York, asking Tony several questions about it too, including if he had PTSD, though Tony denied it.**

"Except you do." Logan said.

**Eventually, he managed to give Tony an anxiety attack as he got up and staggered near a pole, laying down as Harley looked at him in concern. That was when two kids arrived on quad bikes and stopped them near Harley, spreading snow over him. One of them, who was his bully, EJ, asked him if Tony was his boyfriend.**

"The bullies." Natasha realized.

**Harley said it was Tony Stark but Tony needed to keep a low profile so he covered his head with his cap as EJ said Tony Stark was dead and the two drove off, once again spreading snow on Harley. **

"Poor kid and poor you." Frank said to Tony.

**Tony recovered and threw a snowball at Harley, telling him it was his fault before asking him where Mrs. Davis was. Harley said she was where she always is and Tony said now he was being helpful. **

"That's better." Clint said.

**Tony later walked towards a bar and bumped into a red-haired woman accidentally, making her drop her wallet. He picked it up and returned it to her, complimenting her hairstyle. She complimented his watch and he proudly said it was limited edition. She walked off, telling him to have a good evening.**

"Her." Tony snarled.

"I guess she meant 'horrible evening.'" Rhodes said.

**Tony then walked into the bar where people were having fun. He found Mrs. Davis who was sitting alone. Tony asked if he could join her and she joked it was a free country. He sat down and apologized for her loss, asking her what she thought had happened. She put a file on the table and told him to take it and go. Tony realized she was waiting for someone else as he read the file and saw that Chad worked with someone called Jack Taggart.**

"The guy who exploded in front of Happy." Steve recognized him.

**Tony assured Mrs. Davis her son hadn't killed himself or anyone else but had been used as a weapon, surprising her. She realized he wasn't the one who had called her and the red-haired woman from before slammed her badge into the table, telling him she had. She suddenly grabbed Tony in a hold to arrest him as Tony discreetly took the dog tags of Chad that Mrs. Davis had.**

"This is not good at all." Jessica said.

"Nope." Tony said.

**The woman, whose name was Ellen Brandt, put cuffs on Tony as the sheriff asked her what she was doing. She introduced herself as a Homeland agent but the sheriff didn't buy it. Mrs. Davis threw the file into a corner as Brandt's hand glowed, shocking Tony. She put the badge on the sheriff's face, burning it as he screamed and the others ran off. She then took his gun and shot another cop and him as everyone continued running. Tony ran out, jokingly asking if she wanted a party. He then saw Savin getting out of his car and ran the other way but Harley threw a snowball at Savin, distracting him.**

"Oh shit!" Sam said.

"These people." Rhodes snarled.

**Tony hid behind a car, jokingly asking a man if it was crazy and he agreed. Tony ran towards a window of the bar and crashed through it. A man tried to fire at Brandt but she snatched his gun and fired at Tony who jumped to hide behind the counter, still cuffed. He turned left but saw Brandt was already there. She picked him up and elbowed him. Tony tried to attack but she flipped him to the ground. He tried to roll away but she grabbed his hand and pinned him to a wall. The two grabbed each other as she glowed and Tony eventually leapt and grabbing her in a chokehold with his cuffs, held her against the counter, trying to choke her. She laughed as her neck glowed and Tony used that to burn through the cuffs as he backed off and threw them down.**

"Smart." Steve said.

"That's Stark for you." Natasha said.

**Tony then kicked some fuel at her along with the still glowing cuffs, igniting the flames. He then started setting up the microwave as Brandt walked through the flames, burning herself up. "You walked right into this one. I've dated hotter chicks than you." Tony joked.**

Everyone laughed at Tony's wit.

"Now that is what I call the pun-master." Sam said.

**A burning Ellen walked through the doors, now on fire. "That's all you got?" She hissed, "A cheap trick and a cheesy one-liner?" Tony exposed some gas and said, "Sweetheart, that could be the name of my autobiography." With that, he ran out as Brandt noticed Davis' dog tags inside the microwave. Tony hid behind an ice machine as an explosion erupted. Tony then walked out, noticing people running in fear and Brandt dead between some wires on a pole.**

"Creepy." Peter said.

"Smart way to beat your opponents." Hope said.

"At least you had a point about being nothing without my suit." Benjamin said.

**Tony suddenly saw the water tower shaking and realized Savin was using his Extremis powers to bring it down. He then saw EJ and his friend riding their quad bikes and ran to the fence, jumping on the other side, telling them to run off as the water tower was coming down. EJ tried but the water tower collapsed first, spreading a huge quantity of water all around, though Tony managed to save himself by holding onto a fence. He realized his foot was trapped under some debris and called out to EJ, before Savin arrived holding Harley hostage. **

"Oh no!" Clint snarled angrily, thinking of ways to kill Savin.

"Coward!" Steve spat.

**Harley apologized to Tony as Savin put him down and demanded the file and Tony assured him it wasn't his fault, asking him to remember what he had been told about bullies.**

"Nice lesson about bullies, Tony." Steve said in an impressed tone, knowing what was about to happen.

**Harley used the flash grenade on Savin, blinding him temporarily as he ran off. Stark then told Savin smart guys always covered their asses and fired a repulsor at him, sending him back.**

Everyone clapped happily at the scene.

"Now that's what you get for holding a kid hostage." Frank snarled angrily at Savin, "Nice job, Stark."

**Tony then pulled the debris off himself as Harley pulled EJ back up. With help from Tony and Mrs. Davis, they pulled EJ out of the water and put him on the ground as Mrs. Davis tried to perform CPR on him. Tony got an idea and slowly pulling out his Arc Reactor, shocked EJ, getting pushed back. He tried again and was pushed back again. But the third time, EJ's eyes snapped open and he coughed the water out as Harley and Mrs. Davis helped him up while Tony looked relieved.**

Everyone's jaws gapped at Tony's act of selflessness.

"Proof that Tony Stark has a heart." Steve finally said in an impressed tone and everyone nodded.

"You're okay, Stark." Frank told him, equally impressed.

"You did the right thing, Tony." Pepper said as the two gazed into each other's eyes.

"You're a hero." Loki of all people said.

"A very good one at that." Wanda agreed. Everything she was seeing had made her see Stark in a new light. While he was still a little less than partially responsible for the bomb, he was a good man and would do anything to make up for it if he could. And that was enough.

"They're right." Rhodes said.

"Thanks guys." Tony smiled.

**Tony suddenly started seizing due to the Arc Reactor being out of his body. As he fell down, Harley snatched the Arc Reactor from his grasp and managed to put it back inside, resuscitating Tony who patted Harley's head happily.**

Everyone sighed in relief at the scene, smiles on their faces.

**Tony then walked up to where Savin was lying and stole his car keys. Later, with the file in his hand, Tony walked off as Harley walked up to him saying "You're welcome." Tony wondered if he had missed something and Harley said he had saved his life. Tony said he had saved him first but still thanked him and asked him not to be a yutz as he would come off grandiose. Harley said Tony needed him as they were connected but Tony said he needed Harley to go home, be with his mom, guard the suit, and stay connected to the telephone. He then said they were done and got in the car, apologizing to Harley and saying he did good. Harley asked if he was going to leave him like his dad and Tony said he was, realizing he was guilt-tripping him. Harley childishly said he was cold and Tony mockingly said he could tell because they were connected and drove off as Harley said it was worth a shot.**

Everyone chuckled at the witty banter between Tony and Harley.

"Kid's definitely a younger you." Luke said.

**Savin's wounds healed and he woke up.**

"Uh-oh." Hope said.

**An advertisement was playing when the Ten Rings symbol appeared again. The Vice President also got the scene along with President Ellis in his plane. The Mandarin was there, saying only two lessons remained and this would be over before Christmas morning. The Mandarin showed a man called Thomas Richards, who was the accountant for Roxxon Oil Corporation, lying on the ground, sobbing. **

"He is an actor too." Logan said about Richards, "For this scene."

**He said if President Ellis called the telephone next to them in 30 seconds, he will spare Richards and that the number was in Ellis' phone. Ellis realized it was and asked how his phone had been hacked. In spite of being advised against it, Ellis called the Mandarin to save Richards' life, but he still shot him on the head, killing him as everyone watched the scene in horror.**

"And then Richards got up and shook hands with the guy." Frank snorted angrily.

"Bunch of cons." Tony said.

**The Mandarin said there was only one lesson left now so President Ellis better run and hide and kiss his children goodbye because nothing could save him. The broadcast ended as Ellis demanded everyone to ask Rhodes to find the lunatic right now. A military aide said the broadcast signal's possible point of origin was Pakistan and the Patriot was ready to strike. Ellis asked then to do it right now.**

"The goal was to rattle the President. And it succeeded." Steve sighed.

"Really good actors." Tony snarled.

"Which cost him." Matt said cryptically about Slattery and everyone wondered what he was talking about.

* * *

**And chapter done. I also included the deleted scene of Tony saving EJ as that one was great.**

**[1] People found this line funny and consider it one of the greatest burns but I did not find it to be a laughing matter. I know Harley is also snarky like Tony but that is a horrible thing to say to a kid. And the line doesn't even make much sense. Counting that out though, Tony and Harley had awesome interactions and I wish we got more of them.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	34. Truth revealed

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Also, turns out Sony is taking Spider-Man back. After delving a little deeper into the matter, here are my thoughts- Let's talk about Kevin Feige's involvement in Marvel movies over the past 2 decades. The films that didn't remain true to the source material, and ignored Feige's advise in particular, were really horrible, like the 2015 Fantastic Four, the 2003 Daredevil and Punisher: War Zone. So obviously, it was noted that Feige could be more-or-less the ultimate consultant when it comes to Marvel films. He knows the comics well, and has a knack for film-making.**

**And Sony realizes this. **

**They've made their fair share of mistakes remaking Marvel characters. For every good movie they produced, they farted out a few bad ones. So when they finally signed on to allow Disney to make Spider-Man films for them, that was their big, penitent, turnaround. Sony was finally comfortable with allowing people with actual knowledge about the source material handle their characters. They were finally okay with letting those with passion- especially Kevin Feige- do what they do best. And as such, they handed Spider-Man over to another studio to take charge of.**

**Of course they did care about profit too, and it brought them more of it. They demanded to keep the majority of ticket sales revenue for any Spider-Man film released after all. But when they signed on to that partnership, Sony finally decided that it would be willing to bend over for the source material, and just give the fans what they want. Rather than trying to make the source content bend to them, and risk botching their production in the process. They realized that actually listening to Kevin Feige might actually grab them more money in the long run.**

**But recently, not only did Disney demand a greater share in funding the movies (and presumably in the revenue they generate), they also wanted to take Kevin Feige- the one man they specifically wanted in- out of the equation. Apparently, Disney wanted Feige focusing on other projects, like their new streaming service and the upcoming Marvel Phase 4 movies. Spider-Man took a backseat, with little or no actual oversight from Feige. Something every previous MCU film featuring Spider-Man received.**

**And Sony didn't like that. Feige had become a top consultant for them whenever Peter Parker was involved. And as such, his input was actually meaningful to them. Even if Kevin's name wasn't on the credits, Sony usually asks him for help making their films. They asked him for help with Venom, and you can bet they asked him for help with Into The Spider-Verse too. In summary, after all those years ignoring him, Sony had learned from their mistakes. They'd found a gold mine in Kevin Feige, and they weren't going to let that go. No one would.**

**But all of a sudden, Disney wanted to stop all that. They proposed to take Feige away, and still take a greater stake in the film's revenue. It obviously wasn't going to fly. So I don't blame Sony for being outraged. The offer was simply a non-starter, but Disney wasn't letting go. So they hung on, and Disney decided to cut ties. **

**However, I feel like this current deal suits no one. Sony would gladly go back to the old arrangement, because they know that Marvel Studios is better at making Marvel films than they are. Marvel, on its part, was teeing Spidery up to be one of their flagship heroes, right up there beside Thor, Black Panther and Captain Marvel. And they wouldn't like trying to retcon Peter Parker out of the MCU after he's become so entangled in it. That's why I'm of the belief that one party (or both) will eventually give way to the other, likely seeking out a compromise deal. And Spider-Man will be reinstated into the MCU.**

**Because it was a winning formula, and both sides have more to lose from this split than they would gain.**

**Guest 1: Clint says is AoU that Fury helped keep his family off from all kinds of radars. And if they were on SHIELD's files, I'm pretty sure some of the Avengers would know about them after the leak. Tony definitely would as he is a tech guy. The reason nothing came of that scene is because the writers couldn't have Tony's actions in Civil War reflect badly on him. Clint's face when Tony mentioned his family makes it clear he is pissed about what Tony did. And funny you're calling this a Tony bash fest after I included a DELETED scene in which Tony selflessly risked his life to save a kid. I treat everyone fairly. Maybe you should go back to reading those prop-Tony fics in which Tony is the ultimate savior who can do no wrong and anyone who commits the sin of not worshipping him is the spawn of Satan himself. Get lost. **

**Guest 2: I'm not showing the one-shot but the events of it will be addressed.**

Chapter 34- Truth revealed

"Making my way towards the underwhelming reveal." Tony joked.

**Tony was driving in his car, looking at the file. That was when he noticed AIM's name on it and shook his head in anger.**

"AIM better watch out." Bruce said.

"The only thing more dangerous than a cheerful Stark is an angry Stark." Thor said seriously.

**In Pakistan, Rhodes broke down a door as the people working raised their hands in fear. His phone suddenly rang and he picked up.**

Everyone chuckled at the funny scene.

"I know. It's some funny timing." Rhodes said.

**Tony asked from the other end if he ever had a chick straddling him and she had suddenly turned yellow. Tony then confirmed it was him and Rhodes laughed as Tony reminded how Rhodes had come looking for him last time he had gone missing and Rhodes joked he was making friends in Pakistan.**

"So you make friends by pointing guns at them? What a nice way to start friendship." Peter joked and everyone laughed.

**Tony asked Rhodes if his rebrand was AIM and Rhodes confirmed it was. Tony said he was going to find a heavy-duty comm sat and needed Rhodes' login. Rhodes said it was "WarMachine68." Tony asked the password and Rhodes said he needed to change it every time Tony hacked in. Tony said this wasn't the 80's and no one said "hack" anymore.**

"You just did." Sam said and everyone chuckled.

"Bunch of smartasses." Tony quipped.

**Rhodes finally said his login was "WARMACHINEROX" with an "X", all caps.**

Everyone laughed as Rhodes shook his head.

"And people say Stark has an ego." Natasha quipped as Rhodes looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Nothing wrong with trying to increase your self-esteem." Jessica said, "Especially if you're taking it the 'rock' way instead of the 'cray cray' way."

"Why did you bring that up?" Trish asked, embarrassed as everyone laughed at remembering the 'cray cray' song.

"Hey hey, I want your cray cray", Luke started as everyone laughed and Trish smacked his arm.

**The men chuckled and Rhodes whirled his turret on them and they stopped as Tony chuckled too and so did Rhodes. Tony said it was much better than Iron Patriot and turned the car the other way.**

Everyone chuckled again at the "WARMACHINEROX" thing.

**A beauty pageant was going on where the winner was asked what she wanted for Christmas. Outside, Tony walked around before eventually sneaking into a broadcasting van as an elderly man raised a scoreboard at the pageant, with a perfect 10 on it.**

"So he is also a pageant judge." Clint said as everyone saw the man again.

"Must be very rich with all the jobs he has." Hope said.

"Barber. Driver. Judge. You name it. He has done it." Logan said.

**Tony set up the van but the connection was slow. That moment, a cameraman entered the van and was about to tell Tony to go out but gasped in joy on seeing it was Tony Stark. He cut the call with his mom and walking inside, said how he was Tony's biggest fan and knew he was alive.**

"Look. A fanboy." Loki joked.

**The cameraman closed the door and introduced himself as Gary and said how he had patterned his whole look after Tony, taking off his cap to show his hair.**

"That doesn't look like it." Bucky said and everyone nodded in agreement.

**Gary said he didn't want to make things awkward and then showed him a tattoo as Tony joked it was a Hispanic Scott Baio before realizing it was him. Gary said it was after a doll he had made.**

"That is the exact definition of making it awkward." Elektra said.

"He is just an over-excited fellow." Matt said.

**Tony finally told Gary to clip his wings as they both were overexcited and told him he was chasing bad guys and needed to grab some hard-crypt data files. But he didn't have a proper connection so Gary needed to go up and recalibrate the ISDNs, pumping them up by 40%. He told him it was a mission of "Tony needs Gary" and Gary agreed, though Tony told him to be quiet about it.**

"Fanboys are always a big help." Benjamin said.

"Like you?" Odinson asked.

"Exactly like me." Benjamin sighed.

**Gary recalibrated the ISDNs and Tony accessed the AIM servers, using Rhodes' login and password.**

Everyone chuckled at the password as Rhodes said, "Get over it."

**He broke through the firewalls and finally started a video where Chad Davis was asked the defining moment of his life by Aldrich Killian and he said it was the day he decided not to let his injury beat him. Then there was a video of the woman who had attacked Tony and she didn't have a left arm. Her name was Ellen Brandt. Aldrich Killian said the injections were administered periodically, addiction will not be tolerated and those who cannot regulate will be cut from the program.**

"Cut off from their bodies." Frank snarled.

**Aldrich then gave a speech to all the subjects, telling them this was their day of glory as the process started and both Brandt and Davis roared in pain while glowing. Brandt's arm was slowly growing back as Tony looked on, horrified.**

Everyone watched the scene with horror on their faces as Pepper shook, reminded of when it had happened to her. Tony put an arm around her for comfort and pulled her into an embrace as some tears escaped her eyes.

"It's okay. I'm here." Tony said soothingly.

**Davis suddenly screamed in pain and Aldrich realized he was about to exploded and told everyone to clear out as an explosion occurred.**

Everyone flinched at the horrifying scene.

**Tony sighed sadly and finally said, "A bomb is not a bomb when it's a misfire. The stuff doesn't always work. Right, pal?" He then snarled angrily, "It's faulty, but you found a buyer, didn't you? Sold it to the Mandarin. Got you, pal."**

"Got you." Tony snarled.

"Nowhere to run to now." Steve said.

**In a hotel, Maya told Pepper about Wernher von Braun, who used to dream of space travel and when the first V-2 had hit London, he had said, "The rocket performed perfectly. It just landed on the wrong planet." Maya continued saying, "See, we all begin wide-eyed. Pure science. And then the ego steps in, the obsession. And you look up, you're a long way from shore." **

"Not wrong." Hope said, "Very true, sadly."

**Pepper told Maya not to be too hard on herself as she had sold her research to a think tank. Maya countered that Killian had built the think tank on military contracts but Pepper pointed out that Stark Industries used to do the same, so she shouldn't be too hard on herself. Maya thanked Pepper, saying she appreciated it.**

"Appreciated enough to capture me." Pepper snarled.

**There was a knock on the door and Pepper went to open it as Maya had a look on her face. The waiter walked inside but suddenly Killian snapped his neck from behind and grabbed Pepper by the throat, pinning her to the wall.**

"Oh no!" Aunt May said in horror.

"Shit!" Sam and Rhodes said.

Pepper paled at the scene as Tony once again had an arm around her as he glared daggers at the onscreen Killian.

"Coward without guts." Bucky said.

"You're correct." Natasha agreed.

**Aldrich asked Maya why she was at Stark's mansion the previous night and she said she was trying to fix everything, unaware that Aldrich and the Mandarin were going to blow the place up. Aldrich wondered why she was trying to save him and Maya said they could use him, and now he had a decent incentive.**

"What a manipulative bitch!" Jessica spat out.

"Maybe this moron should try picking on someone his own size." Logan said as he thought of ways to kill Killian.

"He is too cowardly for that." Steve said in anger.

"Of course he is." An enraged Thor agreed.

**Rhodes was flying around when he was given coordinates for another Mandarin attack and flew down, blasting the place open, only to find women in hijabs stitching up sportswear. He told Support Blue-Zero they had messed up again as the women got up and started shaking Rhodes' hand happily. He wondered what that was about as another woman shook his hand but suddenly, her hand glowed and Rhodes gasped in pain, falling down.**

"That is why I should never let my guard down." Rhodes said as everyone watched in shock.

**Rhodes fell down as the woman threw her disguise off, revealing herself to be a blonde woman. She called Savin, telling him she had acquired the armor. Rhodes said they'd have to pry his cold, dead body out of it and she said that was the plan.**

"This keeps getting more horrible." Wanda said, shocked.

**Tony was driving his car and asked Harley on the phone to give him the full report. Harley said he had 2 or 3 bowls of candy. Tony asked if he could see straight. Harley said he could so Tony said he was all right.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Harley then put the phone on the armor as Jarvis told Tony they were totally fine but at the end of the sentence, he said the wrong cranberry.**

Everyone chuckled.

"Not the best moments for me." Vision said.

**Jarvis said he had factored the AIM downlink facilities and had pinpointed the Mandarin's broadcast signal. Tony asked which country it was, mentioning several countries that were notorious for having terrorists in them but Jarvis said it was in Miami, Florida. Tony was confused and asked Harley to reboot Jarvis' speech drive and also told him to look at the screen. Harley said it was in Miami, Florida.**

"What a shock." Frank said.

"It's not like we knew he was an actor." Tony pointed out.

**Tony asked how much the armor had charged but Harley said it wasn't charging. Tony suddenly pumped the brakes and panted, getting another anxiety attack as Jarvis said it was charging but the power source was questionable. A panting Tony tried to argue but he realized he was having another attack.**

"How did that happen?" A concerned Pepper asked.

"I have no idea." Tony said.

**Tony staggered out of the car as Harley said he hadn't even mentioned New York but Tony pointed out now he had. Harley asked him to breathe and he did, calming down and then Harley told him he was a mechanic so he could just build something. Tony got up and with determination in his eyes, thanked Harley before getting back in his car.**

"That is a cool kid." Steve said and everyone nodded, impressed at how mature Harley was for his age.

**Tony went to a gardening store, buying supplies as the man scanned them. Tony then started working on the supplies intently, McGuyvering several gadgets together.**

Everyone clapped at Tony's brilliance at what he had done.

"Once again, pleasure watching you work." Thor said.

"Thanks." Tony said.

**Tony drove to Miami, Florida and took position outside the walls of the Mandarin's mansion. He looked at the guards with binoculars and leapt in via the back of a fence. Sneaking up, he twirled some kind of rope and tying it to a guard's legs, pulled him down before firing a knock out dart at another one.**

"You made these just like that?" Sam asked as everyone watched the scene in awe.

"Just like that." Tony said.

**Tony then kneed that guard and taking his taser, tased another one who trying to attack him, knocking him out. A kind of blue ball then rolled up to two guards. One of them picked it up but it exploded on his face, sending him into the fountain as Tony fired knockout darts at the other one, throwing him there too before throwing a red ball into the fountain which exploded on his face.**

Everyone clapped and cheered at Tony.

"Are those home-made grenades?" Rhodes asked about the balls.

"Yup." Tony said.

**Tony snuck into the mansion where a hammered woman was lying on the table. A high woman asked a man to drop the temperature. He said he wasn't her personal air conditioner but Tony grabbed his head with an electrified glove, knocking him out and taking his gun as the high woman pointed a hand gun at him but he told her to shush and she smiled as Tony snuck further in and took off the glove with his teeth.**

"You're in." Frank said.

"And I will get out." Tony said, "In the most unconventional way."

**Tony made his way through the rooms, seeing a frame of Mandarin executing Richards as he eventually saw a bed and figures moving under the sheets. He discreetly moved closer and ripped the sheets off, only to see two half-naked women instead.**

"Bummer." Peter said, summing up everyone's reactions.

**Tony was shocked and heard the sound of the toilet flushing. He then told them to shush and hid behind the bed as the Mandarin walked out, talking in a British accent, confusing Tony. He asked which one of the women was Vanessa and Vanessa raised her hand. Mandarin told her fortune cookies weren't Chinese and were actually American based on a Japanese recipe.**

"I'm pretty sure that is not entirely accurate." Tony said.

**The other woman said there was someone there and then Tony emerged, pointing his gun at the Mandarin, telling him to not move. He told Tony he could take anything he wanted, though the guns were fake as they wouldn't trust him with the real ones, shocking Tony. He asked if Tony fancied either of the birds but Tony clicked the safety off the gun and pointed it at him, angrily roaring at him to tell him where the real Mandarin was.**

"What a shock!" Sam said.

"A disappointing one." Rhodes said.

**The man sat on the couch and said he was here but not here. Tony asked him to uncomplicated it and sent the ladies to the bathroom, where they were disgusted.**

"Looks like he made a mess." Aunt May said in disgust, summing up everyone's reactions.

**The man tried to crawl away but Tony shot the floor in front of him, making him go back up to the couch. The man introduced himself as Trevor Slattery. Tony asked if he was a decoy and pointed the gun at his face. Trevor asked him not to hurt his face as he was an actor. A horrified Tony told him he had a minute to live and fill it with words. Trevor said "The Mandarin" was a role. He had problems with substances and did illegal things to get more. Then they approached him and said they'd give him more, along with this palace and everything he wanted. He then started snoring.**

"What the hell?" Jessica said, "What does he do all the time?"

"Think of ways to doze off." Luke said.

**A shocked Tony kicked him back up and he said he had also been given a lovely speedboat if he took credits for some accidental explosions. Tony realized it was Killian who had created him. Trevor too a drink. He then changed his accent and said his performance had brought the Mandarin to life. Tony told him people had died but he said it was all green screens and half of the time he wasn't even on the location and if he was, it was movie magic.**

"If this was a movie, I'd say it is a movie too smart for its own good." Peter said.

"Damn right kid!" Tony said, remembering Trevor's embarrassing antics.

**Tony said he had a best friend in a coma who might not wake up so Trevor would have to answer for that and was still going down. He then sensed a presence behind him and turned around, only for Savin to grab his hand and punch him out.**

"Oh my God!" Peter said.

"Damn it!" Frank snarled.

"And now they've got all three of us." Rhodes said about himself, Tony and Pepper.

**Savin asked what Trevor had told Tony and he said he hadn't told him anything. Savin told him they had a panic button. Trevor said he had panicked but then handled it.**

"Handled enough to tell the truth." Tony said.

**Maya was working when Tony woke up behind her, tied up. She joked how it was like old times and he said he was zip tied now. Maya said it wasn't her idea. Tony realized she had taken Aldrich's card. She said she had taken his money. Tony said she was in a dungeon 13 years later but she said he was in a dungeon and she was free to go.**

"Technically, you're in one right now." Jessica said.

**Maya said Extremis was practically stabilized but Tony said it wasn't as people were exploding on the streets and painting the walls. Maya asked his help in fixing it, showing him an equation he had written on the card. Tony said he only remembered the night, not the morning.**

"Now that is the biggest disappointment ever after 13 years." Matt said.

**Maya was horrified that Tony didn't remember as he said, "You used to have a moral psychology. You used to have ideals. You wanted to help people. Now look at you. I get to wake up every morning with someone who…..still has their soul."**

"And I still get to do it." Tony said firmly as him and Pepper held hands lovingly and everyone smiled at their true love for each other.

**Tony asked Maya to get him out but Killian arrived, talking about another one of his father's sayings which was that the early bird got the worm but the second mouse got the cheese.**

"Dictionary of quotes." Elektra sighed.

**Tony asked if Killian was still pissed about the Switzerland thing but Killian thanked him and said Tony had given him the greatest gift- desperation.**

"Good for some. Bad for others." Benjamin said.

**Killian said he had thought that Tony would show up for the first 20 minutes before thinking of taking the shortcut to the lobby. Tony said he was still trying to figure out what had happened to the first mouse and the scene flashed back as Killian said nobody could see him back then and he had a thought to guide him for years to come- anonymity. He simply ruled from behind the scenes and handed the people a target by giving evil a face. He then said how Trevor was a little over the top sometimes but he was a stage actor. He then said, "Anyway, the point is, ever since that big dude with the hammer fell out of the sky, subtlety has kind of had its day." **

"Why is everything on Earth my fault?" Thor said.

"I have no idea." Odinson told him.

"Even I bought it for a few years." Loki said.

**Aldrich said he wanted to give Tony the same gift of desperation Tony had imparted him and throwing his orbs down, pressed a remote and a hologram of a strapped and glowing Pepper appeared on the screen as Tony looked at it in horror. Killian said at this stage the body was trying to decide whether to accept Extremis or not and if it didn't, the explosion was quite spectacular. Until then, it was just a lot of pain.**

Pepper paled again as Tony gathered her into his arms.

"Bastard!" Logan spat out.

"I wish I got my hands on the moron." Rhodes said angrily.

**Killian cruelly mocked Potts' suffering and Tony's anguish, grabbing his throat and asking him how much salary he wanted. That was when Maya told him to let Stark go. He turned around to see Maya pointing the injector at herself, saying a doze half of this size would kill her and told him again to let Stark go.**

"She discovered her soul again after all." Steve said as everyone had some respect for Maya in their eyes again.

"And it did pay off." Tony said before saying sadly, "Though it cost her."

**Maya threatened Killian, saying how he wouldn't be able to do anything without her. Killian angrily disconnected an Extremis plant from its source and shot Maya, making her fall down as Tony looked away.**

Everyone gasped in horror at the scene.

"What a madman." Sam said.

**Aldrich angrily said how Maya had tried to kill him and that the good news was that a high level position had been vacated. Stark called him a maniac but he said he was a visionary.**

"Who envisions madness and chaos." Thor said angrily.

**As a wounded Maya started crawling away, Killian said he did own a maniac who would take center stage that night. He connected the plant to Extremis in front of Maya and said how Tony should worry about Pepper's health, mocking how he was good at making big decisions in small caves. He then walked off.**

"Can't wait to see him get his." Luke said.

"Trust me, you're not the only one." Trish said.

**Maya crawled towards the computers as Tony told her to take it easy. Maya opened the Extremis files and Told tony to burn it down and start over as it was his now. Tony nodded firmly as she transferred all the files to Stark Industries and then the plant exploded, killing her as her ash imprint was seen on the wall. Tony looked at the imprint, his face a mixture of anger and sadness.**

Everyone flinched at the scene and closed their eyes sadly, feeling grief for Maya who had been killed by Killian just when she tried to redeem herself.

**Killian walked with Savin, who said once they installed the Patriot, he would need 10 minutes for the takedown. Aldrich said there was still someone inside it. Men were trying to cut through the armor but failed as Aldrich started heating it up, making Rhodes groan in discomfort. He said he was taking the Chinook to the base and wanted Potts with him, though she was still in Phase 2.**

Rhodes groaned in discomfort, remembering the heat.

**Tony was still tied up when the watch Harley had given him beeped and Tony realized the armor was charged. One of the men picked it up as Tony told him it was limited edition and to be careful. He called the other thug Ponytail Express and asked the mileage count between Tennessee and Miami, to which he said 832 miles. The beeping continued and the other thug broke it. Tony told him the watch belonged to his friend's sister so he'd kill him first. "What are you gonna do to me?" The thug asked. "You'll see." Tony said. "You're zip-tied to a bed." The thug told him. "This." Tony said as he raised his hands but nothing happened to his shock and the men's amusement. "That." He said but still, nothing happened.**

Everyone laughed at the scene as Tony looked embarrassed and looked like he would be anywhere but here.

"I know. Most embarrassing moments. This is like dirt on us." Tony said as everyone continued laughing.

"And I thought I was the only one." Thor said.

**Killian continued heating the armor and Rhodes finally opened it. Jumping out, he punched Savin and kicked him into a table. Aldrich suddenly breathed fire and a horrified Rhodes barely dodged. The distraction was all Savin needed to knock him down.**

"What was that?" Steve asked in shock.

"Miniature Smaug." Tony said.

"I know right!" Logan said dryly.

**Aldrich told Savin this was a glorious day as this time the next day he'd have the West's most powerful leader in one hand and the world's most feared terrorist in another. He'll own the war on terror and create supply and demand for their brothers and sisters.**

"And I thought Rawlins was delusional." Frank snarled as everyone glared at Aldrich.

**Tony was still counting down, telling the thugs how they would be puddles. He counted down but nothing happened as the thugs wondered how they had gotten this shift. Tony told them he'd give them a chance to escape so they should drop their weapons and tie themselves to their chairs. He counted down again but nothing happened as the thugs joked they were beyond terrified and told him to shut up.**

Everyone continued laughing at the scene.

"Why is this happening to me?" Tony groaned.

**Tony counted down again and this time, the window shattered and the right gauntlet flew in, hitting Ponytail Express as he staggered away and it attached itself to Tony's hand. **

"Finally!" Odinson said as everyone clapped happily.

**Tony fired at the other thug, throwing him back as the force made his bed turn. He freed himself from his restraints and smacked Ponytail Express on the face with the gauntlet. They struggled when the left foot crashed in through the window. It attached itself to Tony's foot and he kicked Ponytail Express away, taking his gun. He turned around, waiting for his suit to assemble but it didn't come and he wondered where it was. Harley saw the chained door to his barn shaking and realized what was happening.**

"So that's what happened." Tony said, "Mystery solved."

**Harley opened the barn and threw himself down as all the pieces of the suit flew out. He got up and looked at them happily as Tony fired at three more guards, making them back off. He then used the thruster on the leg to fly up. He twirled around erratically due to just one thruster, firing the gun. The thugs fired back as Tony flew down and exchanged fire before firing a repulsor to blind them. The gun ran out and he threw it off as they fired back at him. He fired a repulsor in front of one man and throwing himself down, fired a repulsor to push himself back into the air. Twirling in the air with his thruster, he landed and elbowed a thug back, putting him in the way of another thug's fire, throwing him back. He then sent the other back with a repulsor before struggling with the third one. He tried to fire but it hit the head of the previous thug, killing him before Tony activated the thruster, pushing the thug back and slamming him into the wall, taking him down.**

"That was so awesome." Peter cheered as everyone clapped happily.

"Even two pieces of the suit got the job done." Scott said.

**The last one threw his gun down and said he hated working here so Tony waved his fingers and he ran off as the rest of the pieces finally arrived, assembling around Tony. "Better late than never." Tony said as they attached to him and he caught the visor before it could hit his face, putting it on.**

"A wise man learns from his mistakes." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

**He greeted Jarvis who greeted him back. He saw an aircraft flying off along with the Iron Patriot armor and tried to fly but failed. Rhodes finally took action and running out, pushed a guard down and leaping on him, knocked him out before using his phone to call Stark. Stark asked if he was in the suit but Rhodes said he wasn't so Tony told him to get to the main house where he'd like him to meet someone.**

"That someone being a drug-addled actor." Matt said.

**Trevor was sitting, watching two hot girls in two piece bikinis playing table tennis when two men with guns told them to get out. Tony arrived in his armor and they fired, though he was unaffected as Rhodes crashed in through the window, shooting them both down.**

"Nice shots." Clint complimented.

"Thanks." Rhodes said gratefully.

"If he compliments your marksmanship, you're great at it." Natasha said.

**Rhodes pinned Trevor to the couch as he said he had been lied to and never thought people had been hurt. Rhodes was stunned at the realization that this was the Mandarin and Tony said it was embarrassing.**

"Too embarrassing." Elektra said.

**Trevor said if they were arresting him, he'd roll on some people. Tony called him 'Meryl Streep' and said if he told the where Pepper was, they'd let him go. He didn't know any Pepper but he did know about the plan. Rhodes asked about his suit but Trevor said it was happening off the coast and had something to do with a boat. He could take them there. He suddenly chanted, "Ole', ole', ole', ole'". Stark and Rhodes were beyond annoyed.**

"My ears need treatment." Aunt May said as everyone flinched in irritation at Trevor's ole.

"That guy was just embarrassing." Tony said.

"I was stunned beyond anything." Rhodes said.

**Rhodes said he was gonna blow Trevor's face off when he said the Vice-President was involved. Rhodes wondered what to do as they didn't have transport. There was a gleam in Tony's eye and as they turned to Trevor, Tony inquired about his speedboat.**

"Now that's what I'm talking about." Bucky said.

**On the speedboat, Tony said they were 20 minutes from Pepper's location as Rhodes pointed out the Vice-President problem. Tony called Vice-President Rodriguez, telling him he was Tony Stark. Rodriguez welcomed him to the land of the living as Tony said they needed to get him somewhere safe from the Mandarin campaign. Rodriguez said they were fine with the Agency's finest and President Ellis was safe with Rhodes. Rhodes then spoke on the phone, telling him they were using the Iron Patriot as a Trojan Horse to abduct President Ellis. Rodriguez said he'd alert them and cut the call. He then walked up to his daughter and kissed her forehead. It was revealed she didn't have one foot.**

"Oh boy!" Sam said in horror.

"So that's why he supported AIM." Peter realized.

"No matter what his reason was, he is a traitor." Frank said.

"His daughter would be ashamed of him." Matt said.

"Agreed." Steve said, equally disgusted at Rodriguez.

**President Ellis walked up to his plane as all the soldiers saluted him and Iron Patriot landed, walking up to him. Ellis and Iron Patriot saluted each other as the former said he felt safer already. They all walked into the plane. Rhodes told Tony they had to make a decision when Jarvis informed Tony the cranes had arrived and cellar doors were being cleared. Tony inquired about his own armor and Jarvis said it was at 92%. Tony disconnected it and said it'd have to do.**

"Yes it would." Tony said.

**In the plane, Savin was sitting in the armor when a man walked up to him, asking him about any stories. Savin opened a magazine to distract himself but the man continued pestering him with questions. Savin pointed at the window, asking if it was Thor. As the man looked out, Savin elbowed him out and put the magazine on him.**

"He used my name to do evil." Thor snarled.

"Don't worry. I gave him his just desserts." Tony said.

**Savin walked around as two guards tried to get a picture with him but he pushed them into a room before opening his gauntlet and using his glowing hand to seal the knob. He walked up to the President and other bodyguards and picking up a pointed object, threw it at one's chest, killing him. The others attacked him. He knocked one into the other as one of the bullets made a hole in a window. He knocked the man out with a repulsor before slamming another into a table. Taking his gun, he shot down three more guards. The President and a guard were hidden under a table when Savin ripped the table out with the guard. Ellis tried to take his guard's gun but Savin grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the wall, disarming him. The visor opened, revealing Savin's face. Ellis was ready to die but Savin said that's not how the Mandarin worked. At the base, the operators noted Air Force One had been compromised and saw the Iron Patriot armor flying out. That confused them.**

"Poor guys. They have no idea about anything." Rhodes said.

**Savin walked around in the plane in a security guard's uniform as the locked people banged on the door. Suddenly, a repulsor hit him, throwing him back. He got back up when Tony in his Mark 42 grabbed him and slammed him into a wall, demanding where the President was. Savin said he wasn't here and grabbing his hand, disabled the suit with his powers temporarily and pressed a button, causing an explosion that destroyed a portion of the plane. The people were sucked out and started falling down.**

"OH NO!" Aunt May said.

"Oh my God!" Peter said.

"What will you do now?" Scott asked.

"Just watch." Tony said.

**Tony and Savin struggled until Tony fired his Unibeam directly through Savin's chest. Savin gasped as Tony said, "Walk away from that, you son of a bitch." Savin fell down and died.**

Everyone cheered as Odinson said, "Finally!"

**Tony saw the people being sucked out of the plane and flew out. Jarvis told him there were 13 people and he could carry only 4. He flew down and grabbed a woman called Heather as the plane exploded. He told her she had to grab the guy and he will electrify her arm so she won't be able to open her hand.**

"Damn!" Sam said.

"That is very smart." Natasha said, "Nice job."

"Thanks." Stark said.

"Nice way to save everyone." Wanda said too.

"Sticking together is the best way to be saved." Tony quipped and everyone chuckled.

**Tony flew closer to a guy and heather reached out, grabbing him as Tony electrified her arm. He said there were 11 more to go and reminded them of the game "Barrel of monkeys" so everyone should grab their monkeys.**

Everyone chuckled as Rhodes said, "Nice way to calm everyone down."

**Tony continued flying down, with him or one of the people grabbing the others as he electrified their arms to prevent them from opening their hands. They reached 1000 feet and the only one left was the one Savin knocked out. Tony flew closer and called him a chunky monkey as he was also finally grabbed and they flew closer to the water. Tony increased his thrusters' power and soon, dropped everyone in the water. He flew up and looked at the people who clapped and cheered happily at him. He said it was a good team effort they had shown and they had done well.**

Everyone clapped happily at the scene again.

"You did it." Steve said.

"With style." Bruce added.

"I did." Tony said as the applause continued.

**Tony then flew off but a truck hit the suit, breaking it into pieces. But Tony wasn't in the suit.**

"Ouch! That came out of nowhere!" Pepper said.

"So that was the first time you used remote controlled your armor like that." Peter realized.

**On the board, Stark took off the Telepresence Headset as Rhodes asked for good news and Stark said the people were saved but he couldn't get the President. Rhodes commented how they couldn't save the President with the suit and wondered how they would save Pepper without it. Tony asked Jarvis to enact the House Party Protocol. At the mansion, the cleanup was almost finished when the ground shook and something flew out.**

"The Iron Legion?" Steve asked.

"The Iron Legion." Tony confirmed.

"This is gonna be good." Logan said.

* * *

**Next chapter will end Iron Man 3. The Mandarin twist is what happens when a movie tries to be too smart for its own good. **

**The scene with Tony saving everyone falling from the plane and the one where he beat the guards with the gadgets are the second and third best scenes of this movie respectively. You all know what the best scene is. It'll come in next chapter obviously.**

**See you all next time. **


	35. The Clean Slate Protocol

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. You've a great point on the address. Yes, I also hope Spider-Man returns. Yes, those scenes were awesome. When I was a kid, I tried to fool myself into thinking I liked soccer. Then I found out basketball is my groove. Yes, his not so adequate parent skills were part of his character growth, and we had such a sweet scene with him and Morgan in Endgame. That scene touched my heart. That is a great point on why the attack happened. Thanks for sharing with me. Yes, the best scene is coming. Also, thanks for the review on 'Deadpool takes care of Diaz.' Yeah, the most embarrassing death for an embarrassment of a villain. Yeah, I don't think about the bullies either. Well, me and Deadpool did have a discussion about him partnering with Bieber in 'The Late Night Show Starring Wade Wilson' and we decided to do it only once a month, if at all. Yes Laurel did give him a taste of his own medicine. You know, it's ironic. Canada has produced my most favorite pop singer ever- Avril Lavinge (I'm head over heels for her), and it has also produced Justin Bieber. I like Anatoly too. The shit-stinking earplugs sound fun actually. Enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 35- The Clean Slate Protocol

"Now the moron is about to get his." Logan said.

**Killian injected Pepper with some more Extremis. She told him Tony would never help him. He said he hadn't taken her just to motivate Tony but as his trophy, humiliating her.**

"Bastard." Tony snarled as Pepper looked at the screen with a pale face.

"Just die already." Bucky said to Aldrich.

**That was when the Iron Patriot landed. Pepper was horrified at first, thinking Rhodes was working with Aldrich. But then the armor opened up and President Ellis fell down, horrifying Pepper even more as Aldrich welcomed him mockingly.**

"I would die before working with these rats." Rhodes said.

"I know." Pepper told him, "I was too shocked at that moment though."

"I know." Rhodes told her.

**Killian took Ellis to another room and reminded him of Roxxon Norco, which had spilled a million gallons of crude off Pensacola but because of him, no one had seen a day at court. Ellis asked what he wanted and Aldrich said he didn't want anything, except a reason to kill him that would play well on TV. He had found a new political patron who would have Ellis' job the next day. His men dragged Ellis away.**

"He planned it out to the last detail." A disgusted Steve said, "What a madman."

"And the traitor Rodriguez is already poised to take his job too." Frank snarled.

**Tony and Rhodes snuck into the area with guns in hand, avoiding detection. They eventually hid behind some barrels as Rhodes saw Ellis in the Iron Patriot armor strung up over the oil. Tony realized it was a Viking funeral.**

"Insulting the Viking customs." Thor snarled angrily.

"This guy is getting worse every second." Loki sighed.

"I know." Odinson agreed.

**As Aldrich and the broadcasters were about to start the rehearsal, Tony and Rhodes rushed up the stairs as Tony held his gun up on Rhodes' order who gave him some instructions.**

Everyone chuckled at the instructions.

"I won't shoot you in the back." Tony said.

"Don't blame him for thinking that." Natasha said and he winced.

**The two were fired at by a guard from above. Tony fired back but missed as they took cover. Tony said no one could hit a light bulb from this distance. Rhodes then did exactly that.**

Everyone laughed as Clint said, "Nice shot."

"Thanks." Rhodes said.

**Tony and Rhodes then argued about the guns before Tony looked up to see if anyone was coming. Rhodes asked if he had seen anything but Tony said he was too fast so he looked up again and saw 3 guys and 1 girl, all of whom were armed. As they were surrounded, Rhodes said he would kill for some armor and Tony agreed, saying they needed backup. "You know what?" Tony said. The two saw something flying in the distance. "Is that-" "Yup." "Are those-" "Yup." **

"Now the real deal is here." Jessica said.

**An entire army of Iron Man suits flew down to the area, stopping above it as they all assembled, surrounding the Extremis soldiers.**

Everyone clapped and cheered at the scene.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Peter said.

"**Merry Christmas, buddy." Tony said to Rhodes before saying to Jarvis, "Jarvis, target Extremis heat signatures. Disable with extreme prejudice." Jarvis complied as Tony walked further and doing a Christian gesture spread his hands and said, "What are you waiting for? It's Christmas. Take them to church."**

"With pleasure." Matt smirked as everyone cheered again.

"I agree." Steve said.

**One of the armors rammed into a thug before firing a repulsor at another and then elbowed another away while another armor dismantled into pieces and hit some thugs, sending them back before rejoining.**

Everyone clapped as Benjamin said, "That looks like a useful armor."

"Only if used via remote control." Tony pointed out.

**The previous armor was overpowered by three thugs as one of them ripped of its head but it flew off with the hanging soldier who screamed as Tony and Rhodes narrowly avoided. It crashed to the ground with the thug and an explosion happened, killing them both. But it made the entire structure unstable.**

"One down." Bruce said.

**Tony asked Jarvis to get Igor to steady the structure. The armor known as Igor rushed towards where the structure was falling and steadied it with its back. Its backbone protruded to help steady the structure.**

"Is it just me or does that backbone look like Blonsky?" Bruce asked.

"It does look like Blonsky." Scott noted.

**Rhodes commented on how Tony had been managing his downtime and Tony said everybody needed a hobby. Tony then asked an armor called Heartbreaker to help one called Red Snapper. Heartbreaker fired at two of the thugs on Red Snapper while the third one ripped out its visor but both of them crashed into some barrels, causing an explosion which killed them both but also sent Potts flying further while Killian was also sent down.**

"Oops!" Tony said.

"It's not your fault." Pepper told him.

**One of the suits assembled around Tony and Rhodes asked for one but Tony said they were only coded to him. He flew off as another armor flew down with Jarvis greeting Rhodes and asking if it could give him a lift. An annoyed Rhodes accepted as he was flown up.**

Everyone chuckled as Rhodes said, "Show-off."

**One of the thugs leapt on the armor as both of them struggled and Rhodes was thrown down. He looked up to see two thugs rushing him when a huge armor landed between them and punched the bridge with its giant, pointed hands, sending it up as the two thugs were sent flying into it and it punched them both away. A flying Tony blasted them both as Jarvis told him that he had located Potts.**

"What would we do without you?" Pepper said to Vision.

"I wish I could tell." Vision said.

**Tony flew to where Pepper was, lying unconscious under some debris. Tony lifted some up but it started sending some debris down on a startled Pepper so he put it down and joked with Pepper about what happened when she hung out with his ex-girlfriends.**

"What a time to bring it up." Aunt May said dryly.

**Pepper called him a jerk and he agreed. He tried to pull her out but Aldrich punched through the ground and touched the suit's reactor, disabling it temporarily as Tony was sent down. He mockingly asked Pepper if Tony was bothering her.**

"No you are." Pepper snarled.

"What a timing." Elektra said dryly.

**Aldrich then stood over Tony, mocking him as he started heating up the armor. He was about to punch Tony's face when a blade protruded from the armor and Tony used it to cut off his hand, sending him staggering back in pain as Tony told him to wait for a minute.**

Everyone clapped as Trish, who found him almost as creepy as Kilgrave, said, "Take that!"

**But Aldrich's hand burnt the ground underneath Pepper and sent her down. Outside, one of Tony's armors sent two thugs back with its repulsors and one of them crashed into a mechanism, activating it as the bridge on which Pepper was started being pulled away.**

"Why does this always happen to us?" Wanda moaned.

"I wish I knew." Tony said.

**Tony got out of his suit and ran out. One of the thugs rushed him and he jumped away. The thug tried to jump after him but an armor rammed into him and both were sent flying off. Tony saw Pepper being moved away and running towards her, asked Jarvis for a suit. One of the suits flew up to him and he jumped into it but a blast sent it flying off, annoying Tony who continued running.**

"Why is this happening?" A shocked Sam said.

"The universe hates us." Benjamin said simply.

**Rhodes told Ellis he was coming and saw two thugs rushing him. He jumped onto a hanging crate and they jumped after him. He fired, staggering them back. One of them tried to hit but he ducked and rolled off the crate, hanging on it for dear life. The two looked down on him when he fired at the rope supporting the crate, making it tumble as both the thugs fell down and Rhodes used it to swing towards Ellis and jumped at him, grabbing his armored hand as the crate fell on the ground and crashed, causing an explosion. Rhodes used the gauntlet to fire at the rope, freeing Ellis' one hand as they both swung away and Rhodes jumped down, firing at the other rope and breaking it. He told a relieved Ellis that he looked damn good in the suit but he needed it back.**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily for Rhodes who smirked.

"You're awesome too you know." Hope told him.

"I have my moments." He said.

**Tony ran and jumped to Pepper as Rhodes told him the President was safe and flew off with him. Tony was now directly under Pepper and reached out with his hand, telling her to let go and that he will catch her. The shaking structure eventually made her fall down. Tony tried to catch her but barely missed and watched in horror as she plummeted into the flames below.**

"NO!" A horrified Bruce said as everyone watched the scene with gaping jaws while Tony and Pepper just paled, reminded of the horrible moment. They grasped each other's hands tightly to assure themselves that they were all right.

"What? How?" A horrified and confused Scott stammered.

"Just watch." Tony said.

**An anguished Tony was about to cry when Aldrich walked up behind him. Tony climbed up to him and glared angrily. Aldrich mocked him and said how he would have caught Pepper.**

"Please die a painful death." Natasha said.

"You will be satisfied." Pepper smirked.

**The two rushed each other as Aldrich leapt at Tony but he slid to avoid and ran into his suit. He turned around and exchanged some blows with Aldrich, punching him and pinning his head down for a second before Aldrich freed himself and ripped off a piece of the gauntlet. Their fists clashed as a piece of the gauntlet broke and Aldrich's hand also hurt. Aldrich then pushed Tony down and leapt at him. Just before he could punch him, the armor ejected Tony as he destroyed the suit.**

Everyone sighed in relief as Frank said, "Damn!"

"The guy packs a punch." Hope agreed.

**Tony was falling when another suit assembled around him and he flew up, crashing into Aldrich as his shirt was burnt off, exposing some dragon tattoos.**

"So he is an Iron Clad wannabe." Jessica said and everyone chuckled, though they stopped abruptly as Jessica realized she shouldn't have said that.

**Tony and Aldrich faces each other again as Aldrich dodged some repulsors and hit him before being pushed away. He dodged another repulsor and grabbing Tony's hand, made him fire at himself, sending him back. Tony used a thruster on his back to fly back up and grabbing Aldrich, punched and kneed him and wincing, smacked him with a powered gauntlet. He tried to kick but Aldrich grabbed his foot and broke it, hitting him with it. Before he attacked again, Tony grabbed him but was flipped down. He tried to fire a repulsor but Aldrich grabbed is hand and joked how they were on the roof again. He destroyed the armor again but Tony ejected himself and fell down.**

Everyone sighed in relief again as a concerned Steve asked, "How many more times is this gonna happen?"

"This was the last time." Tony said.

**Jarvis told Tony Mark 42 was inbound and Tony and Aldrich both turned to see it. "I'll be damned. The prodigal son returns." He positioned himself and as the armor flew closer, its foot hit the structure and it crashed, breaking into pieces as Tony groaned.**

"This is getting horrible." Thor said and everyone nodded.

**Aldrich told Tony he didn't deserve Pepper and that he was close to having her perfect. He jumped down as Tony backed off and told him to slow down. "You're right. I don't deserve her." As Aldrich smirked, Tony said, "Here's where you're wrong. She was already perfect."**

Pepper looked at Tony, touched by his gesture as he just smiled gently at her.

**Tony then mentally lifted the pieces of the suit and pointed at Aldrich. The suit attached to him and restrained him.**

"Punishment for his actions." T'Challa said.

"**Jarvis. Do me a favor and blow Mark 42." Tony said. Aldrich screamed but was muffled by the visor coming on his face.**

Everyone cheered as Natasha said, "Finally you shut him up!"

**Tony slid and jumped away as the suit exploded with Aldrich inside it. He jumped off into another suit as the explosion hit him and he crashed to the ground along with the debris. The suit broke and Tony saw pieces of the Mark 42 lying around in the fire. The flames burnt the visor. **

"Symbolic." Odinson commented.

**Suddenly, the collapsed structure started shaking and Aldrich got up, his body covered in flames.**

"Why won't you die?" Sam said.

"Terminator rip-off." Logan snarked and everyone chuckled.

**His entire body badly burnt, he staggered up to Tony, saying no more false faces now and said he was looking right at the Mandarin. Spreading his arms, he roared, "I AM THE MANDARIN!"**

"No you're not!" Matt snarled and everyone looked confused.

**Suddenly, something hit Aldrich and he was sent flying off. Tony turned to see Pepper standing there, glowing with Extremis, a long bar in her hand. She dropped it as Tony looked happy, relieved and shocked at the same time.**

"So that happened?" Scott asked as everyone sighed in relief.

"Yeah. That happened." Pepper said, shocked at her on-screen self.

**A suit flew down as Tony told Jarvis Pepper was not a target but realized his earpiece had fallen off.**

"What the shit?!" Jessica said.

"Damn it!" Frank said.

**Pepper narrowly avoided a repulsor and rushed Tony, who joked if she was mad at him. Leaping on his kneecap, she jumped into the air and grabbing the armor between her legs, threw it down before ripping it. She put on the gauntlet and smacked a rushing Aldrich away before kicking a missile at him. She then fired a repulsor and it exploded on Aldrich's face, finally ending him.**

Everybody clapped and cheered as Bucky said, "Finally!"

"You did great, Pepper." Natasha told her and she simply nodded.

**Pepper then turned around as Tony called out to her, finally regaining her senses and said how her actions were violent.**

"The Extremis affected you so don't blame yourself." Bruce assured her.

**Tony said he thought she was dead and she dryly said how she had fallen over 200 feet and asked who was the hot mess now. Tony said it was still debatable as he got up and put the earpiece back and jokingly said she should dress like this at home.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Pepper said she understood why Tony didn't want to give up the suits and wondered what she would complain about now. Tony said they'd think of something and walked closer. She told him not to touch her as she would burn him but he still did and she wasn't glowing. She asked if she would be okay and he said she wouldn't as she was in a relationship with him.**

Everyone chuckled as Clint said, "No kidding."

**Tony said he could figure this out as he had it 20 years ago when he was drunk and could get her better as he fixed stuff.**

"And because Maya gave me her research." Tony said sadly and everyone winced at remembering her death.

**Pepper asked about the suits and he said he would shave them down. Tapping the earpiece, he said to Jarvis, "You know what to do." "The Clean Slate Protocol, sir?" Jarvis asked. "Screw it. It's Christmas." Tony said, "Yes, yes." He hugged Pepper and she looked up to see all the suits exploding. Tony kissed her cheek and asked, "Okay, so far? You like it?" With a smile, Pepper sighed, "It'll do." Tony smiled as the suits continued exploding.**

Everyone simply smiled at the scene, happy that the nightmare was over for Tony and Pepper.

**The screen went black as Tony was heard saying, "And so, as Christmas morning began, my journey had reached its end."**

"Except it hadn't." Bruce said dryly.

"Who knew?" Tony said.

**Flashbacks of Maya and Aldrich were shown as Tony said, "You start with something pure, something exciting." Vice-President Rodriguez was arrested and led away as everyone watched in shock while Rhodes watched in satisfaction. "Then, come the mistakes. The compromises."**

"The traitor got what he deserved." Frank snarled.

"**We create our own demons." Tony said as Trevor was arrested and led away. The reporters all clamored to talk to him and he waved happily but was led away.**

"Got his fame after all." Steve said, "Just not in the way he wanted."

"Exactly the kind he deserved." Bucky said and Steve nodded.

"**As promised, I got Pepper sorted out. It took some tinkering." Tony said as doctors were seen operating on Pepper. "But then I thought to myself, "Why stop there?"" Tony said and he was shown on the operating table. He showed a thumbs up to Rhodes who showed it to him too while Pepper smiled, "Of course, there are people who say progress is dangerous, but I'll bet none of those idiots ever had to live with a chestful of shrapnel."**

"No we didn't." Steve said and everyone smirked as they all had some relief on their faces due to Tony's shrapnel finally being removed.

"**And now, neither will I." Tony said, "Let me tell you..." The shrapnel was taken out and clinked to an electromagnet above, "that was the best sleep I'd had in years."**

Everyone sighed in relief, knowing that Tony was no longer a dead man walking.

"And it was Dr. Wu of all people." Tony said.

"The guy you turned down in the beginning of this?" Steve asked and Tony nodded.

**Tony put a necklace on Pepper and she turned around as the two gazed lovingly into each other's eyes. Happy's finger twitched and he woke up, startled. The female doctor tried to calm him down but he pointed at the TV. She turned to see an emotional scene in Downtown Abbey and both watched it as Happy also glanced at her.**

"Finally!" Thor said as everyone released their breaths again.

**Harley walked out of his school bus and opened up his workshop, only to see it completely changed, with a lot of advanced tech around, including monitors. There was a new potato gun too along with a new 'Dora the Explorer' watch as a sign said, "Potato Gun Mark II. Your pal- The Mechanic." Harley smiled happily.**

"Great thing you did for him." Frank said as everyone looked happy at Harley's happiness.

"He did great things for me first." Tony smiled.

**Tony stood in front of the ocean near the wreckage of his home and taking the Arc Reactor, threw it into the ocean. He then started walking off and said, "So, if I were to wrap this up, tie it with a bow, or whatever...I guess I'd say my armor, it was never a distraction, or a hobby. It was a cocoon." He picked up a small piece of one of his bots.**

"Is that-" Wanda started.

"Yup." He smiled.

"**And now, I'm a changed man." Tony said as he sat in his car and also towed the wreckage of Dum-E and U behind him.**

"Finally!" Wanda cheered and everyone was amused by her affection to the bots.

"**You can take away my house, all my tricks and toys. One thing you can't take away..." Tony took off his glasses, "I am Iron Man." The screen went black.**

Everyone cheered at the scene as Pepper said, "And no one ever can."

**Tony was then seen sitting as he thanked someone for listening to him and said he was getting things off his chest, awed at how the person was such a great listener. It was Bruce Banner. But he had dozed off and his glasses fell down as he woke up and Tony turned to him, shocked that he was napping and Bruce said he had drifted. Tony asked where he had lost Bruce and Bruce remembered it was the elevator at Switzerland. Tony realized Bruce had heard none of it and he apologized, saying he was not that kind of doctor.**

"I'm not." Bruce said.

"It's all right buddy." Tony said, "I should get help from a qualified person."

"I know one." Frank spoke up.

**Bruce said it wasn't what he was trained to do and didn't have the temperament for it but Tony started talking about an incident in 1983 and Bruce fell asleep again as the screen went black.**

"Poor you." Rhodes said to Bruce, "Having to listen to him like that."

"I can take it." Bruce sighed, "But the Other Guy can't probably."

"So this is over?" Tony asked.

"Yeah." Trish said, "Now next is Thor again."

"YES!" Thor cheered.

"Eh! It was the most boring of the lot." Jessica said and Thor, Odinson and Loki looked offended.

"Hey!" Odinson said.

"Truth is truth." Logan told him.

"And you cannot deny it." Benjamin said.

"I want to ask one thing though." Steve said as he turned to Matt, "When Aldrich said he was the Mandarin, you said he wasn't. What did you mean?"

"He is not the Mandarin either." Matt said, "There is a real Mandarin out there. And he is not to be messed with."

"So a lunatic like the one Trevor played actually exists?" A horrified Tony asked as everyone looked shocked.

"Much worse." Elektra said as they all winced.

"He is the descendant of Genghis Khan himself." Frank said and everyone was even more horrified.

"Damn!" Bucky said.

"His aunt obsessively trained him in combat and science but they became penniless so he was evicted from his house in China." Elektra said, "That embittered him and he entered the forbidden Valley of Spirits."

"There, he found some creepy skeleton of some dragon guy." Jessica said.

"He studied the science of the ship in which the skeleton was." Odinson said, "And also found Ten Rings that granted him dominion over all aspects of nature."

"He controlled the Ten Rings from behind the scenes." Benjamin said.

"Oh no!" Steve said in horror, "And he is still out there."

"Yes. He even killed some friends of ours." Trish said sadly.

"Danny Rand and Colleen Wing." Luke sighed and the atmosphere became tense as the people from the past realized how bad this real Mandarin was.

"Danny Rand? The billionaire who returned years after a plane crash?" Tony asked and they all nodded.

"He controlled his chi to fight people. But Mandarin was more powerful and he killed them both." Matt said as he shook his head sadly, "But that weakened him enough for Shang Chit to end him."

"Shang Chi?" Sam questioned.

"A friend of ours. A master martial artist." Benjamin said, "He ended Mandarin. But at the cost of Danny and Colleen."

"We won't let him kill them." Steve promised firmly and the ones from the future knew he intended to deliver.

"In that case", Logan said, "Let's get through the worst of these recordings."

"Hey!" Thor said.

"It's the truth, Goldilocks." Jessica shrugged and both Thor and Odinson looked offended as everyone laughed at them, the sour mood forgotten.

* * *

**And next chapter, we start with the most boring MCU movie ever. I think you all know which one I'm talking about. **

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	36. The Aether

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review to this and 'Heroes from two worlds.' I think I had the same reaction. Don't blame Pepper. Yes it was. Yes they are dead unfortunately. Yes it has. Yes I am. Yes they will continue pouting. I know right! I personally enjoy the first movie but the second one *sighs* Yes Jason Aaron can go fuck himself. What a moron. He deserves to freeze in Hel. Yes, one to go. As for the sequel to 'Heroes from two worlds', yes I dropped them into Middle earth. I actually haven't been planning it for that long. The idea and some basic plot points were given to me by Arrowverse Fan 217 who helped me with the stories, though I still made the main plots finally. I still have a separate Hobbit/Arrow crossover coming. Yes Constantine got sucked into the Soul Stone. I'd say that the Soul Stone is hidden somewhere in Vormir and when the sacrifice happens, it goes out of its hiding place to go to the one who made the sacrifice. But Constantine was transported directly to its hiding place and because he did not make a sacrifice, touching it made it trap him. And you will see what happens to him later. The heroes don't know anything about Strange other than the fact that he exists so they don't know where to find him. Morgoth is very powerful and not to be trifled with. I know Tony called Clint Legolas but that was just one line so let's change it to 'Robin Hood' for this universe. As for Legends of Tomorrow, in Dr. Matthattan's LOTR/MCU crossover, Tolkien existed but as a very famous and renowned scholar who researched about Norse Mythology and its languages. So in this universe, let's say he was a famous and renowned scholar who also wrote the paper on Christ's blood or whatever. Problem solved. And Middle-Earth exists somewhere in MCU actually and I'm planning on having something come of it hopefully. They are somewhere during Fellowship of the Ring actually and they are wearing gear because they thought they were about to go home at this time but disaster happened. Sauron will do exactly what he did in the Trilogy but his plan is now to conquer other worlds after Middle earth is done. Sauron can use magic but that doesn't mean he won't be troubled by how much power Kara possesses because it is still a lot. Oh! And if want a really good laugh, please check out the review of KAYKAY22PRINCESS for the previous chapter. The amount of insecurity in that review is going to give you a good laugh. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. Glad you liked the Shang-Chi reference and yes, they should be in MCU movies more.**

Chapter 36- The Aether

"If it is boring, why are we watching it?" Loki asked.

"Because it is about the Reality Stone." Benjamin said, "And you were actually pretty great in it."

"Oh! Thank you!" A flattered Loki said.

"And me?" Thor asked.

"You were fine. But he stole the show." Logan said.

"All right. Don't show off." Odinson sighed, seeing Loki's smirk as everyone chuckled.

**Odin's voice was heard narrating how there was darkness before light and the Dark Elves came from that light. Millennia ago, the most ruthless Dark Elf, Malekith, sought to transform the universe back into one of eternal light. Malekith was shown standing and watching the Convergence.**

"Malekith!" Thor snarled angrily.

**Odin narrated that this was possible through the power of the Aether, an ancient force of infinite destruction. The Aether was shown in its liquid form with a red background.**

"That thing." Loki sighed.

"Very harmful if used against us in a fight." Odinson said.

**Malekith then walked out to see a raging battle as his right hand man- Algrim, told him Asgard's forces were upon them. Suddenly, the Bifrost hit the ground, sending many of the Dark Elves flying back as several Einherjar arrived, killing the Dark Elves. Odin's voice narrated how the noble armies of Asgard, led by his father Bor, waged mighty war against those creatures. Bor arrived, holding Gungnir, and killed several Dark Elves with its power.**

"Grandfather in all his glory." Thor said.

"He looks pretty badass." Scott said.

"So far, so good." Hope said, wondering how boring it would get based on what the future people thought.

**Malekith told Algrim they would survive with their people's sacrifice and told his people to use the Kurse Stones. Some of them used the stones and got enhanced strength and speed, using them to kill some Einherjar.**

"Oh no!" Sam said.

**Odin's voice narrated that with the Convergence happening, Malekith could finally unleash the Aether. Malekith walked towards the Aether, about to absorb it into himself, when suddenly the Bifrost surrounded it and out stepped 3 Einherjar. They rushed Malekith with roars but he easily dispatched them. He rushed the Aether but the Bifrost took it away. Malekith looked up in despair.**

"Looks like he lost his precious." Tony joked and everyone laughed.

"No more than he deserved." Steve said.

**Odin's voice narrated that Asgsrd ripped the Aether from his grasp and without it, the Dark Elves fell. Some of the Einherjar were shown together overpowering the Kurse while many of the Dark Elves fell. Odin's voice said that in a desperate attempt for victory, Malekith sacrificed his own people. A ship then fell in the midst of battle and exploded, killing several soldiers from both sides.**

"Damn! I had heard of friendly fire. Friendly explosion is new!" Rhodes said.

"He sacrificed his own wife and son in the fight." Odinson said in disgust, horrifying everyone.

"What a bastard!" Logan snarled.

**Malekith, Algrim and some other followers then went into their ship and it flew off through the distortions made by the Convergence as Odin's voice said Malekith had been vanquished and the Aether was destroyed, or so they were lead to believe. One of the Einherjar asked Bor if they should destroy the Aether. Bor said they couldn't because its power was too great. So they should bury it deep somewhere no one will ever find it. The Aether was then hidden somewhere no one could find it.**

"Not gonna lie. This opening is like a poor man's Lord of the Rings." Jessica quipped and everyone chuckled at the joke, which was pretty true.

**A chained up Loki was brought to the Asgardian court by the Einherjar. Frigga stood there. Loki greeted her and mockingly asked if he had made her proud and she asked him to not make it worse.**

Loki shook his head, not proud of this behavior.

**Loki asked her to define worse but Odin stopped them and said he will speak to 'the prisoner' alone. Frigga walked off as Loki walked further and stood in a kingly manner.**

"The attitude!" Natasha said jokingly and everyone chuckled.

"I know." Loki said.

**Loki said he didn't know what the fuss is about.**

"You don't know?" Clint exploded, "You don't know?"

"Spare me the lecture." Loki simply said, "These recordings are lecture enough."

**Odin told him wherever he went, there was war, ruin and death. Loki said he had gone to Midgard to rule them as a benevolent God, just like Odin.**

"If that is benevolent, I dread to think what malevolent will be." Steve said.

**Odin told him they were not Gods. They were born, they lived and they died just like humans.**

"Bummer for Vikings I'm sure." Peter said and everyone chuckled again.

**Loki smugly told him to give or take 5000 years.**

"Okay. Not so much of a bummer." Aunt May said, eliciting another chuckle.

**Odin told him all of this mess was because Loki desired a throne. Loki said it was his birthright but Odin exploded on him, saying his birthright was to die, cast out on a frozen rock. If he had not taken him in, Loki wouldn't be here to hate him.**

"Gee, thanks dad." Loki said dryly, only for Thor to smack his head, "Ouch!"

**Loki said mercy shouldn't stop him from swinging the axe and he didn't love their talks. Odin told him Frigga was the only reason he was alive and he would never see her again as he would be locked in the dungeon. Loki was led away and asked Odin if he would make the witless oaf known as Thor the king.**

"Witless oaf?" Thor asked angrily.

"Oh come on! Did you forget the snake?" Loki smirked.

"Do not bring that up!" Thor said.

"Oh! That!" Bruce smirked and chuckled.

"What about the snake?" Bucky asked.

"Let's not bring it up!" Odinson said.

"It is pretty embarrassing for Thor here." Matt said.

**Odin said Thor would strive to undo the damage Loki had done and then he would be king. Loki was then led away into the dungeon.**

"Only took about 5 years for that to come true." Thor said dryly.

**In present day, Vanaheim, the Vanir of the realm were running through the thick forests in terror as the Marauders chased after them, firing at them. **

"Marauders!" Thor snarled.

"Who are they?" Scott asked.

"Pillagers." Loki said.

**That was when Hogun arrived and threw his mace at one of them, killing him.**

"Hogun." Odinson smiled sadly.

**Hogun engaged the other Marauders as Fandrall came riding on his horse and knocked another down. He asked if they had a plan and Hogun said it was to tear them apart.**

"I like this guy." Tony said.

**A large Kronan Marauder then destroyed a tree and Fandrall said they needed to turn around. Turning around, they all rode away as Hogun also took a horse. The battle was raging fiercely between the Asgardians and Marauders as Sif jumped off her horse and smacked a Marauder away with her shield.**

"She uses her shield pretty well." Steve commented.

"Shield praise from the Captain." Natasha joked and everyone laughed as Steve rolled his eyes.

**Volstagg blocked attacks from two Marauders and knocked them down at the same time. The Marauders continued to slaughter people as the Vanir screamed and ran around in terror. Sif dispatched a Marauder when the Bifrost hit the ground in front of her. Out flew Mjolnir and hit a Marauder, knocking him out. Mjolnir flew back into the hand of Thor who became visible as the Bifrost faded.**

Everyone cheered happily as Odinson laughed merrily.

"Why are you laughing?" Hill asked him.

"It just reminds me of my best moment ever." Odinson said.

"Your best moment?" Thor asked.

"You haven't experienced it yet." Odinson said.

"Just take this entrance of yours and multiply the epicness by about, 10,000." Trish said.

"Wow!" Thor said, wondering what they were talking about and wanting to see it. [1]

**Thor leapt into the air with a roar, Mjolnir raised, and brought it down on the ground. Some thunder emanated from the impact and hit many Marauders, killing them as the dirt also flew into the air and fell down. Sif said she had got everything under control and Thor jokingly asked if that was why everything was on fire as some Marauders tried to attack him.**

Everyone laughed as Luke said, "That's Thor for you."

**Fandrall, Hogun and Sif continued killing Marauders effortlessly as Thor broke one's weapon with Mjolnir and elbowed him away before throwing it at some opponents. One of the Marauders fired at him from behind but Sif raised her shield to protect him with a "You're welcome."**

"Aren't you immune to bullets?" Frank asked.

"Marauders have better technology." Thor told him.

**Thor called Mjolnir back and in a rotatory motion, hit a Marauder, sending him flying off. That was when the Kronan Marauder announced his arrival with a roar and sent an Asgardian flying off with a hit from his mace. Sif said he was all Thor's.**

"Uh-oh." Elektra said.

**Thor walked up to him and greeting him said, "I accept your surrender." The Marauders started laughing hysterically and Thor laughed with them before twirling Mjolnir and shattering him into pieces. The Marauders were terrified at this point and threw their weapons down, surrendering as Fandrall said they should start with the big one next time.**

"So did you kill a member of your new best friend's race?" Bruce asked.

"I think I did." Thor said with wide eyes.

"Is it just me or does Robin Hood look different in this one?" Tony asked about Fandrall.

"He does." Clint said. [2]

**Later, the Vanir started rebuilding stuff as the Marauder prisoners were led away. Hogun asked Thor where they should go next. Thor said peace had almost been won so Hogun should stay with his people and Asgard could wait. Hogun happily thanked Thor and the two shook hands as Thor thanked him too and he walked off. Thor then called out to Heimdall and the Bifrost opened, taking him to Asgard, which was still as magnificent as ever.**

"Asgard." Wanda smiled.

"In all of its glory." T'Challa added.

**Two ravens flew around and one of them landed on the shoulder of Odin, who was watching the warriors fighting each other for practice. As the raven flew off, Thor walked up next to Odin and he asked if Vanaheim was secure. Thor said it was, along with Nornheim and Ria, but their work would have been done quicker with Odin in the lead. Odin joked how Thor considered him a piece of breadto be buttered and said that for the first time since the destruction of the Bifrost, the Nine Realms were at peace, reminded of Asgard's strength. Thor had earned their respect and Odin's gratitude.**

"That's a first." Tony commented.

"Yes it is." Thor agreed.

**Odin said nothing was out of order except Thor's confused and distracted heart.**

"Not anymore." Odinson said.

**Thor said this wasn't about Jane Foster. Odin said human lives were fleeting and Thor would be better served by what was in front of him. Thor looked up to see Sif beating an opponent of hers.**

"He's got a point, you know." Loki told Thor who simply nodded.

"And if he agrees with Odin, you know how bad it is." Benjamin joked and everyone chuckled.

**Odin told Thor not as the Allfather but as his father that he was ready to take the throne. He told Thor to embrace and celebrate what he had won, eat and drink, revel in the celebration, and at least pretend to enjoy himself.**

"I only enjoy parties in Midgard now." Thor smiled and everyone nodded happily, knowing he considered them family too.

**Later, Thor washed himself up, naked from the waist up, and looked around the city.**

"You've got some nice abs." Hope commented on Thor's abs with a smirk.

"Thanks." Thor and Odinson said simultaneously.

"I have abs!" Scott said.

"Don't kid yourself." Hope said and everyone laughed.

"But you're still a nice guy." She said and he smiled as they all turned to the screen again.

**At night, little children played around in the feast and the musicians played several instruments as Volstagg narrated a tale of killing a beast and being thrown down by 6 more. He called up a little girl happily and having her sit on his lap lovingly, was about to narrate the best part but forgot what he was saying. Thor reminded him that he was surrounded and he continued.**

Everyone chuckled as Aunt May said, "He is funny."

"He was." Odinson said sadly.

**Volstagg said to his left were powerful fanged creatures and to his right soldiers of fortune and facing them were Fandrall the Dashing, Hogun the Grim and Volstag the….. he didn't think of a title for himself.**

"He does look like a dashing guy." Tony said about Fandrall.

"And Hogun looks pretty grim too." Pepper said.

**One of the girls with Fandrall suggested 'Voluminous' while Fandrall suggested 'Fat' and everyone laughed.**

"Voluminous sounds good." Natasha said.

**Volstagg titled himself 'Invincible' and said he had feared for Thor's life but with his courage and ax, they won. Everyone clapped happily as Thor said it was a tale for the ages and Fandrall dryly said how he would be telling that too. Volstagg then threw his mug away and roared happily, "Another!" Everyone laughed and did the same. Thor looked around at everyone's happiness as Volstagg played with the little girl. He then simply put his drink down with a smile.**

"Changed a lot from before huh?" Scott asked as everyone remembered him doing the same in his first recording.

"Like you can never imagine." Thor said.

**Thor got up and walked off as Fandrall continued talking to the girls. He walked past Sif who told him there was a time he used to celebrate for weeks. Thor remembered that Sif had celebrated the Battle of Harokin so much that she had nearly started the second and she joked how the first one was so much fun.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Sif asked Thor to take a drink with her but Thor told her he had set a task for himself. She told him there were Nine Realms and the future king of Asgard should focus on more than one.**

"Is she jealous?" Loki smirked.

"I think she is." Bruce said.

"Yes, but her advice is still very true." Steve pointed out.

"I agree." Thor said.

**Thor thanked Sif for her sword and her council and walked away as she looked dejected.**

Thor and Odinson both winced, a bit guilty about how they had unintentionally hurt her feelings.

**In a restaurant in London on Earth, Jane Foster was sitting in front of a man, hiding behind the menu. The man then slipped her a note that said 'Hi.' She then greeted him. He commented how she had spent the first 10 minutes of the date hiding behind the menu which had 3 choices- chicken, vegetarian or fish, so there was a story that involved a guy.**

"He is not wrong." Vision said.

"Must be Richard." Thor remembered.

"Yes. That's him." Odinson said.

**Richard asked if he was still around and she said he had gone away. Richard said he was seeing a woman who then took a job in New York so the distance killed it, along with the fact that she slept with other men.**

"Poor guy." Matt said.

"I hate cheaters." Jessica agreed.

"But I didn't cheat." Thor reminded them.

"We know." Benjamin said.

**That was when Darcy arrived. Richard mistook her for a waitress and asked for wine and she said she'd love it. Jane introduced the two as Darcy took a seat and said how she expected to see Jane in her lab/mom's house moping around in her pajamas and obsessing over You-Know-Who.**

"So you're Voldemort now." Logan said to Thor and Odinson and everyone chuckled.

"She is still funny." Steve said about Darcy.

"Yeah. She made this one bearable along with Loki." Jessica said and everyone chuckled.

**Darcy then started eating their food and noted how Jane was wearing lady clothes and had even showered. Jane asked if there was a point to all this and Darcy reminded her of the scientific equipment she didn't even look at anymore and that she should look at it again. She took out Jane's detection device and Jane said it was malfunctioning as she hit it on the table and Darcy told her to do something more scientific.**

Everyone laughed as Natasha said, "You're right. She makes this one more bearable."

**Darcy said it didn't look like nothing and that readings were like the ones Erik was rambling about and that he went banana balls. **

"What happened?" Loki asked.

"You did." Matt told him and Loki sighed, realizing his mind control of Erik had consequences for him.

**Jane said they weren't interested so Darcy should leave, which she did. Richard said he would have the sea bass and Jane started repeating the word over and over again so Richard told her to go after Darcy. She apologized and said this was fun before getting up as Richard said he would say sea bass himself.**

"Off to investigate the Convergence." T'Challa said.

**Jane then sat in the van next to Darcy and jokingly said how she hated her as Darcy said Richard was cute. She started driving when a man from behind told her to take left, startling Jane who asked who he was and Darcy introduced him as her intern, shocking Jane. The man said it was an honor to work with Dr. Foster as Jane said she needed to call Erik.**

"Ian." Thor remembered.

"Yeah. Pretty nice guy." Odinson said.

**Darcy took a right and left on Ian's instructions, though the driving was a bit reckless as she said she had mastered driving in London. Jane called Erik and asked where he was as he had said something interesting was happening and vanished. A news reporter reported that in Stonehenge, astrophysicist Erik Selvig had stripped naked and harassed tourists with lab equipment, claiming he was trying to save them. A naked Erik was shown, with his privates blurred, being led away by the police.**

"Erik?" Hope said as everyone looked in shock.

"What happened to him?" Peter said with wide eyes.

"It was me." Loki said, feeling shame, "What I did has led to a mental breakdown."

Nobody decided to comment, seeing Loki's guilt-ridden expression.

**Jane, Darcy and Ian reached the area as Darcy said how Ian was excited and called him 'intern.' She asked him to bring the phase meter as they walked further. Jane's phone rang and she picked it up, wondering how to change the ringtone. Darcy, who was the caller, said Jane had 3 PhDs so she should know how to do it. Jane asked why she was calling and Darcy said she didn't want to shout.**

Everyone laughed as Bruce said, "Darcy does have a point."

"And a guy with 7 PhDs should know how to pronounce Wakanda." Tony said and everyone laughed as Bruce looked embarrassed.

**Darcy commented she wasn't getting stabbed in the name if science again and announced they were Americans. 3 kids- two boys and a girl walked out, asking if they were the police. Jane said she was a scientist and the kids said they had found something. They walked inside and one of the boys lifted a truck effortlessly with a finger as it floated.**

"Wow!" Bucky said as everyone watched the scene with awe.

**Jane was shocked as they all climbed up and one of the kids threw a bottle down. It disappeared into thin and appeared above them, falling down again and disappearing. The cycle continued as the boy caught the bottle again and Jane threw a can down but it didn't reappear. The girl said sometimes they came back and sometimes they didn't. Darcy said she wanted to throw something and asked Jane for her shoe. Jane took the tracking device and realized the readings were like New Mexico.**

"Here they go again." Steve said.

**Jane walked off, asking them not to touch anything as Darcy again asked Ian for his shoe.**

"She is like Rocket. She will get it." Benjamin joked as everyone from the future laughed.

**Jane tracked the readings as the kids threw stuff happily. Ian threw something but it didn't reappear. Darcy realized those were the car keys.**

"Uh-oh. Stranded." Scott quipped.

**Jane looked around and felt a strong wind blowing on her face. The beeping of her device got louder and suddenly, the wind pushed her towards a door and then she found herself in a dark cave like place.**

"What happened?" Peter asked.

"The Convergence." Wanda realized.

**Jane called out to Darcy but there was no answer so she walked around, looking at the place. Between two flat rocks was a red light.**

"The Aether." Loki realized.

**Jane walked towards it and looked at it, the liquid all flowing around naturally.**

"Uh-oh." Sam said.

**As Jane reached out, the Aether suddenly jumped at her hand and went into it, going inside her body as she looked horrified and confused at the same time.**

"Oh shit!" Rhodes and Jessica said.

"Oh boy!" Peter said at the same time.

**Somewhere in space, a ship lighted up and inside it, Malekith awoke.**

"Oh no!" Wanda said in horror as everyone realized what was happening.

**As all the other Dark Elves in the ship awoke, Malekith said to them in the Elven tongue that the Aether had been found and the Convergence had returned.**

"Now he is coming." Aunt May said.

**At Asgard, Thor walked up to Heimdall's observatory and Heimdall told him he was late. Thor said merriment could be a heavier burden than battle at times and Heimdall noted he was doing one of them incorrectly. **

"He is not wrong." Hope said.

**Thor chuckled and asked how the stars fared. Heimdall said they were still shining and that from here he could see the Nine Realms and ten trillion souls. He then asked Thor if he recalled what Heimdall had taught him of the Convergence. Thor said he did and realized the alignment of the worlds approached. Heimdall said the universe hadn't seen this marvel since before his watch begun. Few could sense it and even fewer could see it and while its effects could be dangerous, it was truly beautiful.**

"Well, now all of you're going to see it." Frank told everyone and they nodded.

**Thor said he saw nothing and Heimdall told him that was not the beauty he was seeking.**

"Of course he knows." Scott said.

**Thor chuckled and inquired about Jane. Heimdall said she was quite clever and that she was unknowingly studying the Convergence and that even he couldn't see her. Now that shocked Thor.**

"Let's prepare for a reunion." Trish said.

**Jane found herself falling in a red background as the Aether covered her.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said as everyone watched in horror.

**Jane's eyes then opened and she found herself back in the area in London. She ran out as Darcy called out to her. The police was there too. Jane asked her why she had called the cops, because the cops would call the feds and then SHIELD would 'Area 51' the place.**

"SHIELD isn't that bad." Fury said but was ignored by everyone.

**Darcy revealed that Jane had been gone for 5 hours, horrifying her. The two then realized thunder was rumbling and it was raining heavily but they weren't wet at all. The two then turned around to see Thor standing there, holding Mjolnir. Jane handed her device to Darcy and walked towards Thor. Thor was preventing the rain from falling on Jane so she was till dry but then Darcy got drenched unfortunately.**

Everyone chuckled as Natasha said, "Poor her. Victim of your emotions."

"Yeah. My emotions caused the rain." Thor revealed.

**Jane walked up to Thor and slapped him.**

Everyone flinched.

**She said she needed to make sure Thor was real as it had been a strange day and then slapped him again, asking him where he was all this time.**

"Okay, that 2nd one was so unnecessary." Aunt May pointed out and everyone nodded in agreement.

**Thor asked Jane where she was as Heimdall couldn't see her. Jane said she was right here when Thor had left her. She had waited and then cried and then tried to look for him. He had said he was coming back. Thor said the Bifrost was destroyed and the Nine Realms had erupted into chaos. Wars were raging and Marauders were pillaging. He had to put an end to the slaughter. Jane said it wasn't a terrible excuse but he was also in New York. Thor said he had fought to protect Jane from the dangers of his world and he was a fool. He put a hand on her face and said he believed fate had brought them together. He didn't know where she was but he knew…**

"Just say it." Wanda said.

**The two were about to kiss but were interrupted when Darcy arrived. The rain then abruptly stopped.**

"She is just something else." Pepper said about Darcy and everyone laughed.

"She is like a sunny girl." Tony said and the laughter continued.

**An annoyed Jane said they were in the middle of something as Darcy said they were getting arrested. Jane told Thor to hold that thought and walked up to the police as Jane touched Thor's chest and commented how he was still muscly and inquired about space, to which Thor said space was fine.**

"Poor everyone who has to stay with her." Sam said and everyone chuckled.

**The officer asked Jane questions, including about Ian who was being searched and she said he was her intern's intern. The officer said they were all trespassing on private property and touching her arm, asked her to come with them but a red mist shot out and threw all the cops back as Thor covered Darcy to protect her.**

"Sweet Christmas!" Luke said as everyone watched the scene with wide eyes.

**Jane was on the ground and Thor ran up to her in concern, helping her up. She was confused. A cop with a baton asked her to put her hands behind her back. Thor said she was unwell and the cop countered she was dangerous.**

"Both actually." Loki said, "Though the latter is unintentional."

**Thor said he was dangerous too and the cop requested armed response. Thor asked Jane to hold on to him and the Bifrost hit the ground, taking them up as its mark was formed on the ground. The cops were thrown back as Darcy looked up in awe. Jane looked around in awe and disbelief as Heimdall effortlessly avoided a piece of a police van that had also been sucked up from hitting him. Thor and Jane then found themselves in his observatory and Jane said they had to do that again.**

"Don't blame her." Wanda said.

**She then saw Heimdall and awkwardly greeted him and he welcomed her to Asgard.**

"First time in ages a mortal went to Asgard." Odinson said.

**In Svartalfheim, Malekith looked around sadly and said in the Elven tongue how he could barely remember the time before the light. Algrim told him their survival would be his legacy and Malekith angrily said the Asgardians will suffer as he had. He will reclaim the Aether, restore their world and put an end to this poisoned universe. **

"Oh boy!" Peter said.

"Most cliché villain ever." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

"No kidding." Elektra said.

"Well, let's get through this." Logan simply said.

* * *

**And we're through half an hour of this movie already. Not gonna lie, the deleted scenes of this movie are so much better than what we got.**

**I wonder what would have happened if instead of Alan Taylor, Patty Jenkins had directed this movie as originally planned. Considering how great Wonder Woman turned out, I'd have loved to see how good this movie would be under her.**

**[1] After watching Thor's entry in the Battle of Wakanda in Infinity War, his entry here in this movie looks like a prototype version of that entry. **

**[2] A cheeky way of acknowledging the change of actors of Fandrall from Josh Dallas to Zachary Levi who is now playing Shazam in the DCEU.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	37. Funeral of the Queen

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. I know right! Never has an outburst made me laugh that much. And when I was hit with Reylo, I just died of laughter. Funny thing is that according to their definition, I'm a leader, not a follower as I'm an outspoken defender of the TASM movies (not to a delusional level though. I think they're both good but not great, though the second one is messy. But it has StoneField so who cares? LOL) Yes Loki steals the show. Wanda's love for Dum-E and U was meant to be endearing and glad it is to you. I have no idea why Darcy was mistaken as a waitress. Thanks for recommending 'IT crowd.' I will check it out when I get the chance. Agreed on Jane and I don't think she is worthy either in the MCU. In the comics, after a lot of disbelief, I might be able to buy it somehow but not in the MCU. The only reason I'm excited for Love and Thunder is because I trust Taika Waititi, Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Natalie Portman. I actually like that Romanogers ending you got. Speaking of which, there is a post-Endgame Romanogers fic on AO3 which I think you will enjoy. It is called 'Homebound' by Loquatorious. And personally, while I loved Endgame, I wasn't satisfied by Steve's ending as in my opinion, it takes him a few steps back in character development. Though 'A Captain's Farewell' by Stand with Ward and Queen gave him a satisfactory ending without even changing the movie's ending that much. Agreed on Thor's entry in Wakanda. Enjoy the chapter. **

Chapter 37- Funeral of the Queen

"That Aether must have been a pain in the ass." Tony said.

"Oh you have no idea." Thor told him.

**Jane was examined by Asgardian physicians led by Eir via soul forge. She inquired about it but Eir told her not to move. Thor knew the thing within her was not from Earth and another physician told him Jane wouldn't survive the amount of energy surging within her, startling him. Jane asked if it was a Quantum Field Generator and EIr told her it was a soul forge. Jane asked if a soul forge transferred molecular energy from one place to another. Eir, startled by Jane's knowledge, said it did and Jane whispered to Thor that it was a quantum field generator, making him smile.**

Everyone chuckled as Steve said, "Well, she is still as smart as ever."

"I can see why you liked her." Loki told Thor and Odinson.

**Odin arrived, chastising Thor and asking him if his words were mere noises to him because of which he ignored them completely. He shut off the soul forge too.**

"Boy is he in for a surprise!" Tony said.

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Scott said.

**Thor told Odin she was ill and Odin told him she was a mortal and it was their defining trait. Thor said they could help her and Odin said she didn't belong here anymore than a goat at a banquet table, offending her.**

"Okay, that was an unnecessary comparison." Hope said.

"Will you tell him that?" Scott asked her.

"Nope." Hope told him.

**Odin introduced himself as King of Asgard and Protector of the Nine Realms. He told Jane he knew about her too, shocking her as she realized Thor had told his dad about her.**

"Of course you would." Aunt May told him.

**Thor told Odin something was within Jane and he had not seen it before. Odin said Midgard had 'doctors' who could deal with it and asked his guards to lead her back to Midgard. Two of the guards moved towards and Thor tried to warn them not to touch her but it was too late as they were sent flying back by the striking red mist.**

"And there it is!" Tony said, "Surprise on the face of Old Father Time!"

**Jane felt weakened and Thor ran up to her, gently touching her face and asking if she was all right. Odin walked up to her and saw the red energy flowing through her veins and was shocked. Eir thought the infection was defending Jane but Thor corrected her, saying it was defending itself. Odin told them to come with him.**

"At least he's taking things seriously now." Peter said.

"No kidding." Benjamin agreed.

**Odin led Thor and Jane into a room which had Yggdrasil in it and told them there were relics that predated the Universe itself and the thing inside Jane was one of them. He opened a book and said the Nine Realms were not eternal. They had a dawn and they will have a dusk. Before that dawn though, the forces of the Dark Elves had reigned absolute and unchallenged.**

"And here comes a story." Sam said.

**Thor remembered the quote from a story Frigga used to tell him and Loki as kids- "Born of eternal night the Dark Elves come to steal away the light." Odin showed them a picture and said Malekith made a weapon out of the darkness called the Aether which was fluid and ever-changing. It changed matter into dark matter and seeked out host bodies to draw strength from their bodies. Malekith had sought to use the power to return the Universe to one of darkness but after eternities of bloodshed, his father Bor had finally triumphed and ushered in a peace that lasted thousands of years.**

"Definitely a poor man's Lord of the Rings now." Jessica commented and there were chuckles again.

"I know right! This looks so much like when Gandalf told Frodo the history of the One Ring." Trish remembered.

**Jane asked what had happened and Odin said he had killed them all. Thor asked him if he was certain as the book said the Aether was destroyed too and yet here it was.**

"Preach!" Clint said and everyone laughed.

**Odin insisted the Dark Elves were dead and Jane asked if the book said how to get it out of her. Odin said it didn't and walked off.**

"That's funny." Logan said, "The Allfather doesn't know how to extract the Aether but a raccoon does." [1]

"What?" Thor asked.

"You will see later." Odinson told him.

**In his ship, Malekith took out a blade and told Algrim in the Elven tongue he would be the last of the Kurse and he agreed as Malekith stabbed him on the side and gave him a Kurse stone, telling him he will become darkness, cursed to this existence until it consumed him and no power his enemies possess could stop them. Algrim said he would tear down their defenses and ensure Malekith's return to a Universe reborn. Several smaller ships then flew out of the large one.**

"And the Dark Lord returns." Matt said dryly.

"But Sauron was a badass." Rhodes said, "This guy is lame."

"So right." Natasha agreed.

**Heimdall opened the Bifrost and Fandrall and Volstagg arrived with several prisoners. Volstagg said guarding the scoundrels was beneath them. One of the prisoners was Algrim in disguise.**

"Sweet Christmas!" Luke said as everyone looked horrified.

"I share your sentiments." Elektra told him.

**The prisoners were all led into their cells.**

"And this is where shit starts spiraling out of control." Frank said.

**The Bifrost was then shown with Asgard in all of its glory. In the throne room, all the men, women and children were applauding for someone. Sif, Fandrall and Volstagg bowed to someone.**

"Okay, what's this?" Bucky asked as everyone looked in shock, Thor included.

"Well, this is embarrassing." Loki said.

**A man in a red cape and a kingly robe walked up the steps to the throne and turned around, revealing himself to be Loki.**

"Okay, what?" Pepper asked in shock.

"Fantasy?" Thor asked Loki.

"Yeah." Loki said, feeling embarrassed.

**Loki spread his hands as everyone cheered for him and Mjolnir flew into his hand as the cheering became louder.**

"Now that's just hurtful." Bruce said.

"I know." Thor and Odinson said as Loki looked embarrassed.

**Frigga then appeared next to Loki and called out his name, asking him what he was doing. He said he was giving the people what they wanted. She asked if it made him feel better and he said it didn't make him feel worse. "Cast enough illusions and you risk forgetting what is real." Frigga told him. "Precisely." Loki agreed.**

"What a nice fantasy." Natasha said dryly.

"One that should never come true." Loki said, surprising everyone with his sincerity.

**Frigga asked if the books she sent didn't interest Loki and he wondered if he was to while away in eternity. Frigga said she had done everything in her power to make him comfortable. Loki asked if Odin or Thor shared her concern, saying how inconvenient it must be, them asking after him day and night.**

"I did share her concern but I never showed it." Thor said and Loki simply nodded, once again feeling ashamed of how he was talking to his mother.

**Frigga said Loki's own actions had landed him here and he said he was giving truth to the lie he had been fed his entire life. He was born to be a king. Frigga said a true king admitted his faults and inquired about the lives he had taken on Earth. Loki said they were a mere handful in comparison to the ones Odin had taken himself.**

"The statement holds so much truth now." Odinson said.

**Frigga called Odin Loki's father and he exploded on her that Odin was not his father. Frigga then asked if she wasn't his mother and he said she wasn't.**

Loki held his head in his hands, feeling a stray tear drop out of his eye but Thor grasped his shoulder to offer comfort, knowing how horrible he felt.

**Frigga chuckled and told Loki he was perceptive about everyone but himself. She held out her hands. He tried to touch them but they were just an illusion she had conjured. She faded away with a smile. **

Loki winced again and shook his head.

**Thor and Jane walked together and she asked if he had known she was in trouble. He said Heimdall had lost sight of her and she was not on Earth, confusing her. He told her the Nine Realms traveled within Yggdrasil and orbited Midgard just as the planets orbit the sun and every 5000 years the worlds aligned perfectly and that was called the Convergence. As he said that, the two aligned their hands.**

"Now that's a perfect alignment." Benjamin quipped and there were laughs as Thor and Odinson shook their heads.

**Thor said the borders between worlds became blurred and she had found one of these points. They were lucky it had remained open as once the worlds passed out of alignment the connection was lost forever. As he said that, he moved the hands out of alignment. With that, the two kissed each other passionately.**

"And there it is." Wanda sighed.

Vision started, "The opposite pheromo-"

"Yeah, yeah. We get it." Tony said.

**Jane said she liked the way he explained things and asked what was going to happen to her. Thor said he will find a way to save her. Jane reminded him that his father had said there was no way and Thor said his father didn't know everything.**

"But a raccoon does." Logan said and everyone chuckled.

**Frigga's voice told Thor not to let his father hear him say that. The two turned to see her walking up to them.**

"Or YOU'LL BE UNWORTHY AGAIN!" Scott said but instead of laughs, got glares.

"All right! I'm not here! Please turn to the screen." Scott said with a smile and they all turned to the screen.

**Thor introduced Jane to Frigga and she awkwardly said hi again. **

"Well, this is awkward." Jessica said.

**Loki was lying in his cell. Algrim took out the Kurse stone from his wound and pressed it. He then started spasming violently as the other prisoners banged their barrier in horror. Loki heard the commotion and got up.**

"Oh no!" Natasha said in horror as everyone watched the screen.

**Algrim convulsed as his body produced flames and let out a mist, knocking out all the prisoners. As the guards arrived, Algrim, now transformed Kurse, grabbed a prisoner and slammed his head on the barrier, electrocuting him. He then punched the man hard, killing him and shattering the barrier.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"Oh boy!" Rhodes said.

"They're coming." Steve sighed.

**Two Einherjar attacked him. One stabbed him but he was unaffected and lifting up both of them, he used his burning hands to turn them into skeletons and threw them down before ripping the sword out and throwing it off.**

"And it begins." Tony sighed.

**He then walked up to all the cells, punching the barriers and freeing the prisoners. They all started running around, causing havoc.**

"So this is where Lorelei gets out." Thor realized.

"Yup." Loki and Odinson said.

**Hearing the alarm, the Einherjar armed themselves, running to the dungeon. As they battled the prisoners, Kurse walked up to Loki's cell and the two stared at each other, the former with a snarl and the latter with a smirk. He then walked off as Loki told him he might want to take the stairs to the left. Kurse looked at him one last time and walked off.**

"Shouldn't have said that." Loki said, feeling guilty again.

**Thor, Frigga and Jane heard the alarm and she told him to go, assuring him that she would take care of Jane. Thor ran up to the balcony, throwing off his cloak and leaping up into the air, summoned Mjolnir to him as his cape appeared too and he flew off.**

"Damn!" Sam said, impressed by how Thor's cape had appeared out of nowhere.

**Fandrall and Volstagg took down some prisoners as the former joked they resented being imprisoned and the latter joked there was no pleasing some creatures. One of the prisoners ran to Loki's cell but the barrier pushed him off as Loki simply continued reading a book.**

Everyone laughed as Natasha said, "Okay, that looked pretty cool."

"Thanks." Loki said.

**Thor landed on the ground and the fighting came to a halt. "Return to your cells, no further harm will come to you." He said, "You have my word." One of them punched him and he grabbed him angrily, "Very well, you do not have my word." He then hit him with Mjolnir, knocking him out.**

"Should have taken the offer." Steve said.

**Another prisoner grabbed Thor from behind as he kicked another away and punched the one grabbing him down before dodging another's blow and snapping his neck effortlessly with one hand.**

"Damn!" Bucky said as all of them were awed by Thor's strength, "That is a lot of strength."

"There's a reason they're called Gods." Benjamin pointed out.

**Thor sent another flying off with Mjolnir as Odin told the Einherjar to send a squadron to the weapons' vault and defend it at all costs and secure the dungeon. They started walking off as Frigga and Jane arrived and he told them it was just a skirmish and nothing to fear. She told Odin he had never been a very good liar.**

"There is only one good liar in Asgard." Thor said and Loki smirked.

"You're not a good liar if everyone knows you're one." Natasha said and Loki's smirk vanished.

**Sif passed by Jane and they exchanged a look.**

"Ooh! The jealousy is dripping." Loki smirked and everyone shook their heads.

"I know right!" Bruce said.

**Odin told Frigga to take Jane to her chambers and that he would come for them once the threat was over. She told Odin to take care and he said how his Queen still worried over him in spite of all he had survived. She said he survived only because she worried for him as she walked off with Jane.**

"Sounds about right." Clint said.

"It is." Thor agreed.

**Frigga then took a sword from an Einherjar and told Jane to follow everything she said without any questions and Jane agreed.**

"Good for her." Odinson said.

**Heimdall was standing in his Observatory when he sensed something. He ran out onto the Bifrost and leapt onto something with his daggers out. And then a Dark Elf battleship became visible as he destroyed it and jumped back down.**

"Oh no!" Peter said as everyone watched in horror.

**That was when the main ship became visible and several battleships flew out of it.**

"Oh my God!" Wanda said in horror.

**The ships all flew around. Some Asgardian turrets fired at them but they dodged and destroyed them. An Asgardian battleship flew up to fire at them but they dodged and destroyed it too before another one from behind them destroyed some of them. Heimdall walked into his Observatory and pressed Hofund, which caused a golden barrier to rise up, covering the palace as protection. Several Dark Elf warships were destroyed as they collided with it.**

"Finally!" Tony said.

"Thank God!" Steve sighed in relief.

"Don't be happy just yet." Thor said with a grim expression and everyone paled.

**Kurse killed more Einherjar and walked up to the source of the barrier. Using all of his strength, he smashed it hard, destroying it as the barrier came down and faded.**

"What?" Pepper said in horror.

"Damn!" Rhodes said.

"Even the Other Guy would struggle against this Kurse." Bruce said with wide eyes.

**One of the battleships crashed into the palace, bringing down some debris which crushed Einherjar and civilians alike. The rumbling alerted Thor, Fandrall, Volstagg and even Loki in the dungeon. The Einherjar moved towards the ship as the Dark Elves lay in wait. They suddenly charged out, firing their weapons to kill the soldiers and one of them threw a grenade which produced a kind of black hole that sucked some soldiers inside.**

"Okay, what the hell is that?!" A horrified Tony asked.

"Black Hole Grenade." Odinson sighed.

**Another Black Hole Grenade took down a few Einherjar as some of them took down a few Dark Elves but were taken down by their guns. Malekith then walked out of the battleship and taking a Black Hole Grenade from one of the Dark Elves, threw it right at the throne of Asgard. It exploded and destroyed almost all of the throne.**

"Shit!" Sam said as everyone looked horrified while Thor, Odinson and Loki simply glared.

**Loki watched the action from his cell as Odin and some other Einherjar arrived at the throne room. Odin fired a beam from Gungnir, killing the remaining Dark Elf and realized in horror that they were going to attack Frigga and Jane. **

"Oh no!" Steve said in horror.

**Malekith opened the door to Frigga's chambers as a horrified Jane backed off but Frigga stood in his way, telling him he could survive this if he surrendered. Malekith said he had survived worse and Frigga asked him who he was. He said he was Malekith and he would have what was his.**

"Does it say on the lease?" Tony joked to lighten the mood but it didn't work as everyone knew what was coming.

**Frigga suddenly brandished her sword and struck his face, staggering him back. He took out his own sword and the two clashed. He dodged her blows before she elbowed him back. Jane watched as Frigga overpowered Malekith and pinned him to a pillar.**

"That's it! Kick his ass!" Scott cheered but Thor, Odinson and Loki were pale as they knew what was about to happen.

**Frigga sensed a presence on her side and tried to strike but Kurse disarmed her and lifted her by the throat.**

Everyone snarled in rage, especially Thor, Odinson and Loki.

**Malekith told Jane to return what she had taken and tried to touch her but she faded away. Malekith realized it was an illusion.**

"Smart." Tony whispered.

**An outraged Malekith called her witch and asked her where the Aether was. She said she would never tell him and he said he believed her. And then Kurse drove his sword through her back. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!"**

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Thor roared in agony as Loki watched with a pale face and wide eyes, jaw dropped as tears started flowing out while Odinson simply shook his head and held it in his hands. He still remembered that moment as if it was yesterday.

Loki put a hand on Thor's shoulder to offer support while Logan did the same for Odinson and T'Challa did the same for Loki. He could feel their pain as he remembered his father's loss.

Steve, Tony, Bruce, Wanda and Hope as well.

**Malekith's face was hit by powerful lightning, scarring it permanently as a roaring Thor threw Mjolnir but Kurse covered him as it broke the balcony. They jumped into a battleship and it flew off to the main ship. Thor threw Mjolnir again but the ships disappeared as Thor watched in horror and disbelief. He turned around, feeling numb, as Mjolnir returned to him. Odin and the real Jane walked in too and the former kneeled down sadly, holding Frigga in his arms.**

Everyone already had tears in their eyes at what they were witnessing.

**Frigga was then on a funeral pyre which was floated away on flower petals. Odin, Thor, Jane, Sif, Fandrall and Volstagg were all there and many of the Asgardians held orbs in their hands. An archer fired a flaming arrow and it hit the floating pyre, lighting it up as Thor and Sif looked distraught, the latter also having considered Frigga a mother. Several other archers also fired flaming arrows as they fell into the river. As the pyre reached the end of the waterfall, Odin tapped Gungnir on the ground and light rose from her body, flying up into the stars as the pyre fell down the waterfall. From his Observatory, Heimdall watched the light going up with a distraught expression on his face and the Asgardians all released their orbs from their hands into the sky to help the spirit of light find its way to Valhalla.**

No one said a word, all of them feeling like they had been stabbed in the heart. Counting out Thor, Odinson and Loki, none of them knew Frigga well but these recordings had shown how kind she was and her death seemed cruel and unjust to them all.

Steve, Tony, Bruce, Wanda, Hope, Peter and Benjamin could especially feel the pain of the Asgardians.

**Loki was reading quietly in his cell when an Einherjar informed him of Frigga's demise. Loki nodded, appearing calm. The Einherjar walked off as Loki stood up and walked around in his cell. Feeling rage like he had never felt before and a desire for vengeance, Loki telekinetically threw the tables and chairs inside his cell away. They hit the barrier violently and fell down.**

Everyone flinched at the scene, realizing that Loki wasn't just angry and grieving but also feeling guilty as he had told the Kurse to take the stairs to the left. They all knew his cell was going to be trashed very violently now by an angry Loki.

**In London, Erik was telling other patients about the Convergence. He picked up two shoes, using them to represent two worlds and said normally they were separate but during the Convergence, they aligned and everything was connected. All Nine Realms passing through each other, though the results will be cataclysmic if they happened to them now. But it was beautiful. He then asked if there were any questions. "Yeah. Can I have my shoe back?" An elderly man asked.**

"And him again." Tony sighed but couldn't bring a funny tone to his voice as what he had witnessed had drained him emotionally, just as it had done to everyone else.

**In the Dark Elves' ship, Malekith was resting as Kurse spoke in the Elven tongue and told Malekith to rest as he would need to be at his full strength to reclaim the Aether and when he woke, they would kill them all.**

"Can't wait to see you die a painful death, bastard." Sam snarled as everyone glared daggers into the two.

**Back at Asgard, Jane was working with some kind of hologram as Thor arrived and commented how she learnt quickly. She said she worked when she didn't know what to do. He asked if it helped and she said it did sometimes. She then sincerely apologized to Thor, saying how Frigga's death was because she was here. Thor assured her it wasn't her fault.**

"Survivor's guilt." Steve said sadly, recognizing it easily as he himself had it due to Bucky's 'death.'

**Jane said Frigga had saved her and Thor pointed out she had saved them all and asked what she had found. She said she understood the Aether converted matter into dark matter and that Malekith had used it to destroy a planet once.**

"Damn!" Frank snarled.

**Thor wondered why they had returned now. Jane said she had found something else and revealed a glowing red stone's hologram. She said Odin probably didn't know but Thor realized he didn't want them to know.**

"Busted." Hope said, regaining some of her normal humor for the first time since Frigga's death.

**Tyr and two Einherjar arrived, saying Jane needed to come with them. Thor was startled as Tyr said Odin had ordered her to be confined to her chambers. Thor said she wasn't going anywhere but Tyr said these were the king's orders. Thor was about to fight them but Jane stopped him and said she didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of her. She then touched Thor's shoulder lovingly and walked away with Tyr and the Einherjar as Thor looked after them.**

"Because of his grief, father is taking unreasonable decisions now." Thor sighed.

"Tell me about it." Odinson said.

**Fandrall, Volstagg and some other Einherjar stood in front of Odin, saying the palace shields were still down, their artillery could not detect the Dark Elves and even Heimdall couldn't see them. They were defenseless. Thor then arrived, asking Odin if Jane was his prisoner now. The others left as Odin said he didn't wish to fight Thor and Thor said he didn't wish to fight him either but he intended to pursue Malekith. Odin said they possessed the Aether and Malekith would come to them. Thor said he woul destroy them and Odin said he overestimated them. Thor said he valued their people's lives. He would take Jane to the Dark World to draw the enemy away from Asgard and when Malekith drew the Aether from her, destroy it and him. Odin said if he failed, it would fall into Malekith's hands. Thor said the risk was far greater if they did nothing and the ships could be right over their heads. Odin said his men would fall to 10,000 Asgardian blades. Thor asked how many of theirs would fall to the Dark Elves and he said as many as needed. They would fight till the last drop of Asgardian blood and the last Asgardian breath. Thor asked how he was different from Malekith and he chuckled humorlessly and said the difference was that he would win. He then walked off as Thor looked after him.**

"Vengeance is consuming him." T'Challa realized, having experienced it himself.

**On Earth, Darcy commented how Jane or Erik weren't calling her back and also mentioned SHIELD. Ian asked what SHIELD was and she said it was a secret.**

"Then you shouldn't have said it." Hill said.

"He looks cute." Elektra said about Ian with a smirk. [2]

"Oh come on." Matt sighed as she chuckled and held his hand.

"Oh don't worry, you're still the best." She said and the two shared a quick kiss as everyone chuckled.

**Darcy called Erik and told him Thor had taken Jane to Asgard and she wasn't sure what to do. That was when the news reporter said Erik had been streaking nude across the historic site as Ian recognized him. He showed it to Darcy as Erik was shown being led away by the cops. She sat next to Ian, wincing.**

"And now they will get him." Luke said.

**At Asgard, Thor was sitting as Heimdall sat in front of him. Thor commented how he wasn't on Odin's war council and he said the Bifrost had been shut off on his order. No one was to come or go as they faced an enemy invisible to even him. Thor told him Malekith would return and he knew that. Heimdall said he couldn't overrule Odin's wishes even for Thor. Thor said he wasn't asking him to but the Nine Realms needed the Allfather strong and unchallenged even if he wasn't. He was blinded by hatred and grief. Heimdall they all were. Thor said he saw clearly enough. Heimdall said the risk were too great and Thor said everything they did from now on was a risk. There was no other way. Heimdall asked what Thor required of him.**

"A plan is coming up." Bruce said.

**Thor, Sif, Fandrall, Volstagg and Heimdall then sat together as he said they were about to commit treason of the highest order. Success would bring them exile and failure would mean their deaths. Malekith could sense the Aether's power and if they did nothing, he would come for it and lay waste to all of Asgard. They had to move Jane off-world. Sif said the Bifrost was shut down and the Teserract locked away. Volstagg said there were other ways off Asgard known to a few. Thor said it was just one and everyone realized who he was referring to.**

"Yes." Loki smirked.

**Thor walked up to Loki's cell and he commented how Thor had come after all this time to mock and gloat. "Loki enough." Thor said, "No more illusions." The illusion then disappeared as the cell was shown trashed around violently, the tables and chairs all broken as Loki was on the ground, his clothes ripped off and his foot bleeding.**

Everyone watched the scene with wide eyes except the Asgardians. They had never expected an outburst this violent from Loki. But it made sense. He grieved, he craved for vengeance and he felt guilty.

"**Now you see me brother." Loki said and asked if Frigga had suffered. Thor said he hadn't come to share their grief but to offer a far richer sacrament. Loki asked him to go on and Thor said he knew Loki seeked vengeance as much as him. If Loki helped him escape Asgard, he would grant vengeance to him and then this cell. Loki chuckled and said how Thor would be truly desperate to come to him for help and asked why he trusted him. Thor said he didn't but mother did. He then continued, "But you should know that when we fought each other in the past, I did so with a glimmer of hope that my brother was still in there somewhere. That hope no longer exists to protect you. You betray me, and I will kill you."**

"Wow!" Tony said.

"**Hmm." Loki smirked, "When do we start?"**

"Now the real fun is starting." Logan smirked.

* * *

**And we're through one hour of this movie now. Just about 52 minutes more and we're done with this.**

**[1] Anyone else find it funny that the Allfather doesn't know how to get the Aether out of Jane but Rocket has a device that can do it just like that? LOL! Funny thing is that Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely were screenwriters for this movie too but looks like even they hate it enough to forget its plot points.**

**[2] I didn't know this till now but Bl4ckHunter told me yesterday that Jonathan Howard, who played Ian Boothby, dates Elodie Yung in real life and they also have a daughter together.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter which has this movie's best Loki moments and this movie's best fight scene (which was deleted by the idiots behind this movie). **


	38. Failed attempt

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now this story has 300 followers! Thank you all!**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Like I said, I have an eye for anything Tolkien, Marvel or DC so I noticed. Yes this movie had so many wasted opportunities. I know right! The Asgardians were nerfed so badly in this movie it wasn't even funny. Loki, Darcy and the decent finale were the only saving graces. The things you're saying about this movie cements the notion of it being the weakest MCU movie even more in my head. Really, if any MCU movie rankings put this movie at any other place other than the last, I treat those rankings as a joke because they are. Wouldn't put what you said past Odin though. I heard that theory too and it sounds good. Glad you agree on Steve's ending. It didn't make much sense. You should read 'A Captain's Farewell' by Stand with Ward and Queen. Nice one-shot and Steve's ending makes so much more sense in it. And so glad you enjoyed Homebound. It was such an emotional rollercoaster. Yes that moment had such a motherly vibe to it. While I don't ship Bucky/Wanda that much, I can totally see why people do. Besides, two people experimented on and used by Hydra becoming a couple? Sounds good actually. I actually didn't notice Clive Russell was Tyr until you mentioned because of the ridiculously short screen-time. Good thing they scrapped the 'Dark Elves' thing in Endgame. I actually did watch that video but thanks anyway. Yes, it was really very epic man. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Knox: Thanks for the review. Sounds like a good comparison.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. Guess so.**

Chapter 38- Failed attempt

"I think you're about to piss off a lot of people." Tony said.

"Not as many as you think." Thor told him.

**In the meeting, Fandrall told Thor that Loki will betray him. Thor agreed, saying Loki will try.**

"Going prepared this time I see." Steve said.

"If I let him fool me all the time, then shame on me." Thor said as Loki smirked.

**Thor and Loki walked together and Loki commented how being so clandestine was unlike Thor who would rather punch his way out. Thor said if Loki didn't stop talking, he just might so Loki decided he wasn't even there and as they passed a pillar, he transformed himself into an Einherjar and wondered if it was better. Thor said it was better company.**

"Now that's a burn." Peter said.

"Oh just watch what I do now." Loki said.

**Loki commented they could be less conspicuous and as they passed another pillar, Loki transformed back into himself while Thor was now in Sif's form and Loki commented how he looked ravishing.**

No one could stop the laughter from leaving their throats as Thor and Odinson both looked embarrassed and glared at Loki.

"Now that is the biggest burn." Scott said.

"Just keep watching." Odinson said.

**Thor looked at himself and then told Loki it would hurt no less when he killed him in this form.**

Everyone laughed as Hope said, "And he got you back."

**Loki decided that Thor preferred one of his new companions and as they passed another pillar, Thor was back in his normal form while Loki was in the form of Steve Rogers.**

"Oh come on!" Steve said in annoyance as everyone laughed and Loki had a smug smile.

"Well Cap, prepare to be tarnished." Tony joked and everyone chuckled.

**Loki said how this was much better and while the suit was a bit tight, he could feel the confidence and righteousness surging.**

"He is gonna kill you now." Bucky said to Loki as Steve shook his head.

"As if I didn't know that." Loki smirked.

**He asked Thor if he wanted to have a rousing discussion about truth, honor or patriotism and was about to say "God Bless America" when Thor shut his mouth and pinned him to a pillar as two Einherjar passed by. Loki transformed back into his normal form.**

"Thanks Thor." Steve sighed as everyone chuckled.

"Don't mention it." Thor said.

**Loki said Thor could at least provide him with a weapon like a dagger and Thor started giving him something. Loki smiled but then realized Thor had cuffed his hands. He held them up in shock as Thor chuckled, "And I thought you liked tricks."**

Everyone laughed heartily as now Loki looked embarrassed.

"Now that is a point for Thor." Benjamin said as the laughter continued and Loki shook his head in embarrassment.

**At the meeting, Fandrall pointed out that Jane was being guarded by a legion of EInherjar who would see Thor coming from a mile away. Thor said he wouldn't come for her and turned to Sif.**

"What a great idea!" Bruce said sarcastically as everyone laughed, "Sending the woman who has got a thing for you to rescue your girlfriend!"

"Now that you put it like that, I feel like an idiot." Thor sighed.

**An Einherjar brought food for Jane and she said she wasn't hungry. That was when Sif knocked out the Einherjar and told Jane to come with her.**

"At least it works." T'Challa said.

**Thor and Loki were walking when some Einherjar appeared in their way. Loki asked if that was a good idea and Thor said they won't kill. Thor then grabbed one of their staffs as he tried to hit and avoiding another one's strike, threw the Einherjar away before throwing another one away. He then grabbed another one by the neck and threw him into a pillar as Loki watched. He then threw another one down and grabbing another's staff, pushed him back and snatched it, using it to hit two of them as Loki tried to free himself. Thor blocked attacks from all the Einherjar and they were in a deadlock before he kicked one away and smacked another, throwing him down and grabbing the last one, slammed his head on a pillar, finally knocking him out.**

Everyone clapped as Sam said, "Now that was a good fight."

"Which I always love." Odinson said.

**Sif then arrived with Jane, who recognized Loki and slapped him for New York. He smirked and said he liked her.**

"Unnecessary but understandable." Aunt May commented.

**At the meeting, Heimdall said it was his sworn duty to inform the Allfather of crimes against the throne.**

"The guy is going to find a loophole again." Natasha realized as Thor nodded at her.

**Odin and some Einherjar arrived at Heimdall's Observatory to ask him about the urgent matter he wanted to talk about. Heimdall said it was treason. When Odin asked whose, Heimdall brandished Hofund and said his own. Before the Einherjar could attack him, Tyr arrived and told Odin that Jane had been taken. Odin looked at Heimdall and realized the plan. He told the Einherjar to stop Thor by any means necessary.**

"Good luck with that." Logan said.

**Some Einherjar walked up to Thor, Loki, Sif and Jane. Sif said she will hold them off and Thor thanked her, walking away with Jane. Sif put her sword on Loki's throat and said she would kill him if he betrayed Thor. Loki laughed and said it was good to see her too before walking off as she prepared to fight the Einherjar.**

"Never make her angry." Thor told Loki who nodded.

**At the meeting, Volstagg asked that even if Thor succeeded in securing Loki's aid and freeing Jane, how would they escape as they would be dead if they stepped foot outside the palace. Thor said they won't be leaving by foot.**

"And that is the only good thing those stupid Dark Elves did for us." Odinson smirked and everyone realized what they were going to do.

**Thor, Loki and Jane walked towards the crashed Dark Elf battleship, passing by Volstagg, who said he will hold them off. Thor thanked him and Jane nodded at him with a smile. Volstagg pushed Loki back and started saying what he would do if he thought about betraying Thor. Loki smirked and asked Volstagg if he would kill him. He then said there has got to be a line. Volstagg sighed as Loki walked past him.**

Everyone chuckled as Wanda said, "Looks like no one should fight verbally with Loki."

"No kidding." Clint said.

**Thor, Loki and Jane walked into the ship as Thor tried to start it. Loki remembered that Thor had said he could fly this thing but Thor reminded that he had said it couldn't be that hard.**

"Doesn't look that hard to me." Tony said.

**The Einherjar arrived to stop them and Volstagg fought them off as Loki told Thor to work faster. Thor pressed every button on the ship as Loki told him to press gently. Thor smacked the buttons hard and the ship started.**

"And it worked." Pepper said.

**The guards all covered Volstagg, taking him down.**

"They have to resort to squashing him to even win." Thor laughed as everyone had smiles on their faces.

**The ship then started, throwing them off as Volstagg laughed and the flight started, destroying a few columns. Loki joked how he had missed one and Thor told him to shut up as the ship burst through the door. It flew up as a turret fired but Thor avoided. Loki said he should drive as he is the better pilot but Thor said he could actually fly.**

"Which actually makes Loki the better pilot." Steve pointed out.

**Jane then fell down as Loki joked she was dead but a weakened Jane said she was okay.**

"I hope you get it out of her soon." T'Challa said as everyone noted Jane's suffering.

**Asgardian battleships followed them and fired as Loki commented on that and Thor sarcastically said the commentary was unnecessary. The ship hit a statue of Bor, decapitating it as Loki joked how he had decapitated grandfather.**

"Unfortunate. I know." Loki said as everyone laughed.

**Loki sarcastically said how Thor's idea was just brilliant- stealing the world's biggest, most obvious ship and fly around the city in that so everyone could see them. Thor then pushed Loki off the ship and he screamed.**

"Did you just push him off?" Clint asked, equally amused and confused.

"Just watch." Thor said.

**Thor picked Jane up and jumped off on an Asgardian battleship driven by Fandrall as the Asgardian battleships continued firing at the Dark Elf Battleship.**

"Okay, that was a brilliant plan." Tony said.

"I agree." Steve agreed with him.

"You're pretty smart, you know that?" Bruce asked.

"Thanks." Thor simply said.

**Loki realized Thor had lied to him and was impressed.**

"Do I get your seal of approval?" Natasha asked jokingly.

"Oh I would give you about 50 of them if I could." Loki said as everyone laughed and Natasha smirked while Bucky put an arm around her.

**Thor asked Loki to do as promised and he drove the battleship as Fandrall took a rope and used it to swing onto another battleship. He punched out two Einherjar and dodging the third's swing, elbowed him out before giving a salute to Thor who nodded.**

"I can see why he is so dashing." Aunt May said and everyone nodded in agreement.

**Loki then started driving towards a hill, startling Thor. Loki said if it was easy, everyone would do it.**

"Good point." Frank said.

**As they neared the hill, they were transported right to Svartalfheim. "Ta-da!" Loki said.**

"And that is why Loki is the best part of this recording." Jessica said and everyone laughed.

"Yup. This entire part was so enjoyable." Trish said.

"Thanks." Loki said, flattered.

"You really know how to attract an audience." Luke told him.

**At their base, Kurse told Malekith in the Elven tongue they should strike now but Malekith said it was meaningless as the Aether had found its way home.**

"This is becoming a poor man's Lord of the Rings every second now." Elektra said and gained nods of approval.

"Couldn't agree more." Matt said.

**Thor put a blanket on a passed out Jane as Loki commented what he could accomplish with the power flowing through those veins. Thor said it would consume him and Loki said she was holding up all right for now. Thor told Loki she was strong in ways Loki didn't know.**

Odinson winced, knowing how wrong he was about Loki. No one said a thing.

**Loki told Thor to say goodbye but he said not this day. Loki told him even a 100 years would be nothing as was just a heartbeat and the only woman whose love Thor had prized would be snatched from him. Thor asked if that would satisfy Loki and he said satisfaction wasn't in his nature. Thor countered that surrender wasn't in his. Loki called Thor the Son of Odin but Thor said he wasn't just the Son of Odin. He told Loki he wasn't the only one loved of mother. Loki had her tricks but Thor had her trust. Loki asked if trust was her last expression when Thor had let her die and Thor said Loki wasn't much help from his cell either. Loki exploded on Thor, asking him who put him there. Thor grabbed him by the collar and pinning him to the edge, exploded back, saying he knew damn well who.**

Everyone flinched at the scene. While most of them still weren't Loki's biggest fans, though they understood where he was coming from, it still hurt to see the two brothers fight like that. It was expected though.

"I'm sorry." Thor said to Loki.

"I'm sorry too." Loki said and the two smiled at each other.

**Thor then let Loki go and said, "She wouldn't want us to fight." Loki smiled sadly and said, "Well, she wouldn't exactly be shocked." Thor chuckled humorlessly and said, "I wish I could trust you." Loki had a dark gleam in his eyes and said, "Trust my rage."**

"That wasn't a mistake." Odinson said.

"No kidding." Logan agreed.

**On Earth, in a hospital, Darcy and Ian were signing Erik's release form, with Ian posing as Erik's son. The man asked Ian to sign and he snapped out of his daze, signing the papers.**

"Could he be any less obvious?" Natasha said.

"Even I wasn't that bad with Stane." Pepper said.

"No kidding." Clint agreed.

**The man then took out Erik's belongings, including his scientific equipment and some prescription medicines. Erik was led to them and Darcy waved at him. He recognized her and hugged her tightly. He asked where they had found him and Ian said he was naked on TV. Darcy said it was getting weird now and he let her go as the three walked out.**

"And now he is out." T'Challa said.

"His research was pretty helpful." Matt said.

**Darcy said she shouldn't be left in charge of scientific equipment as she wasn't paid at all and Ian introduced himself as Darcy's intern, saying he didn't get paid either. Erik said he had a God in his brain and didn't recommend it.**

"You really did a number on him." Bucky said to Loki.

"You were all right though, right?" Rhodes asked Clint.

"I was." Clint said.

**Erik's equipment beeped and he said it was happening. They looked up at a flock of birds flying when they suddenly disappeared in thin air. And then they flew out from under the three as Darcy screamed in terror.**

"Okay, that was unexpected." Steve said.

"The Convergence has begun." Scott said.

**Erik was smiling though. He said there was nothing more reassuring than realizing the world was crazier than he was. He then threw his prescriptions away and the three walked off to Jane's lab.**

"And now they come in too." Elektra said.

**At Svaralfheim, Jane woke up, feeling dazed. The ship was visible now. Thor, Loki and Jane exited the battleship and walked further as Malekith, Kurse and some Dark Elves walked out to confront them. Thor asked Jane if she was ready and Loki said he was. He said this plan was going to get them killed and Thor agreed it was possible. Loki raised his cuffed hands and asked, "You still don't trust me, brother?" Thor ripped the cuffs out and asked, "Would you?" Loki smirked and said, "No, I wouldn't." Brandishing a knife, he stabbed Thor in the abdomen and kicked him down. Jane was horrified.**

"What?" Steve said.

"Oh no!" Peter said in horror.

"Motherfu-" Fury trailed off.

"You're betraying him?" A horrified Clint said to Loki.

"Just watch!" Thor said.

"I'm a trickster." Loki reminded them.

**Malekith watched as Loki walked up to Thor, telling him he didn't care about any of them, Frigga included, and kicked him away. He said he only wanted him and Odin dead at his feet. Thor tried to summon Mjolnir but Loki cut off his hand.**

"Damn!" Hill said.

**Jane ran up to Thor and kneeled close to him as Loki lifted her up and told Malekith he had a gift for him. He threw Jane at Malekith's feet and said in return, he only wanted a good seat from which to watch Asgard burn. Kurse told Malekith Loki was an enemy of Asgard and a prisoner in their dungeon. Malekith walked up to Thor and turning him around, asked him to look at him.**

"What a lame show-off." Tony said about Malekith.

"No kidding." Rhodes agreed.

**Malekith telekinetically lifted Jane up and started extracting the Aether. Jane had a vision of the Aether covering Earth.**

"Shit!" Jessica said.

**Malekith managed to extract the Aether and it took shape in the air. Thor then called out to Loki. Loki pointed at Thor and the illusion faded as Thor's hand reappeared and his wounds disappeared. Mjolnir flew to his hand.**

"Wow!" Natasha said, all of them surprised by the plan of the brothers, "Just wow!"

"Sounds about right." Wanda agreed.

**Thor then pointed Mjolnir at the Aether and unleashed a powerful lightning blast as Loki covered Jane. There was an explosion and nothing of the Aether was left.**

"False victory." Tony said and everyone nodded.

**The shards of the Aether lay at Thor's feet. Suddenly, they flew into the air and turned back into their normal form near Malekith, who absorbed it into him as his eyes showed the color of darkness.**

"Oh shit!" Sam said.

"Fail!" Frank sighed.

"As was expected." Tony realized.

**They started walking off as Thor killed three Dark Elves with Mjolnir when Kurse threw a Black Hole Grenade. Loki pushed Jane out of the way as it exploded, slowly sucking him in. Thor flew up to him and saved him, throwing him down.**

"Looks like we were wrong about you after all." Steve said as everyone had witnessed Loki's selflessness in trying to save Jane.

**Thor then flew up to the ship but Kurse knocked him away as Mjolnir fell off. Thor tried to fight but Kurse blocked and punched him before knocking him away. The ship flew off and disappeared.**

"And they're gone." Hope sighed.

**Some Dark Elves surrounded Loki and he brandished his knife, killing one while Kurse lifted Thor by the throat. Thor punched twice, making him let go. He tried to punch again but Kurse dodged and punched him into a hill. He then ripped out a boulder with a punch and threw it at Thor who put his arms in the way but was still thrown down by it.**

"He is kicking your ass, man." Sam said.

"He wouldn't last a second against me now." Odinson said.

"Even I can beat him easily." Thor shrugged.

**Kurse walked up to Thor as he summoned Mjolnir but he knocked it away and smashing Thor down, continued punching him.**

"What the hell?" Rhodes said.

"He would definitely be a match for the Other Guy." Bruce said.

**Loki sliced down two Dark Elves and grabbing the third, stabbed his throat before noticing Kurse pummeling Thor. He continued doing so until a blade protruded from his back. He turned around to see Loki. He then grabbed Loki and pulled him into the blade too. "NOOOOO!" Thor screamed in despair as Loki fell down.**

"Don't shed tears. I'm still here." Loki smirked but no one said a thing.

**Kurse moved towards Loki who smirked and said, "See you in Hel, monster." That was when Kurse heard a beeping and realized there was a Black Hole Grenade stuck to it. Before it could remove it, it exploded, slowly ripping him to shreds and pulling him in.**

Everyone clapped and cheered at the scene as Sam said, "Finally!"

"One down, one to go!" Rhodes said.

"You did great, Loki." Steve told him as everyone clapped for him of all people, which was something they had never expected.

"Uhhhhh, thanks." Loki said simply, amusing everyone.

**Thor ran up to Loki and knelt close to him sadly, calling him a fool who didn't listen. Loki said he was a fool as Thor asked him to stay with him, tears in his eyes. Loki apologized as Thor said it was okay and said, "I'll tell father what you did here today." A 'dying' Loki said, "I didn't do it for him." With that, his eyes closed and his breathing stopped. "NOOOOOOOO!" Thor cried out in despair as Jane watched the scene sadly.**

No one said a word. While Loki was obviously alive, the scene still seemed sad.

"Sorry I faked my death." Loki sighed but got no response.

**Thor and Jane then walked as a storm brewed and he covered her. Jane told Thor Malekith was going to unleash the Aether not just on Asgard or a star but on everything. Thor asked how and she said she had seen him on Earth in her vision. It was the Convergence. Jane said none of this would have happened if she hadn't found the Aether but Thor assured her that then Malekith would have possessed it sooner. She said she had found it because she was looking for him. He stroked her hair when suddenly her phone rang, startling her. A confused Thor said it wasn't him.**

"So there is service on there?" Tony joked, "The Dark Elves use phones?"

"Just watch." Thor said.

**Jane picked up the phone and it was Richard. He said he had enjoyed their lunch even though they hadn't ordered anything and wondered if they could go to dinner. Jane wondered how she was getting service and asked Richard not to hang up the phone. Thor looked a bit shocked as Jane asked him to stay on the phone and that was when she saw a can there and remembered it as the one thrown by the kids. The car keys were there too and she picked them up as Thor wondered why there were so many shoes. They vanished through the breach in the world as the call was cut and Richard said he would just text her.**

"Poor guy." Natasha said.

**Thor and Jane were back on Earth and got in a car as Thor asked who Richard was and she simply shook her head as she started the car and drove off.**

"Now the real thing is about to start." Logan said.

* * *

**And done. It is about to get over now. Yay!**

**The fault with the Thor movies was that they tried to focus more on sci-fi than fantasy and magic. I mean come on! Thor is the Mighty God of Thunder and you're involving him in sci-fi adventures? Gimme a break!**

**That's why I love Thor: Ragnarok so much! **

**And that fight scene between Thor and the Einherjar should never have been deleted. It was awesome.**

**See you all next time with the last chapter of this boring movie and then we will move on to the best MCU movie ever (at least for me). **


	39. Ending Malekith

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. I wonder too. Yes we should have gotten more Loki. You just gave me another reason to cement this movie as the worst MCU movie in my head. We might be wasting cement now. LOL! Yes, Andrew was a better Spider-Man while Tobey was a better Peter Parker while Holland was good as both. And I only watch the second movie for the Peter/Gwen scenes because they are heart-touching. Andrew and Emma really did it there. And I think out of all of Spider-Man's love interests in all his movie adaptations, Gwen Stacy is the best. My favorite version of Peter Parker in any movie though is Peter B. Parker in Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Glad you enjoyed 'A Captain's Farewell.' While I want Bucky to get the shield, I understand why Sam did. Because Bucky is still a bit damaged and tired from fighting, as confirmed by T'Challa in Infinity War. He is only doing it because it necessary. Sam, on the other hand, is as enthusiastic as ever. No they didn't understand Thor at all. Yes Taika Waititi gave us the best Thor in MCU. No kidding on Bro Thor. I could get it in the beginning but they overdid it with tasteless fat jokes. I'd say Peter B. Parker is Bro Thor done right! He was also depressed and lost but he could rise up to the occasion when needed and be a mentor to Miles instead of you know, sleeping in a meeting! He was perfectly balanced, as all things should be. Nice to know you went to Greenwich. I heard it's a good place. Sounds like a good idea on Erik. Yes, this movie is done. Enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 39- Ending Malekith

"So I'm guessing some science-y discussion and then the final fight." Sam said.

"Yes." Thor said.

**Darcy was typing on her computer when Thor and Jane walked in. As Thor put Mjolnir on the coat hanger, Darcy told her she couldn't leave like that as the stuff they saw was spreading. She then asked if Jane had been to a fancy dress party.**

"You wish." Tony said.

"Mjolnir on a coat hanger? Never going to get that out of my head." Loki chuckled.

**Jane then noticed Erik and they hugged as she asked him about his pants and Ian said they helped him think.**

"Never knew that." Rhodes said.

**Thor asked Erik if he was well and he asked if his brother was coming. Thor sadly said Loki was dead. Erik had missed the grief in Thor's voice and looked relieved but on seeing Thor's expression, apologized for his loss and hugged him with a smile.**

"What a nice man." Steve said.

"I know. Shouldn't have done what I did to him." Loki said.

**At Svartalfheim, there was a flash of green and an Einherjar started walking away.**

"And you're back in the game." Scott said to Loki.

"Yeah. How fortunate." Loki joked.

**The Einherjar stopped in front of Odin at Asgard and told him they had found no sign of Thor or the Aether but they had found a body. Odin realized it was Loki.**

"Except you're right behind him." Hope said.

"How did he not detect you?" Thor asked.

"Let's just say I came prepared with a plan that even he wouldn't have seen coming." Loki said.

"What was it?" Peter asked.

"Svartalfheim has a very strong poisonous flower on it." Loki said, "It can kill humans with a touch and even Gods. And it could temporarily paralyze Odin. I disguised it as a dagger and tried to stab him. He obviously saw through the trick and stopped me. He then took away the dagger. Then I removed the illusion and the poison temporarily paralyzed him. Before he could recover, I cast the spell on him."

After Loki was finished, the only reaction of was a "Damn!" by Bruce.

"'Damn' sounds about right." Odinson said.

"While you were a two-faced sneak back then obviously, I got to say, that was a good plan." Logan told him.

**In the apartment- Thor, Erik, Jane, Darcy and Ian discussed Malekith's plan. Jane said Malekith would fire the weapon at a spot where all the Nine Realms were connecting and it would amplify its impact. The effect would be universal. Thor said Malekith needed to be in exactly the right place at exactly the right time as it was temporary. Erik then opened a map, saying that it had happened years ago and witnessed by the Ancients. They had left them a map. Erik then looked at all the coordinates and finally discovered that the location was Greenwich. Jane said the walls between worlds will be non-existent, physics will go ballistic with increases and decreases in gravity and special extrusions. The very fabric in reality will be torn apart. Thor summoned Mjolnir from the coat rack and it flew to his hand. Erik said he needed to get his pants.**

"Yeah, you will need them." Pepper joked.

"Now finally the better part of this recording." Elektra said.

"No kidding." Jessica agreed.

**At the site, Darcy told Ian to focus and said they needed to hammer their equipment all around the site before Jane and Erik will activate them at the tower. Ian said they were taped together. Darcy asked if he even knew what they did. He said he didn't and she said she didn't either.**

Everyone laughed as Frank said, "Now that's how you lighten the mood."

**Jane and Erik walked in a library. Jane's shoes squeaked so the librarian shushed her.**

"That can be a bummer." Aunt May said.

**As Darcy and Ian installed the equipment, Malekith's ship appeared and they backed off as the civilians started running around in fear. **

"Coulson's team had to clean that up." Benjamin remembered.

"Led to quite a few headaches if I remember." Matt said.

**As the civilians continued running, the ship opened up and out stepped Malekith along with several Dark Elves. He looked up at the Convergence when suddenly Thor flew up to the area and landed in front of them, breaking the ground underneath.**

"Now that is what I call a landing." Tony said, "Breaking the ground underneath huh!"

**Malekith told Thor he shouldn't have come as death would have come for him soon enough. Thor told him not by his hand. Malekith told him his Universe was never meant to be and his world and family will be extinguished.**

"Can this moron get any more cliché?" Jessica said in annoyance.

**Malekith then fired a blast from the Aether. Thor put Mjolnir in the way but was thrown back.**

"Sweet Christmas!" Luke said, "This one looks like a pretty hard fight."

"Hela gave that word a new definition." Thor said.

"I know right! I mean, telling me to kneel?" Loki said jokingly and everyone chuckled, though they wanted to know about the kneeling thing sometime.

**Erik and Jane watched as Erik told her the equipment she was calibrating was made to detect anomalies, not cause them. Jane ran up to where Darcy was as Thor was thrown back by another from the Aether. He got up as Malekith fired again but Thor put Mjolnir in the way, though he was still pushed back. Getting up, he wiped the blood off his lip and said, "You know, with all that power, I thought you'd hit harder." With that, he threw Mjolnir in a rotatory motion and it hit Malekith, sending him flying off into some Dark Elves and then crashing through a column into a car.**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily as Clint said, "Take that you bastard!"

**Malekith got up as Thor leapt into the air, flying over the Dark Elves and charging Mjolnir with lightning, hit the ground with it. The lightning hit Malekith but he took it.**

"Lame but powerful." Natasha sighed, "Bummer."

**Darcy and Ian finished installing the equipment as Jane ran back to Erik who said the Convergence will be in full effect in seven minutes. Jane said they needed to keep Malekith busy for eight. She told Erik to hold on to something as she pressed the device and some of the Dark Elves disappeared, awing Darcy. As Jane tried to explain the science, Darcy asked to get the Dark Elf with the sword. Jane pressed it again but this time Darcy and Ian disappeared accidentally.**

"Well, sucks." Trish said.

**Darcy and Ian appeared between some cars as a Dark Elf crashed and Darcy screamed. The two ran off. Thor rushed Malekith and he tried to fire another blast but Thor slid underneath to avoid and hit Malekith, sending him flying into a portal. Thor then rushed the portal but Malekith returned and punched him back. Erik and Jane ran through the library and she told everyone to get out but one man said Thor was out there, waving his hammer and took out his phone to take a video as everyone else did the same.**

"Get out!" Steve snapped.

**Thor leapt up with a roar and charging Mjolnir with lightning, brought it down on Malekith who blocked with the Aether's power. The resulting shockwave shattered the library's windows and the people started running off.**

"At least they are getting out now." Tony said.

**Malekith threw Thor up into a building but he flew back and both of them were thrown into the portal along with a few cars. They reached Svartalfheim on the other side as the cars crashed and they all fell through another portal back to Earth. They fought as a car crashed on a building. They fell on the ground but once again went through two portals as another car crashed. They fell back into Svartalfheim and Thor threw Mjolnir but it went through a portal between them.**

"Uh-oh. That isn't good." Loki said.

"No its not." Thor agreed.

**Mjolnir flew to Earth and then flew up, exiting the Earth's atmosphere. Malekith hit Thor with another blast from the Aether, sending him back. He then lifted Thor up and punched him down and both of them fell back to Earth through another portal. They fell on a building and slid down via glass as the people looked down. Thor called Mjolnir and it returned but both of them disappeared through another portal as Mjolnir flew back up, its speed shattering the glass.**

"Damn! That is one powerful hammer." Bucky said.

**Two battleships arrived and one of them fired a missile at Malekith's ship but because of the Convergence, it went into a portal and exploded somewhere above Vanaheim. Hogun noticed that.**

"Yeah, I think humans should stay out of this one." Thor said.

**Erik and Jane were running around as Dark Elves came up to them. Jane tried to use the device but it didn't work so Erik pulled her away as they avoided bullets. Thor and Malekith crashed on Jotunheim. A Jotunheim Beast leapt at them but they avoided as the impact broke the ground under them and they were all sent through another portal.**

"One of those is coming to our Earth now." Steve sighed.

**Darcy and Ian were running when she fell. As Dark Elves neared them, the Jotunheim Beast arrived and ate one up before running off.**

"At least it helped against the Dark Elves for a second." Wanda sighed.

**Ian got up and realized the car was affected by gravitational anomalies so he lifted it up and threw it at the Dark Elves, crushing them. Darcy got up and said he had saved her life.**

"That was pretty good." Elektra smiled.

"I sense a kiss coming." Matt smirked.

**Jane pressed the device and Ian and Darcy appeared near them, kissing each other. "Darcy?" Jane questioned. "Jane!" Darcy said as she dropped Ian in shock. "Ian!" Erik said. "Selvig!" Ian said. Mjolnir flew over them and Darcy said, "Myeuh myeuh!"**

Everyone laughed at the funny scene.

**Malekith crashed somewhere as Thor crashed at a station. He walked up to a train and asked the woman how to get to Greenwich. She said he could take the train and it had 3 stops. He walked inside. As it started, the woman bumped into him on purpose to touch his chest.**

"What a disgusting piece of work." Tony snorted as everyone watched the scene in disgust.

"What?" Thor asked.

"She groped you." Natasha told him, "If anyone else tries that, don't let them get away with it."

"All right." Thor said. [1]

**Malekith arrived at the site and surrounded himself and his ship with the Aether's energy. Erik and Jane ran closer as Thor finally arrived. Jane told him they were too late. Thor asked if the devices will stop him. They said not from where they were and they couldn't get close enough. Thor said he could and taking the devices, ran into the barrier Malekith had made.**

"Getting closer to the end now." Logan said.

**Malekith asked if Thor had come to witness the end of his Universe. "I've come to accept your surrender." Thor told him.**

Everyone chuckled as Loki said, "Good one."

**Thor threw one device. Malekith caught it but Jane pressed her device. It made his hand disappear into a portal. Thor threw the other one and he caught it again but Jane pressed her device and it was transported to Svartalfheim. Malekith said the Aether could not be destroyed but Thor said he could. He then ran closer, summoning Mjolnir. He leapt up and as Mjolnir returned to his hand, he hit Malekith with it, sending him crashing into his ship as the barrier faded. Jane then pressed her device again and Malekith disappeared.**

"Thank God!" Matt finally said.

**Jane then ran up to an unconscious Thor and saw the ship was coming down on him. She tried to pull him away but he was too heavy so she covered him with her body. Erik pressed the device. The ship never came down. On Svartalfheim, Malekith rolled over only for the ship to crash on him.**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily as Sam cheered, "Finally! You're dead bastard!"

**Erik asked if everyone was all right. Thor's eyes snapped open as Ian and Darcy resumed their kiss. The two battleship flew off.**

"The fight is done after all." Wanda said.

**Two days later- Erik, Jane, Darcy and Ian ate together as Darcy said he will come back though he had gone for 2 years the last time. Jane said it had only been 2 days. Erik asked if he had said anything. Jane said they had kinda committed treason on their way out so he needed to sort stuff out with his father. She continued to eat as Erik and Darcy exchanged a look.**

"I'm pretty sure it was more than 'kinda.'" Bruce said dryly.

"Right you are, Dr. Banner." T'Challa said.

**At Asgard, Odin told Thor he had once said there would never be a wiser king but he was wrong. The Convergence had brought all the Realms together and they had witnessed Thor offer his life to save them. He asked Thor to be king but he said he couldn't be king of Asgard. He would protect Asgard and the Realms with his last breath but he couldn't do so from that chair. Loki, for all his grave imbalance, had understood rule as Thor never would.**

"Wow! Thank you!" Loki said.

"I'm pretty sure you'd have thanked me there if you were not in father's form." Odinson said.

"I agree." Thor said.

"**I'd rather be a good man than a great king." Thor said. Odin wondered if it was Thor he heard or the woman he loved. Thor told him he heard mother's voice whenever he spoke and said Jane didn't even know what he had come to say. It wouldn't make a difference if he forbade him to see her or allowed her to rule at his side. "One son who wanted the throne too much, another who will not take it. Is this my legacy?" Odin asked. "Loki died with honor. I shall try to live the same. Is that not legacy enough?" Thor asked as he held out Mjolnir. Odin said it belonged to him if he was worthy of it. **

"Afraid to be busted." Hope said as everyone chuckled.

**Odin said he could not give Thor his blessing or wish him good fortune. He said his heart said he was proud of the man his son had become and asked him to go. "Thank you, Father." Thor said gratefully as he walked away. When he was gone, there was a flash of green and Odin transformed into Loki who sat on the throne with a smirk, "No. Thank you." The screen went black.**

Everybody's jaws dropped as Natasha said, "That was terrifying!"

"And would be shocking if I didn't know the truth." Thor said.

"So you posed as Odin for like what, almost 4 years?" Clint asked Loki.

"I did." Loki smirked, "It was fun. Until Thor threatened to smash my face with his hammer."

"Don't blame him." Wanda said.

**Sif and Volstagg walked into a place as a red-skinned woman presented to them Taneleer Tivan- The Collector. Tivan arrived and bowed to them, saying it was an honor to meet Asgardians. Sif and Volstagg looked around at the specimens he had captured.**

"I think he is up to no good." Tony said.

"You are correct, Mr. Stark." T'Challa said.

**Sif said they knew why he was here. Tivan asked why they didn't keep the Aether secure within their vaults. Volstagg said the Teserract was on Asgard so they couldn't keep two Infinity Stones so close together. Tivan said that was wise as Sif held out the Aether and he took it. He assured them it would be safe in his collection and Sif asked him to see to it.**

"It will be anything but safe with him." Steve said.

**Sif and Volstagg looked at the specimens one last time and walked out as Tivan said, "One down. Five to go." The screen went black.**

"Voila!" Scott said.

**Jane was still on the dining table when the ground rumbled. She looked around with Erik, Darcy and Ian when the Bifrost opened behind them. Jane smiled happily and walked out of the house. The Bifrost faded as Thor stepped out of it and the two kissed passionately.**

"Look! Kissing like a married couple already!" Tony joked and everyone chuckled while Thor and Odinson shook their heads. [2]

**Somewhere else, birds flew around as the Jotunheim Beast ran around.**

"What happened to it?" Wanda asked.

"I heard about it and took it down 2 days later." Thor said.

"Finally! This is over!" Jessica said happily.

"Yes. It is." Luke smiled.

"Now we move on to the best one." Benjamin said.

"What is it?" Steve asked.

"It is about the fall of SHIELD." Matt said, "That one was pretty intense."

"And thrilling." Elektra said to Steve, Natasha, Sam, Fury and Hill, "You five had one intense adventure."

"So we're starting it?" Fury asked.

"Take a bathroom break for a few minutes and then we are." Benjamin said.

"Yup. He is right." Tony said as anyone who needed to go freshen up walked out.

* * *

**Finally! I did it! I wrote these 2 movies! Ain't that awesome?!**

**And now we move to the best MCU movie (in my opinion at least)- Captain America: The Winter Soldier. My personal rating to that movie is 10/10. And there are only 5 superhero movies I have given a full 10/10 to in my entire life.**

**Not gonna lie, while the climax was decent, after watching the final fight of Superman and Zod in Man of Steel (which was pretty recent back then), this one was so disappointing. And I'm more of a Marvel fan than a DC fan, though I love both. **

**No matter what you think of Man of Steel (I liked it a lot, though I understand why others don't), the final fight between Superman and Zod in that movie is how fights between Gods should be done. At least Thor got that later in Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War.**

**[1] This was played for laughs but I found it a horrible double standard. The woman groped Thor and that is the truth. What would happen if the genders were reversed? Like if a man did that to Sif or Valkyrie? Public outrage! And the same thing happened in Far From Home when Peter had to change in front of a female agent. Change the genders and BAM! More public outrage! Such double standards piss me off.**

**[2] In the post-credits scene, Chris' wife Elsa Pataky played the role of Jane in the kiss scene. Speaking of which, I'm going to tell you all an elaborate joke constructed by me and Bl4ckHunter. Why do Thor and Groot get along so well? Because Groot killed Tormund for killing Thor's wife on the orders of the Mad Queen who was angry at Thor for not killing Snow White for her, which Thor should have done as anyone would want to kill Bella Swan. LOL! If you didn't get it, Groot is played by Vin Diesel who killed Connor Rhodes in The Fate of the Furious. He also played Tormund in Game of Thrones. In Fate of the Furious, he killed Elena on the orders of Cipher. Elena is played by Pataky and Cipher is played by Charlize Theron, who also played the Mad Queen in Snow White and The Huntsman where she asked Eric the Huntsman, played by Christ Hemsworth, to kill Snow White, played by Kristen Stewart, which he didn't do. I found it hilarious. Hope you all did too.**

**See you all next time with my most favorite MCU movie ever.**


	40. Project Insight

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And finally, we've reached my most favorite MCU movie ever. I'm so excited. I think I'm jumping too much.**

**Anyway, let's get started.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, now onto the best stuff. Yes Cap is a badass and there were so many awesome scenes and iconic lines. That is a good idea on Bucky and Loki. Thanks. Glad you agree on Sam and Bucky. When I used the Thanos line, I snapped my fingers for some reason. Yeah, you were way off. I loved the final fight in Man of Steel and yeah, they got the destructive battle between Gods right. Though MCU eventually got that right too with Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Infinity War, like your example of Thanos. Yes I know that on Harrington and pretty surprising. The gay argument sounds pretty lame, like you said. Same here. Glad you agree on the harassment. So glad you enjoyed the joke so much. Thanks a lot and I'm sure Bl4ckHunter appreciates you enjoying the joke as well. We were actually discussing GOT 8x2 and he talked about Tormund's story. I randomly said that he forgot to tell the story of the time when Vin Diesel killed him for killing Thor's wife. He then added that Groot had killed Tormund and eventually our funny conversation gave birth to this elaborate joke. It is my favorite MCU movie. Congratulations on getting the college course you wanted. Definitely a good day. Enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 40- Project Insight

"So how good is this?" Tony asked.

"Like you can't even imagine." Elektra told him.

"Shouldn't the SWORD people be here for this?" Luke asked.

"They're busy." Benjamin pointed out.

"Oh don't care about them. Let's just start this one." Jessica said and it was obvious she wanted to see this one again too.

"Now I myself want to see it. Though I lived it first-hand." Steve said in amusement.

"Yes. Please start it." Natasha said.

"With pleasure." Frank said as he started it.

**A dark-skinned man was jogging around the city when someone ran past him and said, "On your left." Later, he continued jogging when the man ran past him and said again, "On your left." The man said, "Uh-huh. On my left. Got it." Later, he was jogging in a park when Steve Rogers started running up to him again. "Don't say it. Don't you say it." He said. Steve ran past and said again, "On your left." The man was a bit annoyed as Steve ran past him and he ran out of breath.**

No one could stop themselves from laughing.

"Yeah, laugh all you want. I will get back at you, Cap." Sam declared.

The people from the future chuckled at that due to the irony of the statement.

"All right. But for now, I'm on your left." Steve told Sam and everyone chuckled while he shook his head.

"And I'm on your right." He said.

**Sam sat against a tree as Steve asked if he needed a medic and he joked that he needed a new set of lungs. He commented how Steve had ran 13 miles in 30 minutes.**

"Okay! Now that is a level of badass!" Scott fanboyed as everyone laughed.

"What a sweet fanboy." Hope joked and everyone chuckled as Scott shook his head.

**Steve joked he had a late start as Sam told him he should take another lap. He then looked down for a second and looking back up, jokingly asked if Steve had taken it because he assumed he had.**

Everyone laughed again as Natasha said, "I can see a new bromance on here."

"I knew I wasn't the only one!" Peter said.

**Steve asked what unit Sam was with and he said he was with 58****th**** Pararescue but now he had a job at VA. He introduced himself as Sam Wilson. Steve helped him up and introduced himself as Steve Rogers. Sam said he had put it together and said coming into the new world after being defrosted would have freaked him out. Steve said it took some time getting used to and that it was nice to meet Sam. He started walking away as Sam commented he used to sleep on a bed of rocks at the battlefield and Steve completed it for him, saying that sleeping on a bed felt like sinking in a marshmallow.**

"I get the feeling." Frank said, "It happens to me every day."

Steve, Bucky and Sam nodded in understanding. The media always called Frank the brutal Punisher. But they were already seeing him as a fellow soldier.

**Sam said he had been for 2 tours and asked Steve if he missed the good old days. Steve said things aren't very bad. Food is a lot better as they used to boil everything. No polio was good. And the Internet was so helpful. He was trying to catch up.**

No one could stop themselves from chuckling at that.

"Well Cap, I have to say. You use the Internet like those who used it when it was a new thing." Clint said.

"I know. I am older than them all though so you can't fault me." Steve said.

**Sam told him about the Marvin Gaye, 1972, Trouble Man soundtrack. Everything he had missed jammed together into one album. Steve said, "I'll put it on the list." He then took out a small notepad he had and added it to it. The list had several other items- I Love Lucy (Television), Moon Landing, Berlin Wall (Up + Down), Steve Jobs (Apple), Disco, Thai Food, Star Wars/Trek, Nirvana (Band), Rocky (Rocky II?), The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Movie), Metallica (Band) and Disturbed (Band). Steve then wrote "Trouble Man (Soundtrack)" at the bottom as well. **

"Wow!" Peter said, "I like that list. Mostly."

"What do you not like on it?" Aunt May asked.

"Lord of the Rings." Peter said.

"What did you say, kid?" Rhodes asked as everyone glared at both him and Benjamin.

"I just never got the point of it." Benjamin said.

"What do you mean you never got the point?" Logan asked, "I mean, it was basically Star Wars but done better."

"Hey!" Peter said, "Star Wars is-"

"At least it didn't have a stupid sequel trilogy to destroy its good name." Sam said and both Peter and Benjamin sighed, "Tough luck, kid."

**Steve's phone beeped and he saw a message telling him about a mission and to meet at the curb. He told Sam his duty called and thanked him for the run, joking that it was what Sam wanted to call running, amusing him. Sam said if he ever wanted to pull in front of the VA and make him look cool in front of the girl at the front desk, he could let him know. Steve said he would keep it in mind. A car then pulled up and Natasha was inside it. "Hey, fellas. Either one of you know where the Smithsonian is? I'm here to pick up a fossil." She smirked jokingly.**

Everyone laughed again.

"Man. She just burnt you there." Bucky said.

"That is hilarious." Steve sighed.

**Steve joked it was hilarious as he got into the car with her. Sam greeted her and she greeted back as Steve joked, "Can't run everywhere." Sam agreed, "No you can't." Natasha drove off and later, the two were in a Quinjet with several S.T.R.I.K.E. agents, now dressed in their tactical gear. Natasha was in her Black Widow suit while Steve was in a new suit which had a white star and stripes.**

"That one looks so much better and more practical." Pepper said.

"And it does wonders for your ass." Tony joked and Steve shook his head in amusement.

"America's Ass." Jessica said and everyone laughed.

**Brock Rumlow told them target was a mobile satellite launch platform called the Lemurian Star. They were sending their payload when pirates took them 93 minutes ago. Steve asked if there were any demands and Rumlow said a billion and a half because it was SHIELD's.**

"Still sounds very unreasonable." Odinson said.

**Steve realized it was trespassing and said he was tired of being Fury's janitor. Natasha told him it wasn't that complicated. Brock said there were 25 top mercs led by Georges Batroc, who was Ex-DGSE, Action Division and at the top of Interpol's Red Notice. Before the French had demobilized him, he had 36 kill missions and a reputation for maximum casualties. **

"Damn!" Bruce said, "What a dangerous guy."

"Even Cap respected him as an opponent." Matt said to Steve, "You proved your quality to him."

Steve nodded in thanks.

**Steve inquired about hostages and Brock said most of them were techs along with one officer called Jasper Sitwell. Steve wondered what Sitwell was doing on a launch ship.**

"Hydra's dirty work." Hill snorted.

**Steve gave everyone their orders and as the Quinjet flew further, him and Natasha checked their earpieces. The backdoor opened up and Steve put on his mask as Natasha asked if he had done anything fun Saturday night. He joked that all the guys from his barbershop quartet were dead so not much. Natasha said if he asked Kristen from statistics out, she'd probably say yes. Steve said that was why he didn't ask. She asked if he was too shy or too scared. He said he was too busy and jumped off.**

"It's all the three actually." Bucky said.

"A spy trying to set a soldier on a date. How sweet." Tony said and everyone chuckled as the spy and soldier in question just shook their heads.

"It is very noble of you to try and help Captain Rogers like this, Agent Romanoff." T'Challa told her.

**Jack Rollins asked Brock if Steve was wearing a parachute and he said he wasn't.**

"As if he needs one." Trish said.

**Steve dived into the ocean next to the ship and then using a chain, climbed up. A merc passed him and he jumped behind him, putting him in a chokehold till he was knocked out.**

"They're all as good as captured already." Thor said.

"No kidding." Logan agreed.

**Steve ran further and threw his shield at a thug, knocking him out. He slid on the ground as he did that and the shield ricocheted off the ship and hit another thug, knocking him down. Steve got up and catching his shield, threw it at the thug, knocking him out before catching it on return and continued his run.**

"Cap is all badass now. Don't mess with him." Rhodes said.

"I know right!" Scott said.

"I'm guessing you learnt all the modern fighting styles in like 10 seconds." Tony joked.

"He is continuing his run." Sam said and everyone chuckled.

**Steve then kicked another thug so hard he flew out of the ship. He swept another's feet from under him and flipped the last one down before punching him out and kicked the previous one out in a rotatory motion. He then continued his run, pushing another soldier off the ship.**

"What a badass scene!" Aunt May said.

**Steve then rolled behind another thug and as he turned around, he punched his face, staggering him back. Another walked out of a door but Steve kicked him back into the wall. The previous one brandished a knife but Steve deflected his two strikes before flipping him down and knocking him out. The one who had been kicked to the wall tried to raise an alarm but Steve threw the knife at his hand, pinning it there as he screamed in pain and he knocked him out.**

"You're attacking like a force of nature at this point." Loki said.

"You're one of the most skilled fighters based on those recordings I hear." Matt told him and he nodded.

**Steve ran further and jumped down, knocking a thug away with his shield before kicking another away. He then hit two of them alternately with his shield twice, knocking them out before doing a flip and throwing his shield. It knocked a thug out and ricocheted off a wall as Steve grabbed a thug and kneed him out before catching his shield. He deflected another thug's punch and elbowed him before grabbing him by his feet and flipping him down. He got up as another one rushed him but Steve punched his shield and the sound effect produced was enough to knock him out.**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily at the scene.

"Cap's an action movie star!" Tony joked as everyone chuckled and Steve shook his head.

"I found that more badass than Ethan Hunt, Jason Bourne and James Bond combined." Hope said in awe of Steve's fighting skills.

**A thug then pointed a gun at Steve from behind before being shot down as Brock landed on a parachute. Steve thanked him and he joked how he seemed helpless without him.**

"Ha ha! Very funny." Bucky snorted, glaring daggers into Rumlow.

**Natasha and the other STRIKE units parachuted down. Natasha asked Steve the nurse who lived in the hall from him. Steve told her to secure the engine room and then find him a date. Natasha jumped off, saying she was multitasking.**

Everyone laughed as Clint said, "At this point, Nat can go on a date and fight."

"I know." Natasha smiled.

**The hostages, Sitwell included, were tied up as the mercenaries threatened them, kicking one's legs back and asking if he wanted a bullet in his head. **

"Uhhh, I don't think anyone does." Peter said.

**Steve rushed up and fired a device at a window. Inside it sat Batroc with another thug. They talked and the thug called another one in the engine room. They talked and as the other one put his phone down, he turned around to see Natasha standing in front of him. She greeted him with a flirty smile and kicked his feet, sending him down before wrapping a grapple hook around his neck. She then kicked him back and with a flip, jumped down, using her guns to fire at the thugs and kill them all. Two of them looked up but a body blocked their way so they were shot down too as she walked off.**

Everyone cheered again as Bucky said, "That's my girl!"

**The thugs walked around the hostages as one of them gave orders to another outside. As he walked off, Rumlow hit him with a long taser from behind, knocking him out instantly. The one inside heard a little but didn't think much of it. Rollins then took off his bag as the other STRIKE agents hung on the side of the ship with ropes. Rollins put a device with a string on the door as Steve asked Natasha her status. Natasha discreetly jumped behind a thug and told Steve to hang on. As the thug turned around, she leapt at him and knocked him out with Widow's Bite. Another attacked but she twisted his arm, disarming him and then punching his chest, kicked his abdomen before sweeping his feet from under him, knocking him out. Another arrived with a gun but she disarmed him with a flip and kicked him. He grabbed her but she elbowed his face, dazing him. She then grabbed his head and did a flip, knocking him down. She told Steve the engine room was secure and lifting a rod, hit him again, finally knocking him out before walking away.**

"So awesome." Wanda said as everyone clapped.

**The thugs decided to start killing hostages as Steve told everyone to fire on his mark. Few seconds later, most of the thugs were shot down from outside. The leader there tried to fire but the door was blasted open and Rumlow shot him. He fell in front of Sitwell who said SHIELD doesn't negotiate.**

"I'm sure you meant Hydra, you moron." Tony said.

**The thug with Batroc tried to contact the killed thugs when Batroc turned back to see Steve's shield flying towards him. He narrowly avoided as it shattered the window and hit the thug, knocking him out. Steve leapt in and Batroc kicked him back before running off as Steve took his shield and ran after him. Rumlow told Steve that hostages were secure but Natasha had missed the rendezvous point and hostiles were still in play. Steve asked Natasha to circle back to Rumlow and protect the hostages but she didn't respond.**

"Doing some dirty work huh!" Clint asked with a smirk.

"Yup." Natasha said as Fury shook his head.

**Batroc suddenly leapt at Steve but he put his shield in the way, though he was still knocked back. He got up and Batroc sent him back again before trying to hit him with a flip but Steve spread his legs and he missed. He smirked at Steve.**

"Close one there." Frank said.

**They got up as Batroc kicked Steve back twice. He tried to flip on him but Steve rolled away to avoid. He then blocked all of Batroc's punches and kicks with his shield before knocking him back. Batroc flipped back up tried to kick him again multiple times but Steve blocked or dodged before kneeing Batroc thrice and throwing him to the other direction. Batroc flipped and stood his ground. He said in French, "I thought you were more than just a shield." Steve put his shield back and took off his mask, saying in French, "Let's see." Batroc smirked as Steve threw his mask away.**

"Now this is getting real." Elektra said.

**Steve once again blocked Batroc's punches and kicks. He ducked to avoid a punch and then elbowed Batroc back. Batroc rushed him again but was kicked on the knee and the chest, making him stagger back. Steve then flipped and kicked Batroc's head, knocking him down. He started getting back up so Steve rushed him and tackled him through a door, smashing it, before knocking him out.**

"Making Cap serious was your biggest mistake." Hope said.

"No. The biggest one was thinking he stood a chance in the first place." Scott said.

"Still, for a normal guy, he stood his ground pretty well." Matt pointed out.

"No kidding." Steve agreed.

**Steve then heard Natasha saying this was awkward. He turned to see her working on the computers and asked what she was doing. She said she was backing up the hard drive as it was a good habit to get into. Steve realized she was saving SHIELD Intel and told her Rumlow needed her help, and that saving hostages was their mission. Natasha took the drive out and said that it was his mission which he had done beautifully. Steve grabbed her hand and told her she had jeopardized this whole operation, though Natasha said he was overstating it. Batroc suddenly got up and threw a grenade at them which Steve knocked away with his shield as Batroc ran off. Steve grabbed Natasha and leapt as she fired at the glass, breaking it and the jumped out while the grenade exploded. Natasha said that this one was on her and Steve told her she was damn right as he got up and walked off.**

"Did you just use strong language, Cap?" Tony asked jokingly.

"To quote Hope here, "Busted."" Steve said and everyone laughed as Hope shook her head.

**At the SHIELD Headquarters, Steve walked up to Fury, asking him that he couldn't stop himself from lying.**

"He still can't." Clint spoke up.

"Nope." Tony agreed while Fury sighed.

**Fury said he hadn't lied because Romanoff had a different mission than him.**

"Lying by omission." Loki said.

**Steve told him he hadn't shared it and Fury said he wasn't obliged to do anything. Steve told Fury the hostages could have died and Fury countered he had sent the greatest soldier in history to prevent that from happening. Steve told him soldiers trusted each other and that's what made an army, not a bunch of guys running around shooting guns.**

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Frank said, his eyes shining with respect for Steve.

**Fury said last time he had trusted someone, he had lost an eye.**

"Yeah we know." Benjamin said and Fury was pale for a second, something which everyone noted.

**Fury told Steve he didn't want him doing something he wasn't comfortable with and Agent Romanoff was comfortable with everything.**

"Everything?" Bucky asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Uhh, yeah." She said with a smirk and both chuckled.

**Steve said he couldn't lead a mission if the ones he was leading had missions of their own. Fury said it was called compartmentalization. Nobody knew everything so nobody spilled the beans. Steve pointed out he still knew everything. Fury said Steve was wrong about him as he did share and was nice like that.**

"And didn't share anything about Coulson." Natasha said pointedly and Fury winced.

**The two walked into an elevator as Fury asked it to take them to the Insight bay. Rogers wasn't authorized but Fury overrided the command. As it went down, Steve remembered that they used to play music. Fury said his grandfather used to operate one of these for 40 years and said, "Granddad worked in a nice building. Got good tips. He'd walk home every night, a roll of ones stuffed in his lunch bag. He'd say, "Hi." People would say, "Hi" back. Time went on, the neighborhood got rougher. He'd say, "Hi." They'd say, "Keep on steppin'." Granddad got to gripping that lunch bag a little tighter." Steve asked, "Did he ever get mugged?" Fury told him, "Every week some punk would say, "What's in the bag?"" Steve asked, "What would he do?" Fury replied, "He'd show them. Bunch of crumpled ones, and a loaded .22 Magnum. Yeah, Granddad loved people. But he didn't trust them very much." **

"Sounds like a badass granddad." Sam commented.

"You don't seem to love people either." Bruce told Fury who shook his head.

"All of us have different qualities, Dr. Banner." T'Challa said.

**The elevator stopped and Steve looked out in shock as Fury said they were a little bit bigger than a .22. Three very huge Helicarriers were there.**

"Little bit bigger?" Frank asked incredulously.

**Fury said this was Project Insight- 3 next-generation Helicarriers synced to a network of targeting satellites. Steve realized they were launched from the Lemurian Star. Fury said once they got them in the air, they would never need to come down due to continuous sub-orbital flight which was courtesy of their new repulsor engines. Steve realized it was Stark and Fury said he had a few suggestions once he had an up-close look at their turbines.**

"Few?" Tony questioned, "It's like you're trying to undersell me."

**Fury said the long-range precision guns could eliminate a 1000 hostiles in a minute and read a terrorist's DNA before he crawled out of his spider hole. They were going to neutralize a lot of threats before they even happened.**

"Making you judge, jury and executioner." Thor said.

"**I thought the punishment usually came after the crime." Steve said. Fury said they couldn't afford to wait that long. Steve asked who he was referring to. Fury said after New York, he had convinced the World Security Council they needed a quantum surge in threat analysis and now they were way ahead of the curve. Steve said they were holding a gun to everyone on Earth and calling it freedom. Fury said him and the others had done some nasty stuff too. Steve said they had compromised in ways that gave them nightmares but they did it so people could be free. This wasn't freedom but fear. Fury said SHIELD took the world as it was not as they'd like it to be. He told Cap to get past with the program and he told him not to hold his breath before walking out.**

"Kind of a black and white mentality here." Matt said.

"I left it after this incident." Steve said, "Though I was right about the Helicarriers unfortunately."

**Steve rode away on his Harley-Davidson and arrived at the Smithsonian. A lot of posters and info about Captain America was there. The recorded narration said he was a symbol to the nation, a hero to the world. His story was one of honor, bravery and sacrifice. His pictures of before and after Project Rebirth were shown as the narration said he had been denied enlistment due to poor health but was chosen for a program unique in the annals of American warfare which transformed him into the world's first Super-Soldier.**

"And the first Avenger." Trish said.

**Footage of Steve and his Howling Commandos was shown as the narration said Captain America and his Commandos earned their stripes quickly. An entire poster of Steve, Bucky and the Howling Commandos was there along with statues of them in their suits. Their mission was to take down Hydra: the Nazis' rogue scientific division.**

"And it still continued to thrive." Steve said sadly.

**A picture of Bucky was there with his info as the narration said they were best friends since childhood, inseparable on school yard and the battlefield. Barnes was the only Howling Commando to give his life for his country.**

"You're not losing me that easily, America." Bucky said and everyone laughed.

**A kid in a Captain America t-shirt recognized Rogers but he put a finger on his lips and he nodded with a smile.**

"So sweet." Aunt May said.

**Steve then saw a recorded interview of Peggy from 1953 in which she said a blizzard had trapped half of their battalion behind the German lines and Steve had fought his way through the Hydra blockade that had pinned their allies down for months. He had saved over 1000 men, including the man who would go on to become her husband. Even after he had died, Steve was still changing her life. Steve took out his old compass and looked at Peggy's picture on it sadly.**

"You changed a lot of lives, Captain." Fury told him and he nodded.

"So who was her husband?" Bucky asked.

"No one knows." Hill said, "It was never recorded anywhere." [1]

**Later, Steve sat by the bedside of a very aged Peggy at an old aged home and told her she should be proud of herself. Peggy looked at the pictures at her side of her with her son and daughter and said she had lived a full life and her only regret was that Steve didn't get to live his.**

"Went to visit her after all." Aunt May said.

"Couldn't live with myself if I didn't." Steve said.

**She asked him what he was thinking and he said, "For as long as I can remember, I just wanted to do what was right. I guess I'm not quite sure what that is anymore. And I thought I could throw myself back in and follow orders. Serve. It's just not the same." Peggy laughed and said Steve was so dramatic, saying he had saved the world and they had mucked it up. Steve told her she hadn't and that her being a founder of SHIELD was half the reason he stayed. Peggy held his hand and said, "The world has changed, and none of us can go back. All we can do is our best. And sometimes the best that we can do is to start over." She suddenly started coughing and Steve brought water for her. She then looked at him and due to her dementia, forgot the conversation they just had. She thought she was seeing him for the first time since he had gone into the ice and said it had been so long. Steve smiled sadly, trying to hold back tears and said, "Well, I couldn't leave my best girl. Not when she owes me a dance."**

Almost everyone struggled to hold back their tears at that scene. Peter, Wanda, Aunt May and Pepper even had lumps in their throats.

With a sigh, Logan said, "Now moving on."

* * *

**I am so happy! This movie is so perfect! I think I'm in love with this movie! Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed this chapter and the reactions in it. **

**I added some stuff to Steve's list from myself- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (favorite movie series as you all know), Metallica and Disturbed (favorite bands).**

**[1] Originally, we were going to find out the identity of Peggy's husband in Agent Carter and the producer said they would provide a definitive answer after hinting at several options but unfortunately, the series got cancelled so we never found out. I was leaning towards Sousa for a while but he the backstory Peggy gave in the interview in this movie doesn't add up so I'm just gonna say it is unrecorded.**

**This movie made me a Cap fanboy and a Romanogers shipper, though I still prefer Bucky/Natasha but Romanogers is good too. **

**I'm definitely in love with this movie! I think my love for this movie trumps my love for Avril Lavigne and Rachael Taylor. Not my love for The Lord of the Rings though. BTW, the LOTR vs. Star Wars comparison was done just for fun and wasn't meant to offend anyone, myself included.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	41. Betrayed

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. I know right! This movie is perfect. I love it so much and yes it did. I had to. Actually now that you mention, I remember when this movie aired on TV in my country, his list had the Beatles on it. But on my laptop I have a copy of the American version so no Beatles. Yes this movie did. I love both WinterWidow and Romanogers with a slight preference to WinterWidow. I know that on Batroc and agreed on the taser rod. Yes this will be the last because I will end up offending myself. I think you're talking about the prequel trilogy. While it isn't that good, I still can watch it and at least the third movie is good and yeah, it gave birth to Star Wars: The Clone Wars. But the sequel trilogy is PC garbage so not interested. Me too. It really was instant. Yes, those four and Logan. Not the biggest fan of Emilia. Outside of GOT Seasons 1 and 8, I haven't seen very good acting ability from her but that's my opinion. Emily Vancamp is a much better actress. Clint made one mild comment at best and now everyone will start easing up. They are my favorite too actually. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Knox: Thanks for the review. That movie is in my Top 10.**

Chapter 41- Betrayed

"I actually took your advice seriously, Rogers." Fury told him.

"Thank you." Rogers said to him.

**In his office, Fury plugged in the drive Romanoff had brought and tried to access the Lemurian Star's satellite launch file but failed. Even decryption and director override didn't work. And the files were sealed on his authority, based on what he was told at the moment.**

"Uh-oh. Now you have to stick your nose around to find out what's going on." Tony said.

"Yes. And I did." Fury told him.

"It appears you are already suspicious." Vision said.

**Fury walked into the elevator to go to the World Security Council floor. On the floor, Secretary Alexander Pierce was meeting with the members. Council member Rockwell said Fury was mistaken if he thought he could get his costumed thugs and STRIKE commandos to mop up his mess every time and Council member Singh said the attack had taken place one mile from India's sovereign borders. He wanted to move for immediate hearings. Hawley said they didn't need hearings but action and Yen said it was their duty to oversee SHIELD so this breach raised serious questions.**

"Of course it would." Natasha said, "After all, it was devised by a smart guy."

"Yup." Fury said.

**Rockwell asked how a French pirate had managed to hijack a covert SHIELD vessel in broad daylight but Pierce corrected him that he was Algerian and that he could draw a map if it helped.**

"Looking down on all of them. Why am I not surprised?" Clint said.

"While he is a son of a bitch, you got to admit, he is smart and has wit." Sam said.

"No kidding." Hill agreed.

**Rockwell said the Council appreciated his wit but took matters like international piracy seriously. Pierce said he didn't care about one boat but the fleet and that if the Council fell into rancor every time someone pushed them on the playing field, they needed someone to oversee them.**

"You do actually. But for different reasons." Steve said.

**Before anyone could respond, his assistant walked up to him and told him something. He asked them to excuse him and walked out, shutting off the holograms. His assistant led him to Nicky Fury outside and he joked how he worked 40 floors away but it took a hijacking for him to visit. They shook hands and Fury joked that a nuclear war would do it too.**

"Or maybe an extraterrestrial war." Bucky said.

"50-50." Fury said.

**Fury said he needed a favor. He needed Pierce to call a vote and delay Project Insight. Pierce said that was a sub-committee hearing. Fury said it probably was nothing. Pierce asked what if it was something and Fury said in that case, they would both be glad the Helicarriers weren't in the air. Pierce agreed and they shook hands but he told him he wanted Iron Man to drop by his niece's birthday party and not just a flyby, he had to mingle. Fury simply thanked him.**

"Or maybe he would try to take your life in return." Logan snorted.

"No kidding." Fury agreed.

**Steve walked into the VA where a former female soldier was telling her experience in a gathering to Sam, saying a cop had pulled her over last week because he thought she was drunk. She had swerved to miss a plastic bag which she thought was an IED.**

Everyone looked at the woman in sympathy as Frank said softly, "I understand."

**Sam told her, "Some stuff you leave there. Other stuff you bring back. It's our job to figure out how to carry it. Is it gonna be in a big suitcase, or in a little man-purse? It's up to you." The woman nodded.**

"That was very…." Natasha trailed off.

"Intense?" Sam asked.

"Yeah." She said, "And helpful."

"I know a guy who would get along well with you." Frank told Sam.

**The woman later told Sam she would see him next week and he saw Steve there, jokingly calling him the 'running man.'**

"He has come to run alongside you again." Peter said.

"No thank you." Sam chuckled.

**Steve said he had caught the last few minutes and it was pretty intense. Sam said they all had the same problems like guilt and regret.**

"Yes. All of us." Logan sighed.

**Steve asked if Sam had lost someone and he said it was his wingman Riley. They were flying a night mission, standard PJ rescue op which they had done a 1000 times before but an RPG knocked Riley out of the sky and he couldn't do a thing except watch.**

Everyone looked at Sam in sympathy.

"I'm sorry." Frank said.

"Thank you." Sam said.

**Steve apologized as Sam said he had a hard time finding a reason to be out there after that. Steve asked if he was happy now to be back in the world and he said he was as the number of people giving him orders was zero. He asked Steve if he thought about getting out and he said he didn't and that he didn't know what to do with himself if he did. Sam said he could do Ultimate Fighting.**

"You would be looting the audience in that case." Scott joked.

"Not really. Pay money to see Captain America being a badass." Hope joked. Everyone laughed at both the comments.

**Sam told him he could do whatever he wanted and asked what made him happy. After a few seconds of thinking, Steve said, "I don't know."**

Everyone seemed flabbergasted at that point.

"You really don't know, Cap?" Tony asked him.

"No." Steve said.

"What about fighting?" Odinson asked.

"Only if necessary." Steve said.

"Telling war stories to younger people?" Thor asked.

"No. Though I wouldn't say no to sharing some with close friends." Steve said.

"Gym?" Rhodes asked.

"Only to practice." Steve said.

"I think Cap needs a girl." Natasha smirked and everyone chuckled.

"I wish it was that simple." Steve said.

**In his car, Fury contacted Hill via secure line and said he needed her in DC in deep shadow conditions. She asked for 4 hours but he gave her 3.**

"And you managed to reach him in that time?" T'Challa asked.

"Yeah." She shrugged.

**Fury stopped in front of a red light and a cop car pulled up next to him. Fury jokingly asked if they wanted to see his lease.**

"No. Just my split skull." Fury snorted.

**As he started the car, a cop car hit him from behind and another from the front as he was surrounded by four of them now.**

"Oh shit!" Jessica said, "Hydra bastards!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Matt said dryly.

**Fury's AI said he had a fracture and needed an anesthetic injection, which he took as it told him there was no DC Metro Police dispatch in the area. **

"Because there is none, unfortunately." Elektra said.

**Fury asked to be driven out but propulsion systems were offline so he asked to reboot as the 'cops' started firing at him, damaging his bullet-proof glass while the armor integrity dropped. The AI calculated the time required for propulsion as the thugs installed a battering ram and started hitting his window.**

"These idiots have devices for everything." Luke snorted.

"No kidding." Trish agreed.

**The armor integrity kept falling until it was 1% and then Fury took out a machine gun and fired, shattering the damaged window and killing many of the thugs nearby.**

Everyone clapped as Tony said, "Never underestimate the Director."

**As propulsion systems came online, Fury initiated full acceleration and the car started, moving further as Fury killed a few more thugs. He said they needed vertical take-off but flight systems were damaged so he asked for guidance cameras and took over the wheel. He asked to call Hill but communications array was damaged. He asked what was not damaged and was informed air conditioning was fully operational.**

Everyone chuckled as Tony said, "Dying in an AC isn't the worst way to die."

"Shut your pie hole." Fury said and everyone laughed.

**Fury was informed there was traffic ahead and asked for an alternative route, to which he was informed there was one in 17****th**** Avenue 3 blocks down. Fury drove there, hitting a few cars and causing a minor traffic jam as the thugs got out of the cars and chased him. He was trapped between a few cars as they tried to fire at him from all sides but he avoided. The civilians screamed and ran around in fear. Eventually, Fury backed his car and hit a thug, crashing him into another car. He then moved forwards and hit another one, sending him crashing into a telephone booth before driving away as one of the thugs got back in a car and drove after him.**

Everyone clapped for Fury again as Bruce said, "Your car and you are a dangerous combination."

**The chase continued as one of the thugs fired at him from inside the car and rammed into his. He grabbed the thug's hand, making his shots go haywire as another one rammed into his car from the other side. Fury grabbed the thug's hand as he took out a pistol and punched him twice when he was informed and intersection was approaching. He applied the brakes as the two cop cars went further and were hit by a truck.**

Everyone clapped as Peter said, "That was awesome!"

"I know." Benjamin said.

**Fury asked to be gotten off the grid and the route was being calculated when he saw a tall man with long hair wearing goggles and a mask to cover his face standing in the car's way. He had a metal arm and a gun in his hand.**

"Oh God!" Bucky paled and turned away, not wanting to watch as Natasha grasped his hand while Steve put one on his shoulder.

**The man fired a disk under his car and it attached to it before exploding, sending the car crashing to the ground as the man moved out of the way. He then started approaching a downed and dazed Fury who took out a 'Mouse Hole' and started drilling. The man reached the car and with his metal arm, effortlessly ripped the door out but saw a giant gaping hole in the ground.**

"Wow!" Pepper said, "What a thing!"

"Packs a punch." Fury said.

"Yeah we remember." Natasha smirked.

**Steve rode back to his apartment and as he walked inside, the nurse across the hall was talking to someone on the phone and greeted him. She ended the call and told Steve it was her aunt who was kind of an insomniac.**

"Yeah we know which aunt." Clint smirked.

**Steve saw the clothes she needed to wash and said she could use his machine which was cheaper than the one in the basement. She asked what it costed and he said a cup of coffee with him.**

Everyone chuckled as Steve sighed.

"Actually, it's not a bad pickup line." Hope assured him.

"Really?" Steve asked.

"I think it's pretty gentlemanly." Trish said.

"And classy." Natasha added.

"Uh, thanks." Steve said.

**She thanked him but said she already had a load downstairs and he didn't want her scrubs in his machine as she had finished a round in the infectious disease ward. Steve said he would keep his distance and she said not too far. The two looked at each other for a few seconds before she walked off and told him he had left his stereo on. Steve thanked her for the info as she walked away but then became very alert, listening to the "It's been a long, long time" song that was playing.**

"So you didn't leave it on." Aunt May said.

"Nope." Steve said as he turned to Fury, "Someone else did."

"That is a great song." Frank said.

"Yes, especially considering why it was made." Logan agreed.

**Steve snuck into his own apartment with his shield out. As he walked further, he saw Fury sitting in his apartment. Steve said he didn't remember giving Fury a key and he asked if he would need one.**

"No you won't." Steve said.

**Fury said his wife had kicked him out and Steve said he didn't know Fury was married. Fury got up with a groan and said there were a lot of things Steve didn't know about him. Steve turned the lamp on said that was the problem but Fury shut the lamp off, leaving the stereo on and showed him his phone which said, "Ears everywhere." He apologized, saying he had no place else to crash on and showed his phone again which said, "SHIELD compromised." Getting the hint, Steve asked who else knew about his wife and Fury showed him the phone which said, "You and me."**

"That is smart." Hope complimented.

"I wasn't the Director of SHIELD for so many years for no reason." Fury pointed out.

**Fury said it was just his friends and got up. Steve asked if that was what they were now and Fury said that was up to him. Suddenly, a round burst through the wall and hit his chest, followed by two more as he fell down.**

"Oh no!" Wanda gasped.

"Shit!" Sam said.

"Damn!" Rhodes said.

"Just before the beans could be spilled." Tony snorted.

**Steve dragged Fury away, looking briefly in the shooter's direction as Fury held up the drive and gasped, "Don't…trust…..anyone." He then passed out as Kate the nurse walked in with a gun in hand, calling out to Captain Rogers. She said she was Agent 13 of SHIELD Special Service, shocking him.**

"Meet Sharon Carter. Peggy's niece." Natasha said.

"Wait, she is Peggy's niece?" Scott said, "That makes the entire relationship kind of gross."

"I know." Steve sighed and shook his head.

**She said she had been assigned to protect him. Steve asked on whose authority. She then saw Fury lying on the ground and said his. She took out her phone and told everyone Foxtrot was unresponsive and she needed EMTs. She was asked if they had a 20 on the shooter. Steve told her to tell them he was in pursuit.**

"So it begins." Hill said.

"Unfortunately." Bucky sighed as he put his head in his hands but Natasha put an arm around him.

"Do not blame yourself, Sergeant Barnes." T'Challa assured him.

"I know I don't deserve it but for what it's worth, I'm sorry Fury." Bucky said.

"It wasn't your fault, Barnes." Fury simply said.

**Steve leapt out of a window, shattering it and breaking a door, ran after the shooter above. He used his momentum and shield to shatter walls.**

"Wow!" Peter said.

**He then leapt out of a window onto another rooftop as the shooter landed on it and threw his shield. The man caught the shield with his metal arm and glaring at Steve, threw the shield back at him. He caught it but slid back by a few feet as the shooter jumped off the roof. He ran up to the edge of the roof and looked down but no one was there.**

"And he is gone." Sam said, "Unfortunately."

**Natasha later arrived as Fury was taken to a hospital and operated on. Steve and Natasha watched from outside as she asked about the shooter and he said he was fast and strong and had a metal arm. Hill walked up next to them and Natasha asked about ballistics. She said they were three slugs with no rifling and completely untraceable. Natasha realized they were Soviet made.**

"Connecting the dots." Natasha said.

"Which is a good thing." Bucky agreed.

**Hill was shocked that Natasha knew the info as Fury suddenly started seizing. "Don't do this to me, Nick. Don't do this to me, Nick. Don't do this to me." Natasha muttered as Fury was given defibrillation but still didn't respond while Natasha muttered a prayer under her breath. Eventually, the machine beeped and the doctors had to note his time of death as Natasha and Hill both felt tears drop.**

No one said a word. While Fury was still sitting with them, it still felt sad to see his fake death there and some of them even felt sorry for their treatment of him, though it was justified.

Natasha closed her eyes and took deep breaths as Bucky held her hand.

**Steve looked at the drive in his hands and later stood behind Natasha as she stood over Fury's dead body. Hill walked up next to him and said sadly she needed to take him. Steve walked up to Natasha. She patted Fury's head and walked out as Steve walked after her. She asked why Fury was at his apartment the previous night and he replied he didn't know. Rumlow arrived and said they wanted Cap back at SHIELD. He asked to give him a second but Rumlow said they wanted him now. Steve agreed as Natasha told him he was a terrible liar and walked off.**

"Quite the opposite of me." Loki smirked.

"Yes." Steve agreed.

**Steve then saw a vending machine nearby and a few minutes later, walked off with the STRIKE team, leaving the drive behind some bars in the vending machine.**

"Nice." Sam smirked.

"Not that nice." Natasha remembered with a smirk as Steve chuckled.

**Steve later arrived at Alexander Pierce's office in his Captain America suit. Pierce assured Sharon Carter she had tried her best and she walked off, greeting Steve who simply called her 'neighbor.'**

"Which she was." Bucky said.

**Pierce greeted Steve as they shook hands and he said it was an honor while Pierce said the honor was his as his father had served in the 101****st****. Pierce later showed Steve a picture of him and Fury which had been taken 5 years after their first meeting, when he was at a State Department in Bogota. E.L.N. rebels had taken the embassy and while security had gotten him out, the rebels had taken hostages. Nick was Deputy Chief of the SHIELD station there and had formulated a plan, which was to storm the building through the sewers. Pierce said they would negotiate but turned out the ELN didn't negotiate and put out a kill order. They had stormed the basement only to find it empty as Nick had ignored his direct order and carried out an unauthorized military operation on foreign soil and saved the lives of a dozen political officers, including his daughter.**

"Wow! That was badass and would have taken balls of steel!" Scott said.

"He has balls of Vibranium." Clint complimented Fury who shook his head with a smirk.

"Makes the Accords even worse." Matt said, "Because they restricted SHIELD as well."

"I know." Fury said.

"Unfortunate." Benjamin agreed.

**Steve realized this is why Pierce had promoted him and he said he didn't have any reason to regret it. He asked why Fury was in his apartment last night and Steve said he didn't know. Pierce asked if he knew the apartment was bugged. Steve said he did because Fury had told him. Pierce asked if Fury had told him he was the one who had bugged it.**

"So many secrets." Tony sighed.

"No need to bring that up right now." Steve said firmly.

**Steve didn't reply and Pierce showed him footage of Batroc being interrogated. Steve asked if that was live and he said it was as he had been picked up the previous night in a not-so-safe house in Algiers. Steve asked if he was a suspect but Pierce said assassination wasn't his line and it was much more complicated. Batroc had been contacted anonymously via email to hijack the Lemurian Star and paid via wire transfer. The money had been run through 17 fictitious accounts.**

"You really thought this through, didn't you?" Natasha asked.

"Couldn't afford even one misstep." Fury said.

**Pierce said the last one went to a holding company registered to a Jacob Veech as he handed Steve a file. Steve asked if he was supposed to know the person but Pierce said he had died 6 years ago and his last known address was 1435 Elmhurst Drive and when he had first met Nick, his mother had lived in 1437. Steve realized Pierce was implying Fury had hired the pirates and he said the prevailing theory was the hijacking was a cover for acquisition and sale of classified Intel. The deal had gone sour and that had led to Nick's death. Steve said if he really knew Fury, he would know that isn't true. Pierce told him that was why they were talking.**

"No. We're talking to get me out of the way." Steve snarled.

"Good to see you have faith in me, Rogers." Fury joked and everyone shook their heads.

**Pierce walked to the window and said he had taken a seat on the Council because Nick had asked him to and they were both realists. They knew despite all the diplomacy and hand-shaking, to build a better world they needed to tear the old world down and that made enemies.**

"Already looking shady which he is." Rhodes said.

**Pierce said the people called them dirty as they had the guts to get their hands in the mud and the thought that they could be happy made him very, very angry. He said Steve was the last person to see Fury alive and they both knew it wasn't a coincidence. He asked again why Fury was there. Steve said Fury had told him not to trust anyone. Pierce wondered if it had included him. Steve said those were his last words and excusing himself, started walking out after picking up his shield. Pierce said somebody had murdered his friend and he was going to find out. Anyone who got in his way would regret it. Anyone.**

"The threatening begins." Clint said.

**Steve said he understood and walked out into the elevator, asking to go to Operations Control as he thought about what to do. Rumlow walked in with his STRIKE agents and the two greeted each other. As the elevator went down to Forensics, Rumlow said Evidence Response had found fibers on the roof and asked if he could get the tac team ready. Steve said they should wait and see what it was first. He then noticed one of them had a hand on his gun's holster. The elevator opened and more people walked inside in suits. As the elevator went down, Rumlow apologized for what had happened with Fury, calling it messed up. Steve thanked him and looked around at all the people. One of them was sweating.**

"Uh-oh." Scott realized.

"It's kind of obvious." Hope said.

"Now I will never be able to get into elevators with too many people." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

"Don't worry, you will find a way." Steve told him.

**The elevator opened and some more STRIKE agents walked in with Jack Rollins. **

"Now they're just asking for it." Luke said.

"No kidding." Frank agreed.

**As the elevator continued going down, Steve noted everyone's behavior and finally asked, "Before we get started, does anyone want to get out?"**

"And it begins." Bucky said.

"Polite even to your enemies." Pepper said.

"Didn't want unnecessary damage." Steve shrugged.

**Rollins suddenly brandished a taser rod and turned around as the others together grabbed Steve and pinned him to the wall. They took out magnetic cuffs and put one on Steve's hand, trying to pin it to the wall. Grunting with all his strength, Steve freed his hand and kicked one on the knee and smacked one out before elbowing one away as his cuff stuck to the ceiling. He kicked another away and smacked Rollins away before punching another out and elbowing the one behind him, flipped him to the ground.**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily at Steve as Rhodes said, "Yeah take that Hydra morons!"

"Cap being a badass." Peter clapped.

**Rumlow kicked Steve's hand and it got stuck to the wall due to the cuff. Steve tried to free it as Rumlow struck with the taser rod. Steve blocked once but was hit a second time, though he resisted it for many seconds.**

"Wow!" Jessica said, "A normal guy would get knocked out in a second."

"We are not normal." Steve said.

**He elbowed Rumlow away and threw another into a camera, shattering it as Jasper Sitwell ordered to mobilize tranq units.**

"True colors revealed." Natasha snorted in disgust.

**Steve grabbed an agent's hand and made him tase another one out before kicking two down and grabbing a third's hand and kicking him down too. He then pulled his hand out and finally managed to free himself as he flipped down. He then knocked one out and flipped the other down too as Rumlow got up and said, "Whoa, big guy. I just want you to know Cap, this isn't PERSONAL!" With that he attacked as Steve dodged and blocked but was hit by a taser. The process was repeated till Steve punched Rumlow and smashed him on the ceiling, knocking him out finally. "It kind of feels personal." He panted as he kicked the shield into his hand and broke the cuff.**

Everyone cheered as Logan said, "Never mess with Cap in an elevator."

"You won't live to regret it." Frank joked and everyone laughed.

**He started walking out but a team was waiting for him. He broke the elevator support and it went down before finally stopping due to the emergency support. He opened the doors and saw more agents coming. Realizing he had no other choice, he put the shield on his front and leapt out of the elevator, smashing the glass. He fell several floors onto the ground below, smashing a column on the way but the shield absorbed the impact and a groaning Steve got up and ran off.**

Everyone's jaw dropped as they slowly started applauding.

"You're full of surprises, Captain." Hill told him.

**Sitwell was shocked and asked to lock down the garage but Steve managed to leap out on his bike before it was possible. He rode around as a Quinjet flew in front of him and demanded him to stand down. It fired with is turret and Steve avoided all the shots before throwing his shield, staggering it back as the shield got stuck. He then flipped on his bike and leaping onto the Quinjet, ripped the shield out as the Quinjet swirled violently. Steve was almost thrown off but used the shield to hang on and jumping back up, threw it at the two wings, destroying them. He then leapt off with a flip and grabbing the shield, landed on the ground as the Quinjet crashed to the ground. Steve smirked and ran off.**

Once again, there were applauses from everyone as Benjamin said, "This is what makes people into Cap fanboys."

"Uhhh, thanks." Steve said lamely.

"Now things are getting serious though." Natasha said and they all nodded, looking firmly at the screen.

* * *

**And done. The elevator fight scene was so badass. And funny thing, I never noticed Natasha praying under her breath during Fury's 'death' till now. What a subtle detail!**

**And next chapter we get to even more intricate conspiracies and the MCU's best action scene ever.**


	42. Truth about Hydra revealed

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Holy moly! This story is over 400 reviews now! Damn! Thanks a lot everyone! Keep blowing my mind like that!**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes, the epicness never stops. Yes, you just hit the mark on why that fight scene was so awesome. Also, really amazing fight choreography. Yes I agree on Steve. Thanks a lot on the congrats. Enjoy the chapter.**

**ninjarider1: Thanks for the review. Now you will see.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. That does sound like a better explanation. Thanks for sharing.**

Chapter 42- Truth about Hydra revealed

Tony started, "Massive manhunt coming in 3-2…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know." Natasha said.

**Sitwell told all agents, including Sharon Carter, to bury their current op as what they were dealing with now was Level 1. They had to contact all required authorities to help capture Steve Rogers. Sharon said if SHIELD was conducting a manhunt for Captain America, they deserved to know why. Alexander Pierce arrived and said because he had lied to them.**

"No." Fury snorted, "Because you are lying to them."

**He said Captain America had withheld information about Nick Fury's death. Looking at the photo of Steve on the monitor, he said as difficult as it was to accept, Captain America was now a fugitive from SHIELD. Then there was a beeping sound. A tech based agent looked up from her computer and said they had found him. **

"They found you?" T'Challa asked.

"Part of me." Steve said.

**Some cars drove up to the location and the agents walked out with guns out as everyone ran around in fear. Walking into a basketball court, they stopped the practice and realized they were getting closer to the source. It was a bag. When they opened it though, all they found was Steve's mask and his suit.**

"Wow!" Clint said as everyone looked at the scene with wide eyes, "Just wow!"

"Looks like you learnt stuff from SHIELD after all." Hill said.

**Steve was walking in the hospital, wearing his hoodie as he stopped in front of the vending machine but the hard drive and the bubblegum he had kept it behind were all gone. That was when Natasha walked up behind him, blowing the bubblegum.**

"And you're already there." Bucky said to Natasha as everyone chuckled.

**Steve dragged her to a nearby room and pinned her to a wall, asking her about the drive. She said it was safe and asked why Fury gave it to him. He asked what was on it and she said she didn't know so he asked her to stop lying. She said she only acted like she knew everything.**

"Well, you act really well." Sam told her.

"Be a little gentle, man." Bucky told Steve.

"SHIELD was killing my back at the time." Steve said.

"Come on guys, there are better things to fight over than me." Natasha joked and everyone laughed.

**Steve said Natasha would probably know why Fury hired the pirates and she said it made sense as Fury needed a way in and so did he. Steve said he was not gonna ask again so she said she knew who killed Fury.**

"Too much actually." Natasha said and Bucky sighed.

**Natasha said most of the intelligence community didn't believe in his existence and those that did called him the Winter Soldier. He had been credited with over 2 dozen assassinations in the last 50 years. Steve wondered if he was a ghost story but Natasha told him 5 years ago she was escorting a nuclear engineer out of Iran and somebody shot out her tires near Odessa. They lost control and went straight over a cliff. She pulled them out but the Winter Soldier was there. She was covering the engineer so he shot him through her. Soviet slug. No rifling. She lifted up her jacket and shirt to show a scar on her abdomen and said sarcastically, "Bye-bye bikinis." Steve sarcastically said, "Yeah, I bet you look terrible in them now."**

Bucky cringed and said to Natasha, "I know it was a horrible thing to do but I'm really so-"

Natasha stopped him with a passionate kiss to the lips and everyone simply turned away while Steve, Wanda, Vision, Sam, Scott and Hope shifted away uncomfortably.

After about a minute, the kiss stopped and Bucky said, "Hell of a way to forgive me."

**Natasha said she had tried to go after the Winter Soldier but it was a dead end. He was a ghost story. She then held up the drive. Steve said it was time to find out what the ghost wants.**

"Nothing." Bucky said grimly.

"The morons behind him do." Sam snarled.

"Can't wait to see them get theirs." Rhodes said.

**Pierce was in the conference room again and said Fury had been killed in cold blood. To any reasonable person, that would make him a martyr, not a traitor. Rockwell said sending pirates to hijack his own ship made him a traitor. Singh said Fury had used Pierce's friendship to coerce the Council into delaying Project Insight and lied to them all. Pierce asked if they were calling for his resignation as he had a pen and paper right there. Hawley said that discussion could be tabled for a later time. Pierce asked if they wanted to have another discussion but they said they had already discussed it and were reactivating Project Insight.**

"Oh no!" Hill said.

"This Pierce guy got a lot of brains." Scott sighed.

**Steve and Natasha were walking as Natasha told him first rule of going on the run was not to run but walk. They were dressed casually now and Steve was wearing a cap with glasses and Natasha also had a hoodie on. Steve said if he ran in these shoes, they would fall off.**

"Next time we jog, please wear those shoes." Sam joked and everyone laughed.

**Natasha later started plugging the drive to a laptop and told Steve it was a Level 6 so when it started to boot up, SHIELD would know exactly where they are. With that, she plugged it and said they had nine minutes from now.**

"Use them wisely." Aunt May said.

**Some SHIELD vehicles were on their way as Natasha said Fury was right about the ship but the AI was protecting the drive by constantly rewriting its commands. Steve asked if she could override it and she said the person who developed it was slightly smarter than her. Slightly.**

"Not many people like that I think." Peter said.

"Nope." Clint told him.

**Natasha said she was going to run a tracer which SHIELD had developed to track hostile malware. If they couldn't read the file, they could find out where it came from. That was when a worker there arrived and asked if he could help them with anything. Natasha put her arms around Steve and said her fiancé was just helping her with honeymoon destinations as Steve played along and said they were getting married.**

"Oh God!" Steve said as he shook his head.

"The spy and the widow getting married huh!" Tony joked and everyone laughed.

"Fiancé huh!" Bucky said with a raised eyebrow at Steve, smirking.

"Yeah, the engagement broke." Steve joked and laughed along with Bucky and Natasha.

**The worker congratulated them and asked where they were thinking about going. Steve looked at the laptop and saw that it had tracked it to New Jersey, so that's what Steve said. The man then looked at Steve closely and said he had the exact same glasses, making them sigh in relief.**

"Thank God!" Pepper said.

**Natasha joked how they were practically twins and the man said he wished as Steve looked perfect. He then introduced himself as Aaron and said if they needed anything, he'd be there. With that, he walked off while the agents led by Rumlow arrived outside as Natasha finally got the location- Wheaton, NJ. **

"That?" Bucky asked, easily remembering it.

"Yeah, that." Steve smirked.

**Later, the two walked together as Steve noted the tac teams coming at them, one straight. He said if they tried to come after them, he'd engage and she could hit the south escalator to the metro. She told him to shut up and put an arm around him. He did as she told him and then she asked him to laugh at something he said. As they passed the agents, Steve did just that and they passed without noticing as Steve looked back at them.**

"Still got stuff to learn, Rogers." Fury noted.

"Well, your best is teaching me." Steve said and Natasha smiled.

"Acting like you know nothing makes you harder to track." Matt said.

**As Rumlow and the other agents looked for them, Steve and Natasha were on an escalator. Rumlow was going by the escalator next to it. Natasha turned to Steve and asked him to kiss her, shocking him. She said public displays of affection made people uncomfortable. Steve agreed and she pulled him into a kiss, which he returned.**

"Ooooh!" Tony said and laughed evilly as everyone chuckled too, "Dirt on you two."

"We're never hearing the end of that." Natasha told Steve.

"No kidding." Steve agreed.

"Good to know the engagement broke." Bucky said and laughed again along with Steve and Natasha.

"Yeah, don't want to fight you again." Steve said.

"This looks really weird." Peter said to Steve and Natasha, "I mean, in this recording, it looks to everyone like you two will get together." He then turned to Bucky, "And you're trying to kill them."

"There is a certain irony in that." Scott said.

"Yup. Makes it weird." Hope agreed.

"Uhhh…. let's not talk about that." Natasha said, making a face.

"Yup." Steve and Bucky said at the same time and everyone turned back to the screen.

**As Rumlow passed them, Natasha pulled away and asked Steve if he was still uncomfortable. He said it wasn't the word he'd exactly use.**

"I think you're happy." Bucky said.

"No!" Steve said.

"Don't lie." Sam said.

"Fine. Gang up on me." Steve said and everyone chuckled.

**Later, the two drove away in a car as Natasha asked where Captain America had learnt to steal a car and he said in Nazi Germany.**

"Yeah, and then he taught me." Bucky said.

**Steve said they were borrowing so she should take her feet off the dash, which she did. She then said she had a question which he did not have to answer, though if he didn't answer it, it would be like answering it. Steve asked what it was and she asked if it was his first kiss since 1945. He asked if he was that bad and she said she hadn't said that. Steve said it sounded like what she was saying but she denied it.**

Everyone laughed again as Steve said, "Can we not watch it?"

"You can bet your ass we're watching it!" Jessica said.

"Because it is the best." Benjamin said.

"If by best, you mean my slow death, then yeah." Steve joked with a laugh.

"You only had two kisses in 1945, didn't you?" Bucky asked and everyone laughed again as Steve glared at Bucky.

"Poor Captain." Wanda said with a funny face.

"You know what, kid." Steve said and she turned back to the screen with a laugh.

"Kissing also helps develop immunity to bacteria so you two made a smart move." Vision told them but they both looked disgusted.

"Please, we know you're part robot, but the reminders are uncomfortable." Tony said.

"Yeah." Wanda of all people agreed.

**Natasha said she was wondering how much practice he had had and he said they didn't need practice. Natasha said everyone needed practice. Steve said it wasn't his first kiss since 1945. He was 95. Not dead. Natasha asked if he had anybody special. Steve said it was hard to find someone with a shared life history.**

"You got one right here." Elektra said jokingly as she pointed at Logan.

"You know what, Natchios." Logan said as he closed his fist with a chuckle, acting like he was brandishing his claws, which he wasn't.

**Natasha said he could make something up and he asked like her. She said truth was a matter of circumstance and wasn't all things to all people. She wasn't either. Steve said it was a tough way to live and she said it was a good way not to die.**

Everyone looked at Natasha in sympathy.

**Steve said it was hard to trust someone when he didn't know who that someone really was. She asked him what he wanted her to be and he said he wanted her to be a friend. She chuckled and said, "Well, there's a chance you might be in the wrong business, Rogers." **

"And turns out you two were in the worst business ever." Luke said.

"Yeah, unfortunately." Natasha said.

**They stopped their car and got out as Steve asked if this was the place and Natasha said the file came from these coordinates. Steve saw it was Camp Leigh and said he did too. **

"Flashback to the past." Bucky said.

**The two investigated the place till night time as Natasha asked if it had changed much and Steve said it had a little. Steve then looked around and remembered being made to jog in the morning by their Sergeant along with the others and how he was left behind. He even saw younger him stopping in front of him and it seemed like both Steves were looking right into each other's eyes until the Sergeant called out to Steve and he ran off.**

"I get the feeling." Frank told Steve.

**Natasha said this was a dead end and whoever had written the file had used a router to throw people off but Steve noticed a building and told her army regulations forbid storing munitions within 500 yards of the barracks so this building was in the wrong place.**

"Smart." Trish said.

"No. Just good at following." Steve chuckled.

**Steve broke the lock with his shield and the two walked inside as Natasha looked around with her phone's light and they switched on a light, revealing a SHIELD logo as Natasha said this was SHIELD and Steve realized this was where it had started.**

"Guessed that right." Hill said.

**They looked around as a switch was flipped on and pictures of the founders were there- Howard Stark, Peggy Carter and Chester Phillips. Natasha recognized Howard Stark but asked Steve who Peggy was, to which he didn't reply and continued to walk around after staring at the picture emotionally.**

"Always meant to ask you this." Trish said to Natasha, "How do you not know who Peggy Carter is?"

"I knew her by name." Natasha said, "But unlike other agents, I never attended the SHIELD Academy. I was recruited by Clint here when I was already an adult. So never really got a chance to look at her picture. [1]

Everyone nodded at her explanation.

**As they investigated a place, Steve noticed some cobwebs between two cupboards and pushed them apart, revealing an elevator there. He then said if they already had a secret office, what did they need a secret elevator for.**

"To hide their dirty little secret." Benjamin said.

**Natasha hacked the elevator codes and it went down with them. As they walked out, the lights turned on and they looked at the very old computers and recorders around. Natasha said this couldn't be the data point as the technology was very ancient. Then she saw that the drive she had could fit easily there so she put it in and the devices all activated.**

"Just one piece of modern technology." Clint said.

**The monitor asked to 'Initiate System' and Natasha typed 'YES'. As it started activating, she asked with a smirk, "Shall we play a game?"  
**

"Wait! Did you just make a movie reference?" Tony asked Natasha with a raised eyebrow, "My life is complete."

"That was a great film! You've got great taste." Peter told Natasha.

"Now you're never hearing the end of it." Pepper told her.

"I know." Natasha shrugged.

**Natasha said it was from a movie and Steve said he had seen it. The computer started speaking, saying Steve's name and birth year and Natasha's real name- Natalia Alianovna, born 1984. **

"So closer to Natalie after all." Pepper said and Natasha shrugged.

**Natasha said it was some kind of recording but the voice said it wasn't. It then revealed a picture of Arnim Zola on another computer and Natasha asked if Steve knew this thing. Steve said Zola was a German Scientist who worked for the Red Skull and has been dead for years. Zola corrected him and said he was Swiss and had never been more alive. In 1972, he had received a terminal diagnosis. Science couldn't save his body but his mind was worth saving, on 200,000 feet of databanks. They were currently standing in his brain. **

"Damn! That is a big brain!" Rhodes said.

"We've seen bigger." Jessica said.

"But that brain was full of shit." Frank said.

**Steve asked how he had gotten here and Natasha remembered Operation Paperclip where SHIELD had recruited German Scientists after World War II. Zola said they thought he could help their cause but he also helped their own. Steve said Hydra died with the Red Skull but Zola said, "Cut off one head. Two more shall take its place." As he said that, he also divided his digital face into two.**

"That motto again." Matt sighed.

"With a twist." Elektra said.

**Steve asked him to prove it so he accessed archives and showed them old pictures and videos of Schmidt, Captain America and World War II, saying Hydra was founded on the belief that humanity could not be trusted with its own freedom.**

"No, it was founded to bring an Inhuman to Earth." Wanda corrected.

"They're all liars." Luke said.

**He also said that when they tried to take the freedom away, humanity will resist so it needed to surrender it willingly. After the war, SHIELD was founded and he was recruited. He showed them an old newspaper clipping of SHIELD recruiting German scientists and he was in the picture too as he said the new Hydra grew, a beautiful parasite within SHIELD. For 70 years, they fed crisis and reaped war. And when history did not cooperate, history was changed. A picture of Winter Soldier assassinating John F. Kennedy.**

"That was you?" A shocked Aunt May asked as everyone turned to Bucky in shock.

"Unfortunately." Bucky sighed as Natasha held his hand.

**Natasha said SHIELD would have stopped them but Zola said accidents will happen and then showed them a picture of Howard and Maria in a newspaper after their deaths.**

"So this is where you found out?" Tony asked Steve and Natasha.

"Yes." Steve said, "And a few seconds later, the place was bombed."

"He also said he had been stalling." Natasha said.

"So that's why I didn't look into the matter." Steve said.

"It's all right, Cap." Tony said, "If I was you, I would probably do the same thing."

Bucky was shaking with guilt at this point and couldn't stop himself. He spoke up, "I'm sorry. I know what I did. I know I hurt you. But I'm sorry. I don't deserve it, but I want you to know."

No one said a thing as Natasha held Bucky's hand and smiled with pride and Steve just put a hand on his shoulder and did the same. Tony didn't say a word. He simply nodded and turned back to the screen.

**Zola said Hydra created a world so chaotic that humanity is finally ready to give up its freedom in exchange for security. Once a purification process is complete, a new world order will arise. Hydra had won. Steve's death amounted to the same as his life- a zero sum. Steve angrily punched the monitor, shattering it.**

"Finally you shut it up." Sam said.

"He doesn't shut up easily." Steve snarled.

**Another monitor activated and Zola appeared on it as Steve asked what was on the drive. Zola said Project Insight required insight so he wrote an algorith. Natasha asked what it did. Zola said the answer to her question was fascinating but they would be too dead to hear it. The doors started closing and Steve threw his shield but they closed first as it returned to him. Natasha opened her phone and told Steve they had a bogey. He asked who fired it and she said SHIELD.**

"The goddamn Hydra!" Fury snarled.

**Zola said he had been stalling as both of them were out of time.**

"No, only you." Wanda said to Zola.

**Natasha took out the drive while Steve ripped out a manhole cover as a missile came down and the two jumped just as it hit and exploded, sending debris, fire and smoke on both of them but Steve protected them both with his shield. There was darkness for a few seconds and then Natasha was shown lying unconscious while Steve staggered up and coughed. He then looked around and lifting Natasha bridal style, walked off, avoiding the Quinjets and their flashlights.**

"At least you escaped." Logan said, "With your life."

"And lived to fight another day." Natasha smirked.

**Rumlow and other agents looked around and Rumlow found footprints. He tapped his comms and asked the others to call in the asset.**

"Of course! Call me in you morons!" Bucky snarled angrily and Natasha once again held his hand.

**Back at the SHIELD base, Hill walked up to Sitwell and asked if he had called her. He said he had called her an hour ago. She said she was arranging a funeral so he apologized and showed her footage of Steve and Natasha at the airport, asking if she knew anything about it. She said she didn't but she wasn't surprised as this was Captain America they were after and he tended to inspire a certain amount of loyalty.**

"Thanks." Steve said to her, feeling flattered.

**She started walking away and Sitwell asked when was the service. Hill said on Friday so Sitwell said as soon as it was finished, she was going back to New York. Hill turned around and asked why. Sitwell said she was off the investigation as her connection to Captain Rogers was a liability. SHIELD demanded loyalty too. An angered Hill walked off.**

"Oh I am loyal to SHIELD. But not to your two-faced organization." Hill snarled.

**Pierce took out some milk in his home and then turned around to see the Winter Soldier sitting there without his mask, his face covered in shadow. His housemaid Renata asked if he needed anything and he said he didn't, allowing her to go as they wished each other good night. He asked Winter Soldier if he wanted some milk and taking it out, sat in front of him and said their timetable had moved and their window was limited. They had two Level 6 targets who had cost him Zola and he needed them dead in 10 hours. Renata returned then and said she had forgotten her phone. She noticed Winter Soldier and Pierce cringed, having genuinely liked her. He said he wished she had knocked and picking up a pistol, shot her on the chest twice, killing her.**

Everyone cringed at the saddening scene as Tony muttered to himself, "Why didn't you knock?"

**Sam Wilson was jogging again and returning home, was about to drink some juice when there was a tap on his window. He opened the blinds to see Steve and Natasha so he opened the window. Steve apologized, saying they had nowhere else to go. Natasha said everyone they knew was trying to kill them. Sam said, "Not everyone." He then let them in and shut the window and blinds again.**

"I wasn't trying to kill you." Tony said.

"But they would know if we go to someone like you." Steve pointed out.

"And I was on a mission unfortunately." Clint said.

**Steve, now in his vest, washed himself up in Sam's washroom, and Natasha, also in her vest, cleaned herself up with a towel. Steve asked if she was all right and she said she was. He sat in front of her and asked what was going on. With a sigh, she said, "When I first joined SHIELD, I thought I was going straight. But I guess I just traded in the KGB for Hydra. I thought I knew whose lies I was telling, but I guess I can't tell the difference anymore." Steve looked at her and said, "There's a chance you might be in the wrong business." The two smiled and she said, "I owe you." He told her not to think anything of it but she said, "If it was the other way round and it was down to me to save your life, now you be honest with me, would you trust me to do it?" Steve assured her, "I would now. And I'm always honest."  
**

"Look. The start of a great new friendship." Tony joked, "And another ship."

"You say one more word-" Natasha started and left it there, making him pale at the implications.

**Natasha said Steve seemed chipper for a guy who had found out he had died for nothing and he said he just liked to know who he was fighting. Sam came in and said he had prepared breakfast, if they ate that sort of thing.**

"Everyone needs breakfast." Bruce shrugged.

**At the table, Natasha wondered who at SHIELD could launch a domestic missile strike and Steve realized it was Pierce. Natasha said he was in the top of the most secure building in the world. Steve said he wasn't working alone as Zola's algorithm was on the Lemurian Star. Natasha remembered Sitwell was there too and they realized he was Hydra. She wondered how the two most wanted people in Washington will abduct a SHIELD agent in broad daylight. Sam said they won't have to as he put down some pictures, saying they were like a resume. **

"So now you're auditioning." Scott said to Sam and both chuckled.

"Yeah. I even have a resume." Sam joked.

**Natasha realized it was Bakhmala, the Khalid Khandil mission, which was him. There was another man with Sam in the picture and Steve asked if it was Riley, to which he said it was. Natasha said they couldn't bring choppers because of RPGs and asked if he had used a stealth chute. He said he hadn't and gave them a file. They opened it and Steve said he thought Sam to be a pilot. Sam said he had never said pilot. Steve said he couldn't ask Sam to do this as he had gotten out for a good reason but Sam said Captain America needed his help so there was no better reason to get back in. Steve asked where they could get their hands on one of these things and he said last one was behind 3 guarded gates and a 12 inch steel wall. Steve and Natasha shrugged and he said it shouldn't be a problem. He put down the file, which had 'EXO-7 FALCON' written on it.**

"And now the Falcon will fly." Fury said and everyone nodded.

* * *

**Decided to end it here as I didn't want to make this one too long. Next one will have the highway fight between Steve and Bucky, which is the best fight scene of the MCU movies. Though if you factor in the Daredevil TV series, then there are quite a few fights better than this one.**

**I personally think both Bucky and Tony should apologize to each other. Bucky wasn't in control of himself obviously and I don't blame him for the deaths of Tony's parents, but still, an apology by him might work wonders. And Tony should also apologize for trying to kill him, even if it was an emotional reaction. Tony's apology will come too, after a certain heart-wrenching Bucky scene in this movie which is devastating unless you're totally heartless.**

**[1] Some people have asked why Natasha asked who Peggy was, as being a SHIELD agent, she should know. Some people said she knew but was asking to get Steve to open up about his past but that is too mean-spirited. Natasha isn't mean. So I think because she was recruited by Hawkeye when she was already an adult, she didn't go to SHIELD Academy to learn much about SHIELD history. So she probably knows Peggy by name but never saw her photo. That's what I think.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter and the MCU movies' best fight scene.**


	43. Who the hell is Bucky?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Glad you enjoyed. Now you see the fight. Yes, Infinity War and Endgame robbed us of such stuff we needed to see. Glad you liked Logan's and Elektra's banter. Thanks for pointing that out. LOL! That is a great image in my head. Thanks for that. Yes, now I think Bucky should have a list too. Thanks for the recommendation. The idea with Itsu is good but unfortunately, unusable here. And the part with Logan at Nagasaki is cannon in this if you remember Wanda seeing it in Logan's head in an earlier chapter. Plus, poor Bucky is suffering enough. You'll see on Bucky and Natasha. Let's just say they will get the room soon. That is a nice idea on Romanogers actually. Yes, onto one of the best fights.**

**Knox: I know.**

**I'm random: For the love of the Gods, you Tony stans never stop with your headcannons, do you? At this point I won't be surprised if you lot look in the mirror and keep repeating this BS until you believe it yourself. More than half of what you said are just headcannons. Steve was only trying to disable the suit the entire time and so was Bucky. The only one trying to kill was Tony. Now I understand why, but you're wrong. And what do you even mean by the way Steve talks about Tony? He never tries to undermine Tony behind his back. He doesn't even talk about Tony behind his back. Another headcannon made by Tony stans. Tony on the other hand did say behind his back, "Wonder if they should have left him on ice." Steve called Tony Earth's best defender in Infinity War when he was talking to Ross and Tony wasn't even there so he wasn't trying to flatter the guy. The only thing I agree with you on is that Steve should have been lighter on Tony in the beginning of Endgame. But really, at this point, I'm out of patience with you Tony stans as the last one to comment on here said something really horrible to me that has pissed me off really bad. 'So you should know, there is a Nicolas Cage inside of me. And you are a Tony fanatic. And my inner Nicolas Cage, he feeds on all kinds of fanatics. And right now, the only thing standing between you and my inner Nicolas Cage…..is me. And he is just….he is just….he is SCRAPING AT THE DOOAH! SCRAPING AT THE DOOAH! So you're not gonna comment on this story anymore or I'm gonna let him out. So go read a prop-Tony fic or I'LL EAT YOUR STINKING SOUUUUUUL!' Yeah, I don't care much about if I hurt your feelings considering you hurt them yourself by reading this fic. It is not my job to protect your fragile feelings. It's yours. So if you feel you can't read something with an open mind, don't read it and don't comment because you can't change what actually happened in cannon.**

**Now to all those who just want to read and enjoy a decent story, I'm sorry you had to read that. But I'm way past my limit with all kinds of fanatics (WestAllen, Lauriver, Olicity, Tony, Snape), and I'm not having a good time. So anyone who pisses me off is going to have it.**

Chapter 43- Who the hell is Bucky?

"Sitwell better watch out." Tony said.

"Yeah. He better." Pepper agreed.

"No. He better not." Fury said, "So that he gets what is coming to him."

**Stern and Sitwell walked together as the former told the latter he was flying home due to constituency problems and needed to press the flesh. Sitwell asked if there was any constituency in particular and Stern said she was 23 and hot and an aspiring reporter. Sitwell said she didn't sound like much of a problem but Stern said she was killing his back.**

"Creepy old perv." Tony said.

**They agreed this wasn't the best place to talk about it and hugged each other as Stern said 'Hail Hydra' in Sitwell's ear.**

"And busted." Hope said.

"Prepare to say it again in a few minutes." Steve told her with a smirk.

**Stern walked away, pointing at his knee and saying he should probably get it checked.**

"Don't worry. If there is no problem, I will shatter it." Rhodes said.

"I'll shatter the other one." Tony said.

**Stern walked off with his men as Sitwell's phone rang and he asked his men to bring the car around. He accepted the call as it was from Alexander Pierce but Sam Wilson spoke instead, asking him how was lunch and that the crab cakes were delicious. Sitwell asked who he was and he said the good looking guy on his 10 o' clock. He looked there but Sam said his other 10 o' clock. That was when he saw Sam sitting there and he raised a drink saying, "There you go."**

Everyone clapped for Sam as Bucky said, "Now that's how you threaten these people."

"I have my moments." Sam said.

**Sitwell asked what he wanted and Sam said he was going to go to the corner to his right. There was a gray car two spaces down and they were going to take a ride. Sitwell asked what if he refused and Sam said his tie looked really expensive and he would hate to mess it up. Sitwell noticed a laser pointed at his tie and looked around in horror.**

Everyone clapped and cheered again as Hill said, "Take that you bastard!"

"These morons are all getting theirs now." Logan said.

**Later, Sitwell was pushed on a rooftop as Steve and Natasha walked up to him and the former asked about Zola's algorithm. Sitwell lied he didn't know and Steve asked what he was doing on the Lemurian Star. He said he was getting seasick and throwing up. He was on the edge of the roof as Steve grabbed him by the collar. He then asked if this little display was meant to insinuate that he was going to throw him off the roof because that wasn't really his style. "You're right. It's not." Steve said as he stepped aside, "It's hers." Before Sitwell could react, Natasha kicked him hard, throwing him off the roof as he went down screaming.**

Everyone applauded loudly again as Hill said, "Thanks a lot."

Natasha didn't give a verbal response but nodded with a smile.

"You just need the right amount of force to deal with these people." Matt said with a chuckle.

**Natasha then asked Steve about the girl from accounting and Steve remembered her name was Lillian. Natasha said she was cute but Steve said he wasn't ready for that.**

Everyone laughed as Scott said, "So after kicking a guy off the roof, you two are discussing Cap's date life?"

"It's a fun topic to discuss." Natasha shrugged.

"It's not." Steve said.

"It is."

"It's not."

"All right kids. I think that is enough for today." Bucky joked and everyone laughed again.

**And then Sam Wilson, now wearing a pair of mechanical wings, flew up, holding Sitwell and threw him back on the ground as his wings folded into his jetpack and he turned around.**

Everyone clapped and cheered at Sam's entrance as he smirked happily.

"The Falcon is here!" Peter cheered.

"And his audition is going awesome." Scott said as Sam shook his head.

"That is a pretty great entrance." Benjamin agreed.

**A terrified Sitwell said Zola's algorithm was a program for choosing Insight's targets. Steve inquired about them and he spoke about some of them- Steve Rogers himself, a TV anchor in Cairo, the Under Secretary of Defense, a high school valedictorian in Iowa City, Bruce Banner, Stephen Strange and anyone who was a threat to Hydra now or in the future.**

"I was their target too?" A horrified Bruce asked.

"Makes sense." Tony said, "You're an expert on gamma stuff. You're a good guy. And you're the Other Guy."

"But I don't think they could have killed you because of Hulk." Odinson told him.

"Yeah." Bruce sighed in relief, "Good thing I have him."

"And why Stephen Strange?" Pepper asked.

"Probably because it evaluated his future somehow." Elektra said.

**Steve asked how it would know about the future and Sitwell said the 21****st**** century was like a digital book which Zola had taught Hydra to read. Their bank records, medical histories, voting patterns, emails, phone calls and SAT scores. Zola's algorithm evaluates people's past to predict their future.**

"Oh my God!" Hope said in horror, "This project itself is monstrous."

"Yes. Which is why it had to be wiped out." Fury said.

Tony was pale, as hearing about Project Insight reminded him of an idea he had of making some glasses which allowed the user with access to all of his satellite network and several hundred tactical drones. It would also give the user access to their target's personal information by providing backdoor entrances to the world's largest telecommunication companies. And he was thinking of bequeathing it to Peter after his death.

Now, he realized that this project in his head was as horrible as Project Insight. And in that moment, he scrapped the entire idea in his head, coming to a realization. [1]

**Steve asked what happened next as Sitwell muttered that Pierce would kill him.**

"He won't. I will." Bucky snarled. This was his one kill as Winter Soldier which he didn't regret one bit due to Sitwell being a bastard.

**Sitwell said that then the Insight helicarriers scratched people's names off the list, a few million at a time.**

"Sweet Christmas!" Luke said.

"Well, shit has hit the fan." Jessica said.

**Later, Sam drove them all to the location on a highway as Sitwell told them Hydra doesn't like leaks and Sam sarcastically said they should try fitting a cork in it.**

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "You're awesome, Wilson. You know that?"

"I think I agree with that sentiment totally." Rhodes said and Sam nodded in appreciation.

**Natasha said Insight was launching in 16 hours so they were cutting it close. Steve said they would use Sitwell to bypass the DNA scans and access the helicarriers directly but Sitwell said that was a terrible idea. Suddenly, someone jumped up on the car and then the window shattered as a metal arm burst through it, grabbing Sitwell and throwing him out into the way of an oncoming truck, killing him as everyone watched in horror.**

"At least he is dead." Trish said.

"But now they can't access the helicarriers." Frank said, "Damn it!"

"Unfortunate. I know." Bucky said.

**Winter Soldier started firing at them from above as Natasha jumped to the front seat and pushed Steve out of the way to protect him from the bullets.**

"Thank you for saving him from me." Bucky said to Natasha who simply held his hand.

**Sam applied the brakes and Winter Soldier leapt off the car onto the road, using his metal arm to steady himself as he stood up and looked at them.**

Everyone was tense at the intense scene.

**Natasha was about to fire at him when a Hydra vehicle hit them from behind, making her drop it as they were pushed towards Winter Soldier who leapt at their car. Natasha tried to pick her gun as Sam tried to shake Winter Soldier off but he smashed through the glass and ripped out the steering wheel itself, horrifying Sam.**

"Motherfu-" Fury trailed off.

"Damn! Just damn!" Clint said.

"Even I wasn't that terrifying." Loki muttered as Thor glared at him, "Of course I was mostly myself."

**The car managed to accelerate away as Winter Soldier jumped on the Hydra vehicle. It hit the car from behind and it staggered away as Steve grabbed Natasha and Sam and broke the door. They slid away on the door as the car crashed and Sam rolled away.**

"This is getting more and more intense every minute." Aunt May said.

"No kidding." Hope agreed.

**Steve and Natasha got up as Winter Soldier fired a missile at them. Steve sent Natasha off and used the shield to block the missile but was still sent flying off, crashing into a bus through some glass. The driver looked back and ended up colliding into another bus as both toppled.**

"Why is this happening?" Bucky said as he looked down in shame and put his head in his hands and both Steve and Natasha tried to comfort him.

"Thank you for saving her from me." Bucky said to Steve about him saving Natasha from the missile in the recording.

**Winter Soldier and his men fired at Natasha and Sam as she returned fire and he backed off. She then ran off, flipping on some moving cars to save herself as Winter Soldier fired a missile which sent a car flying off. Natasha flipped off the highway and used her grapple hook to swing and land safely, saving herself. Winter Soldier looked down and she noticed his shadow. Before he could fire, she fired at him from under the highway, shattering his glasses and staggering him back as he sat down and took them off, revealing his eyes.**

"That was very smart." Wanda said.

"Why do you think they made me your teacher?" Natasha asked with a raised eyebrow and Wanda shrugged with a smile.

**The two then exchanged fire as Natasha ran off to avoid while the civilians ran around in terror. Winter Soldier told his men to take care of the others while Natasha was his. With that, he jumped down to look for her, shattering a car after landing on it.**

"Now you're mine." Natasha joked to Bucky with a smirk to lighten the mood, though it didn't work much.

**The other men attached hooks to a car and as Steve woke up in the evacuated bus, they leapt down and fired at him with machine guns. He avoided and leapt out with his shield, blocking their shots.**

"These morons never give up do they?" Hill asked.

"We don't either." Steve said.

**Another man attached his hook to a car but before he could jump, Sam kicked him from behind, staggering him. He then elbowed him and sliced him with his knife before kicking him away and taking his gun.**

Everyone clapped happily again as Fury said, "You were right. You do what Rogers does. Just slower."

"Yeah. That's what we soldiers do." Sam agreed with a smile.

"I know." Steve agreed.

"Yeah, I get the feeling too." Frank said, "Though I use guns more than hand to hand."

"And I use claws." Logan said.

**Steve deflected a man's shots onto another one, killing him. He then rushed further with his shield in the way as Sam took down another man. Steve leapt onto a car and with a flip, grabbed the man and threw him to the car, shattering his spine. Sam and the other man exchanged fire as Sam told Steve to go because had got this.**

"We always look out for each other." Bucky smiled and the soldiers in the room nodded.

**A police car arrived but Winter Soldier destroyed it with a missile. **

"Oh no." Bucky said again and shook his head.

**As he walked around, he heard Natasha's voice saying they were going to rendezvous somewhere.**

"Wait! Why're you speaking loudly enough for him to hear you?" Scott asked Natasha.

"You don't know her that well, do you?" Clint asked Scott with a smirk which Natasha matched with her own.

**Winter Soldier knelt down and discreetly threw a grenade in the direction. It rolled there towards the car but turned out there was a phone there, playing a recorded message.**

"Wow!" Hope said as Scott's jaw dropped.

"And now they have seen." Bruce said.

"I think you just got 50 more seals of approval." Loki said and Natasha laughed.

"That is so awesome." Peter said.

"I know right!" Aunt May said.

"Agreed." Benjamin said.

**The grenade exploded and that was when Natasha leapt at Winter Soldier from behind and kicked the gun away before hanging onto him from behind and wrapped a garrote around his throat. He backed off and slammed her into the car behind them before throwing her off into another one. Before he could attack again, she threw a disk at his metal arm, immobilizing it as she ran off. He removed the disk and making a fist, walked after her. Natasha told the civilians to get out of the way when Winter Soldier fired a shot and it hit her shoulder, making her fall down behind a car as she looked around, trying to save her life.**

"Please, shoot my arm." Bucky cringed, feeling guilty.

"It wasn't your fault." Natasha said again as they held hands tightly.

"Do not blame yourself, Sergeant Barnes." T'Challa said, "You were a victim. The only ones to blame are Hydra."

"Damn right!" Rhodes said too.

**Suddenly, Winter Soldier appeared in front of her and was about to fire when Steve rushed him. He turned his attention to Steve and punched with his metal arm. Steve put the shield in the way and the clash produced a loud metallic clang as Steve gritted his teeth due to his opponent's strength.**

"Thank you for saving her from me. Again." Bucky told Steve who nodded.

"I think it is starting now." Wanda said as everyone looked at the screen, feeling very tense and with their breaths held back.

**Winter Soldier removed the shield and kicked Steve away. He tried to fire but Steve blocked with his shield. He rolled off behind the car as Steve rolled after him. He tried to fire with another gun but Steve avoided as the glass shattered. When he stopped to reload, Steve flipped and kicked the gun out of his hands. He took out a pistol and fired again as Steve blocked with his shield. He punched Winter Soldier and tried to hit with his shield but he blocked. Steve smacked him but he blocked and punched back as Steve flipped and Winter Soldier got the shield instead as Steve tried to punch but he blocked with it and punched Steve back as he rolled.**

Everyone watched with tense expressions as Jessica commented, "Nice gun-fu."

"Shield and gun together." Luke muttered.

**Steve rushed Winter Soldier who threw the shield but Steve narrowly avoided as it got stuck into the car behind him. Winter Soldier took out a knife and twirled it.**

"If this was a movie, I'd say it has some Raid level choreography." Peter said to lighten the mood but it didn't work.

**As Steve ran closer, they fought each other again as Steve deflected his attacks and pushed his knife hand down twice as Winter Soldier pushed him off with his metal arm and tried to strike with his knife twice but Steve ducked to avoid. He then punched Winter Soldier on the face and with a leap, kicked him into a car, denting the door. He then rushed him and with a leap, kneed him into it, shattering the glass. Winter Soldier blocked another strike and punched him back before Steve flipped him to the ground. Winter Soldier got back up and grabbed Steve by the throat with his metal arm. As Steve grunted in pain, Winter Soldier threw him off and he fell over a car. Winter Soldier leapt over it and tried to punch Steve but he rolled away to avoid as the punch shattered the concrete.**

"OH BOY!" Peter said in horror, grateful that he had the strength to overpower the metal arm.

"Don't worry kid. I was myself when we fought so I didn't use the full force of the arm on you either." Bucky assured him and he nodded.

**Steve got back up as Winter Soldier tried to punch him twice with his metal arm but he blocked with his elbow before being pushed into the car. Bucky kicked him back into it and taking out the knife, tried to stab again as Steve put his hands in the way, trying to push back. Winter Soldier used his metal arm's strength to overpower Steve though he leaned his head to the side. The knife struck into the car and Winter Soldier pushed them both to the side as the knife tore a huge line in the car. Steve grabbed Winter Soldier and flipped them both to the ground before flipping back up and taking his shield. Winter Soldier got back up too and tried to attack with a knife as Steve blocked or dodged. Winter Soldier punched him back but Steve blocked a kick with his shield and ducking to avoid a strike, grabbed his metal arm and hit it with his shield before striking his mask with it and then grabbing him by the mask, threw him off to the other side as it fell off.**

"The mask is off. The mask is off." Peter was saying.

"And he will turn around now." Logan sighed.

"And everything will be a nightmare." Bucky sighed to himself as him and Natasha held hands again.

**Winter Soldier turned around- to reveal the face of Bucky Barnes. Steve couldn't believe it as he looked at him in horror and disbelief. "Bucky?" He managed to let out. Bucky looked at him in a bit of confusion and asked, "Who the hell is Bucky?" **

All of them looked at the scene in horror and disbelief too, their hearts going out to Bucky for what he would have been through. Even Tony, as he wondered how much Hydra had tortured him to make him forget his own name.

**He then pointed his gun at Steve but Sam flew up behind him and kicked him down. Steve was still in shock as Bucky staggered back up and pointed his gun again but Natasha fired her missile and he ran off as it hit a car and exploded. A wounded Natasha lowered the launcher and leaned against a car as the smoke cleared but Bucky wasn't there.**

"Like a ghost." Bucky muttered.

**Many vehicles drove to the area as Rumlow and several STRIKE agents walked out, pointing guns at the three. Rumlow kicked Steve's knee and he kneeled down with his hands raised and his shield on the ground while Natasha and Sam were both cuffed and lead away. Natasha glanced over at Steve in concern as Rollins tried to shoot Steve but Rumlow lowered his hand as there was a press chopper nearby. Steve still had an expression of disbelief on his face. It was impossible!**

"I can't imagine what you were going through." Hill told him in sympathy and he nodded.

"Saved by the press." Matt muttered to lighten the mood.

**Later, they were in the back of a van as Steve said, "He looked right at me. Like he didn't even know me." **

"Been there." Logan said.

"My best friend killed my family." Frank said to the shock of everyone from the past, "And unlike you, Barnes, he wasn't innocent. He did it of his own free will. So don't blame yourself."

Bucky nodded in appreciation and Steve did too.

**Sam wondered how that was possible as Steve remembered Zola had captured Bucky's whole unit in 1943. They had experimented on him and whatever they had done had probably helped Bucky survive. Then they had found him. Natasha assured Steve it wasn't his fault as Steve said, "Even when I had nothing, I had Bucky."**

"And I had you." Bucky told Steve and they both gave each other brotherly smiles.

**Sam noticed Natasha's shoulder bleeding and told the STRIKE agents to get a doctor as she was bleeding out. One of them took out a taser rod, shutting him up. But then the agent hit the one next to him with it, shocking him and then kicked him out. The agent then took off the helmet, revealing the face of Maria Hill. "That thing was squeezing my brain." She said as she brushed away her hair and looked at Sam, "Who's this guy?"**

"The Falcon." Sam said.

"I know." Hill said.

"You made a nice entry too." Logan told her.

"Thanks." She said.

**The vehicles stopped as Rumlow got out and told his men to dig 3 holes. They had their guns at the ready and pulled the door of the van open, only to see an agent knocked out and the other one missing along with Steve, Natasha and Sam. There was a hole in the van.**

"Just one was enough." Hill smirked.

"The mouse hole." Fury said.

**Hill opened another vehicle and led them all to a secret warehouse as Steve and Sam supported a wounded Natasha who was covering her wound with their help. They were led inside as a doctor arrived and Hill told him she had lost a pint. Sam said it was two. He was going to treat her but Hill said she would want to see him first. And then they saw Fury lying on a bad, some tubes attached to him. "About damn time."**

"About damn time." Fury said.

"And you're back in the game." Frank told him.

"Damn right!" Fury said.

**As the doctor pressed Natasha's wound and treated it, Fury told them about his injuries- Lacerated spinal column, cracked sternum, shattered collarbone, perforated liver, a hell of a headache, and on the doctor's reminder, a collapsed lung.**

"Uhhhh… I apologize." Bucky said.

"It's all right, Barnes." Fury said.

"Yeah, it was the fault of your enthrallers. Like I'm responsible for what Clint did." Loki said and everyone was genuinely surprised that he admitted to his faults.

"Not forgiving you for that but considering you admit it, it's a start." Clint said.

"I know." Loki said.

**He said other than that, he was all right. Natasha remembered he had been cut open and his heart had stopped. Fury told them about Tetrodoxin B which Banner had developed for stress relief but hadn't worked out for him. It slowed the heartbeat down to one pulse a minute.**

"So basically, I helped in this one." Bruce said and everyone nodded, "Indirectly. Good to know."

**Steve asked why all the secrecy and why hadn't he told them. Hill said any attempt on his life had to look successful. "Can't kill you if you're already dead." Fury said, "Besides, I wasn't sure who to trust." Natasha looked hurt on hearing that.**

"Not a big fan of your trust issues." Natasha said to Fury and he winced.

**Bucky was in a Hydra cell as doctors worked on his damaged metallic arm. He suddenly remembered Zola's face and falling down as Steve tried to catch him. He remembered the loss of his arm after falling down and the stump as he was dragged away by Hydra thugs and then a metal arm in its place as Zola said he was to be the new fist of Hydra. He choked a scientist with it as Zola said to put him on ice and he was put on it. Startled by the memories, Bucky smacked a doctor away as Rollins and the others pointed their weapons at him.**

Bucky started panting heavily as Natasha put her arms around him.

**Later, Pierce and Rumlow arrived as the doctor told them he was unstable and erratic but they went in anyway as Pierce told his men to lower their weapons. He walked up to Bucky and asked him about the mission but he didn't reply so Pierce gave him a backhanded slap.**

Everyone flinched at the scene as Bucky looked away. Even Tony flinched.

**Bucky asked who the man on the bridge was as the scene flashed back to Steve seeing and recognizing him. Pierce said he had met him on another assignment earlier in the week. "I knew him." Bucky said. Pierce told him his work had been a gift to mankind and he had shaped the century. He needed to do that one more time. Society was at a tipping point between order and chaos and they were going to give it a push next morning. But if Bucky didn't do his part, he couldn't do his and Hydra won't be able to give the world the freedom it deserves. "But I knew him." Bucky said again.**

Everyone's heart broke at the saddening and terrifying scene as Elektra said to Bucky, "I've been there."

"What?" Bucky asked.

"I died." Elektra revealed to everyone's shock, "But an organization called the Hand resurrected me because I had some special powers they wanted and called me the Black Sky. I didn't have my memories either and they shaped me into their perfect weapon. When I started to remember, they too convinced me that it wasn't real."

"I'm sorry." Bucky said to her and she nodded in appreciation.

"I'm sorry too." She said to him and he nodded.

**Pierce told the others to prep him. The doctor said he had been out of cryo freeze too long. Pierce said then they could wipe him and start over. One of them put a piece of metal in Bucky's mouth to muffle his screams, which he accepted. He was lowered on the chair and strapped to it as the machine came down on him and covering his head from both sides, started giving him electrical shocks as he screamed, though they were muffled by the metal. Pierce, Rumlow and the others walked away as Bucky continued screaming in pain.**

Peter, Wanda, Aunt May and Pepper actually had tears in their eyes at this point as Peter and Aunt May held each other. Wanda was reminded of the experiments done on her as Vision put an arm around her.

Bucky panted and closed his eyes as Natasha, who looked horrified, held his hand for comfort and Steve put a hand on his shoulder, feeling horrified to his core. Hearing about this was one thing. Seeing it was another. The others were simply too horrified to speak. Their eyes were wide in horror.

Tony couldn't control himself any longer.

"Barnes! I'm sorry!" He said as Bucky looked up at him in surprise and so did everyone else, "I should NEVER have attacked you. Nothing you did was your fault. I knew I reacted emotionally but I didn't stand down even when I was told to. I'm sorry. I know I don't deserve it, but I'm sorry."

Everyone was surprised at Tony's sincerity. Pepper held his hand and smiled with pride and Rhodes nodded at him with a proud smile of his own.

Tony then got up from his couch and walked up to Bucky, who got up too.

"You were brainwashed. I was a moron." Tony said as he held out his hand, "Want to bury the hatchet deep, deep down?"

After a few seconds, Bucky grasped his hand and shook it, "I do."

The two then gave each other a smile. Maybe they could become friends after all. Tony then walked back to his couch as Pepper and Rhodes continued smiling at him and Bucky sat down too. Everyone sighed in relief. Tony and Bucky both felt that a weight was lifted off of their shoulders.

After about one full minute, Logan said, "Now moving on."

"Yup." Benjamin said.

**Fury looked at a photo of Pierce and said this man had declined the Nobel Peace Prize. He had said peace wasn't an achievement but a responsibility. And it was stuff like this that gave him trust issues.**

No one said a word and realized that under his tough exterior, even Fury was a human who had been betrayed by people close to him. And that had made him like this.

**Natasha said they needed to stop the launch and Fury said the Council wasn't accepting his calls. He revealed three cards and Hill said once the Helicarriers reached 3000 feet, they will triangulate with Insight's satellites and become fully weaponized. They needed to breach the carriers and replace their targeting blades with their own. And all 3 because if even one was left, many people would die. Fury said they had to assume everyone on the carriers was Hydra and maybe they could salvage something but Steve said they weren't salvaging anything. They were going to take down SHIELD as well. Fury said it had nothing to do with this but Steve said Hydra had grown under their nose and nobody had noticed. Fury said they were meeting in this cave because he had but Steve said many people had paid the price before he did. Fury said he didn't know about Barnes but Steve said he wouldn't have told him even if he had and compartmentalized it. He then said, "SHIELD. Hydra. It all goes." Even Hill agreed with him and Natasha was on his side as well. Fury turned to Sam but he said that he did what Steve did, just slower. "Well." Fury said as he leaned back in his chair, "It looks like you're giving the orders now, Captain." **

"And after this, I went to help Coulson and his team against Garrett and Ward." Fury remembered.

"Yeah. I remember Daisy telling me about those." Luke remembered.

"Well, it's about to start." Trish said.

**Later, Steve stood outside and the scene flashed back. Bucky and Steve were walking as Bucky said his folks wanted to give Steve a ride to the cemetery. Steve apologized and said he wanted to be alone. Bucky asked how was it and Steve said it was okay as she was next to Dad. Bucky tried to ask but Steve knew what he was going to say. As Steve tried to search for his key, Bucky said they could put the couch cushions on the floor like when they were kids and it will be fun. All he had to do was maybe shine his shoes and take out the trash. Bucky then picked up Steve's fallen key and handed it to him. "Thank you, Buck." Steve said gratefully as he looked up at him, "But I think I can get by on my own." Bucky put a hand on his shoulder and said, "The thing is, you don't have to. I'm with you to the end of the line, pal."**

Everyone's heart was touched by the emotional and sweet scene as Steve and Bucky looked at each other, reminded of the old days.

"And I'm with you to the end of the line as well." Steve told Bucky.

Tony now knew why Steve was trying to protect Bucky in the airport fight and it all made sense. He would do the same for Rhodes.

**In the present, Sam walked up to Steve and said that the guy Bucky was now wasn't the kind he saved but the kind he stopped. Steve said he didn't know if he could do that but Sam said he might not have a choice as he didn't know him. Steve said he will now. He then started walking away, asking Sam to gear up as it was time. Sam asked if he was gonna wear that. Steve turned around and said, "No. If you're gonna fight a war, you got to wear a uniform."**

"Where will you get it?" Peter asked.

"Just watch." Steve smiled.

**An elderly security guard walked into the Smithsonian and as the lights turned on, he looked at the mannequins and said, "Oh man. I am so fired." The mannequin of Captain America had been stripped of its uniform. Somewhere else, Steve now wore that uniform and stood in the forested area. With him were Sam, who now wore his jetpack suit, and Hill, who was in her SHIELD uniform. The three looked at the Triskelion which was some distance away and continued walking.**

"So now you stole a uniform from him." Tony joked about the elderly man again and they chuckled.

"That's why we won." Steve joked back.

"Well, the end is near." Benjamin said.

* * *

**And done. The highway fight scene is so epic and breathtaking with amazing Raid level choreography. **

**And I hope I did well with Tony and Bucky finally burying the hatchet.**

**[1] As you all know, I love Tony and he is my 4****th**** favorite MCU character, but EDITH was just as bad as Project Insight as it gave the user access to pretty much a lot of stuff they shouldn't have access to. And it is dangerous in any hands, the government included. Really, having EDITH come up in Spider-Man: Far From Home right after Tony's heroic sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame was a huge disservice to his character, as it is the same mistake as Ultron. The only bigger disservice to a character than this would be if Natasha is made into an SJW symbol in her movie after her heroic sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame. **

**Also, to anyone who follows my 'The Devil and The Archer' series, you all know I paired Oliver with E-2 Laurel in it. But now all the Laurel fanatics keep harassing me and my friends- Stand with Ward and Queen, Bl4ckHunter, Phillipe363 and ArlyssTolero. They have either taken down their Lauriver stories or just won't write them anymore. I won't either. And because Oliver/E-2 Laurel didn't affect the plot at all, I have edited chapters of 'The revenge of Fisk and the Throwing Star killer' and 'Fight as one' to remove any Lauriver moments as I'm not writing that pairing ever again. There are still some intimate moments between them but those are moments that can also be shared by two very close friends. **

**So no more Lauriver in my works. I will do Oliver/Sara instead in a future story of that series.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	44. End of the line

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah he does. Thanks for pointing out the mistakes. Corrected some of them. Yeah Bucky and Natasha are like Mr. and Mrs. Smith of MCU now that you say it. Considering Peter swings around, I don't think May would mind him watching some violent stuff. Though I don't think she'd let him watch the second one as it has a scene of an adult film being shot. Yes I'm glad too on Hill. My recent rewatch of EMH reminded me how much of a bitch Hill is outside of MCU. These morons are actually Katie Cassidy fanatics, not Black Canary fans either. Bunch of morons. Screw them all! Now I also have love for some celebrities- Avril Lavigne and Rachael Taylor, but I'm not a fanatic. Thanks for the applause. These Tony stans have eaten my head a lot. I love Nicolas Cage. He is hysterical but I appreciate what he does. Yes those two have a lot in common. You're welcome. I'll riot too if that happens. That movie is between Civil War and Infinity War so not early in her career. It's among my favorites too. Enjoy.**

**Knox: Thanks for the review. I might. They won't meet Inhumans because MCU Inhumans suck. BIG TIME! Even Marvel pretends that piece of crap doesn't exist. They might.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review and support. Yeah, screw them! **

Chapter 44- End of the line

"Time for Pierce to get his." Tony said.

"Can't wait." Pepper said too.

**At the facility, the launch sequence was final. One of the young tech guys said they were go on guidance.**

"Cameron." Fury said.

"Who is he?" Scott asked.

"A very loyal agent who listened to Cap's speech in here." Hill said.

**Pierce and the other Council members walked together as Pierce inquired about Hawley's flight and she said it was lovely but the ride from the airport less so. Pierce said sadly SHIELD couldn't control everything and Rockwell added Captain America to the list. A man brought a box with pinned badges and Pierce gave them to the other members, saying the facility was biometrically controlled and those would give them unrestricted access.**

"And it would give you unrestricted access to their life." Natasha snarled.

"What?" Hope asked.

"Just watch." Fury said.

**In the control room, two tech guys were talking when their comms had static.**

"Is it just me or does this guy look like Abel?" Peter asked.

"He does look like Abel." Aunt May said. [1]

'**Abel' went to check it out but when he opened the door, Sam and Hill were pointing guns at him and Steve walked in, asking him to excuse them. He did and pointed them to the right direction.**

"Poor Abel." Benjamin joked.

**With under 2 minutes left till the launch, Pierce said to the other Council members that the road hadn't exactly been smooth and some of them would have gladly kicked him out on the way but now here they were and the world should be grateful. He raised his glass and the others did too. **

"Here it comes." Sam said.

**Steve's voice was heard, "Attention all S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, this is Steve Rogers. " As all the agents, including Sharon and Cameron listened, he continued, "You've heard a lot about me over the last few days. Some of you were even ordered to hunt me down. But I think it's time you know the truth. S.H.I.E.L.D. is not what we thought it was. It's been taken over by HYDRA. Alexander Pierce is their leader." The other Council members glared at Pierce who smirked as Steve continued, "The S.T.R.I.K.E. and Insight crew are HYDRA as well. I don't know how many more, but I know they're in the building. They could be standing right next to you." Some people actually looked at the ones next to them while Pierce typed on his phone as Steve continued, "They almost have what they want. Absolute control. They shot Nick Fury. And it won't end there. If you launch those helicarriers today, HYDRA will be able to kill anyone that stands in their way. Unless we stop them." Two guards were inspired by Steve's speech and tried to stop the Insight crew but were shot down as Steve continued, "I know I'm asking a lot. But the price of freedom is high. It always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it." Hill glanced over at Steve as he finished, "But I'm willing to bet I'm not." Sam walked up to Steve and asked, "Did you write that down first, or was it off the top of your head?"**

"Off the top of my head." Steve said.

"You're really good at that." Scott told Steve.

"The best." Clint said.

"Do you have a crush on Steve or something? You constantly steal glances at him." Hope teased Hill who blushed.

"No I don't." Hill said, flustered, and everyone chuckled.

**Rockwell called Pierce a smug son of a bitch as Rollins and other STRIKE agents arrived. Singh asked them to arrest Pierce but they held the Council members at gunpoint instead as Pierce said he had the floor.**

"He is 10 steps ahead." Bucky sighed.

**Rumlow arrived and asked the tech workers to launch the ships. Klein didn't do anything so Rumlow asked if there was a problem. "I'm sorry, sir." Klein said in a voice that was a mixture of fear and bravery, "I'm not gonna launch those ships. Captain's orders."**

Frank slowly started clapping at Klein's bravery and soon Logan, Bucky and Steve joined and then everyone joined.

"As long as one man stands against Hydra, they will never win." Steve said firmly and everyone nodded in agreement.

**Rumlow pointed his gun at Klein and ordered him to move away as Sharon pointed a gun at his head and said, "Like he said, Captain's orders." All the SHIELD loyalists and Hydra moles brandished their guns at the same time, pointing them at each other as Rumlow said, "You picked the wrong side, agent." Sharon sneered, "Depends on where you're standing."**

Everyone was tense, wondering what the outcome of the standoff was.

**And then Rumlow slowly lowered his gun and dropped it. He suddenly brandished a knife and slashed at Sharon's arm, making her fall down as all the SHIELD and Hydra agents fired at each other. Sharon managed to kick Klein out of the way as Rumlow typed the launch codes and ran off while Sharon ran after him, firing.**

"Uh-oh." Rhodes said, "He has launched the helicarriers."

"Unfortunate, I know." Loki said.

**The Helicarriers activated as the bay door opened. One man asked his workers to close the bay door but Hydra agents arrived and fired at them, killing them all.**

"Bunch of traitors." Logan snarled.

**Hill told Steve and Sam they were initiating launch. As the Helicarriers all went up, Steve and Sam were running together.**

"You choose this time to continue your run?" Natasha asked jokingly.

"It was a good run for me." Steve shrugged.

"Good flight." Sam added.

**Sam asked how to figure out the good guys from the bad ones and Steve said if they were shooting at him, they were bad. Sam leapt off and flew away with his wings as Steve leapt down and rolled before running. **

"Works for me." Logan said about the shooting thing.

**Steve used his shield to block some shots fired at him and leapt over some crates to avoid shots. He then punched a Hydra thug and slamming him against a crate, knocked him out before taking the grenade from his shoulder. He then threw it at three thugs where it exploded, knocking them all down.**

"Oh my God. It is so on." Peter said.

"And it is going somewhere." Tony said.

**Sam flew up as some machine guns fired at him but he avoided them all and told Steve he had found the bad guys. Steve asked if he was all right and Sam said he wasn't dead yet. In the Council room, Pierce handed Singh a drink and asked if Pakistan would march into Mumbai the next day and he knew they were going to drag their daughters into a soccer stadium for execution and he could stop it with a flick of a switch, wouldn't he? He asked the same question to the others and Singh said not if it was his switch before throwing the glass away.**

"Respect." Tony said and everyone nodded.

**Pierce chuckled in amusement before pointing a gun at Singh when Hawley kicked Singh out of the way and grabbing Pierce's hand, punched him down. She threw a disk at one STRIKE thug, knocking him out before throwing Pierce's gun at another's face, staggering him back. She then grabbed him and kneeing him, flipped him down. Another tried to attack with a gun but she grabbed his hand and slammed him to a table before elbowing the last one and flipped him down too. She then pointed a gun at Pierce and pressed the side of her face, making it flicker, revealing it to be a photostatic veil. "I'm sorry." She said as she took the veil off, revealing herself to be Natasha Romanoff. She took off the wig too and asked mockingly, "Did I step on your moment?"**

Everyone clapped and cheered again as Peter said, "That was so awesome!"

"I am so grateful to have you as a mentor." Wanda said with a proud smile and Natasha smirked.

"That's my girl." Bucky said.

"I know." Natasha smiled.

"And I thought she was some sort of Bruce Lee." Tony joked about Hawley.

"Or she had powers like Hulk." Bruce joked too and everyone laughed.

"No Hulk. Only Nat." Steve said.

**The Hydra tech workers said satellites were in range of 3000 feet as Hill asked Sam his status and he said he was engaging. He dodged more shots and kicked one thug away before shooting another one down as he flew back. He told Steve he was in but a Quinjet flew at him and fired so he flew off.**

"You jinxed it." Jessica sighed.

"Jinxes are bullshit." Logan said.

**Sam flew around to avoid shots though a blast near him threw him down. The Quinjet flew over him but he opened his wings again and fired at the glass, making holes as the Quinjet flew back and he flew off as it flew after him, firing. Steve ran and punched a thug out and smacked another away with his shield before kicking a third away. He smacked another one and in a rotatory motion, kicked another away twice. He leapt into the air and kicked the one behind him while hitting the one in the front with his shield, knocking them both out before throwing it at the last one. Hill told him he had 8 minutes and he said he was working on it as he caught his shield on return and ran through a door.**

"Work faster." Matt said.

"I think he will." Odinson said, "He will."

**In the Council room, Natasha was accessing the files as Rockwell asked what she was doing and Pierce, who was held at gunpoint by Yen, said she was disabling security protocols and dumping secrets onto the Internet. Natasha said it included Hydra's but Pierce pointed out it included SHIELD's too. He said if she did this, none of her past will remain hidden- Budapest, Osaka and the Children's Ward. Natasha faltered for a second.**

Natasha winced at the reminder as Bucky put his arm around her, "Hey. It's all right."

She simply held the arm he had put around her and kissed it.

**Pierce asked if she was ready for the world to see her as she was. She asked if he was and he asked her to look out the window as it didn't matter what their enemies thought of them. Natasha said that was why they were going down. Pierce said she had a pretty high opinion of Roger's chances and she said he hadn't paid attention with a smirk.**

"Burn." Trish said, "Nice one."

**Steve rushed into the Helicarrier and replaced their targeting blades with his card and said, "Alpha lock." Hill asked Sam where he was and he said he had to take a detour. He avoided shots from the Quinjet and it fired small missiles so he flew around to avoid, turning to the Helicarrier. Some of them exploded and he folded his wings and flew down to avoid the remaining ones, exploding under the Helicarrier, blowing a hole. He flew back up and inside, replacing their targeting blades with his card and said, "Bravo lock." He then flew off as Hill said now two were down and one was left.**

"I know you will reach it in time." Thor said.

"Keep watching." Steve sighed.

**Some SHIELD agents were walking to their Quinjets to help Steve and Sam when one of their Quinjets was blasted off by a grenade. As the flames and smoke cleared, the Winter Soldier appeared. He fired another grenade with his M203 Grenade Launcher, destroying another Quinjet. An agent tried to throw a grenade at him but he fired his Colt M4A1, killing him as the grenade fell down. Using his enhanced reflexes, he picked up the grenade and threw it into a Quinjet just as it closed. It exploded and killed both the agents inside it. An agent fired at him but he blocked with his metal arm and punched him so hard with it that his jaw broke, making him fall down. He then kicked the other one so hard that he was sent flying off into another Quinjet. He fell into its rotors, being sliced into pieces while the Quinjet stopped working because of it. He then climbed on top of another Quinjet as it closed and shot the pilot. He then ripped out its door and sat inside. He threw the body away and started flying the Quinjet upwards.**

Bucky held his head in his hands at this point, "Why did this have to happen to me?"

Natasha simply held his hand as Clint said, "Don't blame yourself. I've been where you're at too."

**Natasha's access was restricted as Pierce said disabling the encryption was an executive order and needed to Alpha level members. Natasha said, "Don't worry. Company's coming." And then a chopper landed there and someone stepped out. The man opened the door and walked inside. It was Nick Fury, once again in his customary trench coat, with his left hand in a sling.**

Everyone cheered as Wanda said, "How do you like that?"

"Not very much I think." Vision said.

"Hydra is getting a taste of their own medicine." T'Challa said.

"Yeah. The shitpieces are getting what they deserve." Jessica said.

"Damn right!" Fury said.

**Pierce smirked and jokingly asked if he had gotten his flowers and said he was glad to see Nick but Fury pointed out he had him killed. Pierce said he knew how the game worked. Fury asked why he had made him head of SHIELD and Pierce said Fury was the best, most ruthless person he knew. Fury said he did what he did to protect people. Pierce said their enemies were the same- war, disorder. It was only a matter of time before an international tragedy took place. Diplomacy was just a holding action and band-aid. He had learnt that in Bogota, shocking Fury as Pierce said he had just done what had to be done without asking. He could bring order to the lives of 7 billion people by sacrificing 20 million.**

"And I thought Alexandra was insane." Elektra said.

"No kidding." Luke agreed.

"Damn! He is one psycho!" Scott said.

"**It's the next step, Nick. If you have the courage to take it." Pierce said. "No, I have the courage not to." Fury told him. He led Pierce to the scanner as Natasha pointed a gun at him and he said they had erased Fury's clearance. Fury said he knew everything and then said, "But if you want to stay ahead of me, Mr. Secretary", he lowered his eyepatch to show his damaged eye, "You need to keep both eyes open."**

"What happened to that eye?" Tony asked.

"Don't ask." Clint said.

**The retinal scan was done and the order was confirmed, shocking Pierce. **

"Good to see your smug grin wiped off your face, bastard." Frank snarled, remembering Rawlins who had the same attitude as Pierce.

**Hill said Charlie Carrier was 45 degrees off port and saw two thugs entering her room via camera and getting up, shot them both down before telling them they had 6 minutes. A running Steve told Sam he needed a ride and he asked to be let known when he was ready. Steve leapt off and said he just had as Sam flew towards him and caught him. He struggled to hold him but managed to fly up. The two landed on the final Helicarrier. Sam commented he was heavier than he looked and he said he had a big breakfast.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Suddenly, the Winter Soldier jumped out of his hiding place and pushed Steve away. He fell off the Helicarrier.** **Sam tried to fly after him but Winter Soldier grabbed his wing and pulled him back.** **Sam fired at him with his Steyr SPP pistols but he flipped to avoid. Sam flew to save Steve again but Winter Solider used his grapple device to grab his wing and pulled him down, making him fall. As he tried to get up, Winter Soldier pulled again and the wing was torn off. As Sam got up, Winter Soldier kicked him on the chest, sending him flying off too.**

"Sorry man." Bucky said to Sam apologetically.

"I forgave you a long while ago." Sam assured him.

**As Sam fell, he managed to detach the other wing from his suit and produced a parachute, landing safely just in time. He frantically asked Steve via earpiece if he was okay and Steve said he was still on the Helicarrier, where he hung. Sam said his suit was down and apologized. Steve told him not to worry and climbed up as Bucky looked down on him.**

"Getting worse." Rhodes muttered.

**Rumlow snuck around in the building and swiftly stabbed out two SHIELD agents before shooting down two more and was informed Black Widow had breached the Council so he started walking up. Hill informed Sam of it and he said he was on it as he threw his jetpack off.**

"That was embarrassing." Sam remembered.

"I'm sure you did your best." Steve assured him.

**Steve ran across the ramp only to see Bucky blocking his path. "People are gonna die, Buck. I can't let that happen." Steve tried to reason and begged in a cracking voice, "Please don't make me do this."**

"Sorry I had to." Bucky said.

"Don't be." Steve told him.

**The only response he got was a cold glare. Seeing that, Steve's face steeled up. With all his might, he threw his shield. Bucky deflected it with his metal arm and as Steve caught it again, Bucky fired at him with his Glock 19 and SIG-Sauer P226R. Steve blocked all the times and managed to push Bucky back but Bucky shot under the shield, getting Steve on the abdomen. Steve grunted in pain. As Bucky charged, Steve hit him with the shield in a rotatory motion, sending him back. Bucky got back up, holding a knife. Steve deflected his attacks before getting a kick on the knee. He then deflected Bucky's arm with his shield. He tried to change the card but Bucky attacked again and he deflected some blows. The two were in a deadlock before Steve finally snatched Bucky's knife and kicked him back. He took out the blade but turned around to block a punch from Bucky's metal arm, producing a metallic clang. Steve pushed Bucky back and tried to hit with his shield as Bucky blocked or dodged. He grabbed Steve but was elbowed away. Bucky charged him and the two fell down the railing. Steve's shield fell away. As Steve hit the ground, the chip fell out of his hand. Steve and Bucky got up and charged each other. Bucky punched Steve on the abdomen with his metal arm. Steve blocked another hit but Bucky smacked him on the face, sending him flying off. The two slid to the edge as Steve grabbed the chip. The two got up at the same time and Bucky smacked Steve's hand, sending the chip down. Steve smacked him on the face and kicked him down before jumping after him.**

"It's on." Luke commented.

"Brother against brother." Frank commented sadly, remembering his own fight against Russo, the difference being Russo was in perfect control of himself and was a bastard.

**Natasha said the leaking was done and was trending. Then Pierce pressed his phone and the pinned badges flashed killing Rockwell, Singh and Yen. Natasha and Fury pointed their guns at him but he held up the device and said she shouldn't ask for a two inch hole in her sternum. It was armed the moment she had pinned it on. Natasha and Fury reluctantly lowered their guns.**

"Bastard." Bucky snarled.

"Just wait." Fury told him.

**Steve ran towards the card. Bucky picked up his shield and threw it at him, making him fall down. As Steve got up, Bucky fired with his Glock 19 which Steve blocked with his shield. Steve then threw his shield which Bucky deflected with his metal arm as he took out his knife. Steve dodged a slice before trying grabbing his hands. Bucky used all his strength and managed to drive it into Steve's right shoulder, making him shout in pain. Steve then head-butted Bucky twice while Bucky pushed him to a wall. Steve pulled out the knife and saw Bucky crawling towards the card. Steve grabbed his arm but he resisted. Steve grabbed his neck and managed to lift him into the air. He then slammed Bucky on the ground and twisted his normal arm in which he was holding the card. Steve commanded him to drop it. Steve then twisted his arm and he screamed in pain. Both of them were now on the ground, struggling violently. Steve put Bucky in a chokehold and restrained his metal arm with his foot. Finally, Bucky lost consciousness and the card fell to the ground. Steve let his unconscious body go and picked up the card before rushing to put it in.**

No one commented at all due to the intensity and emotion of the scene, not knowing that even more was coming. Steve and Bucky nodded at each other apologetically, carrying out an entire conversation without words.

**Rumlow moved around when Sam punched him away but was head-butted and pushed back as Rumlow said Hydra had no prisoners, only order, which came through pain. He asked Sam if he was ready for his and he asked him to shut the hell up as both of them charged at each other.**

"That moron is a drama queen." Jessica said about Rumlow.

"I thought I was the only one." Elektra said.

"No prisoners? What a liar!" Bucky snarled angrily at Rumlow.

**Pierce was told 65 seconds were left for satellite link. Hill kept counting down for Steve who leapt back up and rushed towards his destination. That moment, there was a gunshot and he was hit on the side. It was Bucky who then fired but Steve narrowly avoided as he continued running towards his destination. Steve climbed up while narrowly avoiding gunshots from Bucky. He took out the card but just before he could put it in, a shot from Bucky hit him and he fell down, panting heavily.**

"Damn it!" Bucky said.

**They reached 3000 feet and the algorithm was deployed. The Helicarrier managed to lock onto all of its targets which numbered over 715,000. Tony Stark was one of them. **

"I'm in too?" Tony asked.

"Duh!" Pepper said.

"Right." Tony sighed.

**The countdown started. But at the last moment, Steve used his remaining strength to get up and put the card inside. The targets all disappeared, shocking the Hydra tech workers. Hill told him to get out of there as she made the Helicarriers target each other, shocking the workers.**

"How do you like that, huh?" Peter asked.

"Not very much." Aunt May said.

"Not at all." Benjamin said.

**Steve asked her to fire now, in spite of her protests. Reluctantly, Hill pressed the button and the Helicarriers started firing at each other. Steve staggered around to avoid the shots. **

"Why?" Hope asked.

"I needed to stop Hydra." Steve said.

"Same reason I let Surtur destroy Asgard." Thor sighed.

**Steve heard Bucky's pained screams and saw him pinned down.**

"Oh no!" Scott said.

**Natasha mockingly asked Pierce if he was still on the fence about Rogers' chances. He told her she would lead him out and they started walking off as Fury said he would have taken a bullet for him. Pierce said he already had and would do again when the time came. Natasha then pressed a disk and got electrocuted, being knocked out. Pierce looked at her in shock as his device rebooted and Fury shot him twice and he fell back, shattering through glass.**

Everyone clapped and cheered loudly as Sam said, "Finally!"

"You did great, Fury." Steve told him and he nodded.

**Fury tried to wake Natasha up and her eyes opened as she commented those stung.**

"My old arm remembers." Bucky joked dryly.

**Two of the Helicarriers fired and crashed into each other, crashing into the river. "Hail Hydra." A dying Pierce whispered and as the Helicarriers crashed, he finally died.**

"No more than you deserved." Pepper sneered.

**Steve slowly made his way towards Bucky. Sam and Rumlow fought and the former was flipped over a table. Rumlow told him he was out of his depth but then a Helicarrier crashed behind him as Sam ran off while the debris crushed Rumlow.**

"You were saying?" Clint asked mockingly.

**Sam ran around and Natasha asked him his location. He said it was the 41****st**** floor and she said to stay on his position. "Not an option." He said as he ran out and Fury managed to catch him on the chopper, though the door broke and Natasha pulled him up. "41****st**** floor! 41****st****!" Sam said. "It's not like they put the floor numbers on the outside of the building." Fury said dryly as Natasha asked Hill where Steve was.**

"That was funny." Frank said.

**Steve lifted the debris long enough for Bucky to crawl out. He then dropped it and the two panted. "You know me." Steve said to Bucky. "No I don't!" Bucky said angrily as he punched Steve away.**

"Oh boy!" Benjamin sighed, remembering how intense that was.

**"Bucky." Steve said with a cracking voice as he got back up, "You've known me your whole life." Bucky lowered his face, as if remembering. But he looked back up and with a roar, punched Steve away again. "Your name…..is….James Buchanan Barnes." Steve said. "SHUT UP!" Bucky yelled as he punched him away again. As Bucky panted, Steve threw away his mask and said to Bucky, "I'm not gonna fight you." He then let go of his shield and it fell out of the Helicarrier. Looking at Bucky with some hope, he said emotionally, "You're my friend."**

"Please stop." Wanda muttered.

**The two stood still for a while. Suddenly, Bucky roared and rushed Steve, pinning him to the ground. "You're my mission." He whispered to him before punching him repeatedly with his metal arm, "You're…..my…..mission!"**

Bucky lowered his head in shame.

**He stopped and was about to land the final blow. "Then finish it." Steve whispered hoarsely, "'Cause I'm with you to the end of the line." The words triggered something as Bucky's face was suddenly full of emotion. He relented, unwilling to throw the final punch.**

Everyone's heart was touched by the emotion in front of them at this point.

"Stay till the end of the line." Tony muttered.

**As he panted, the surface under Steve was shattered by falling debris and he plummeted into the ocean. Bucky watched, his face now full of emotion.**

No one commented, still too emotional from the scene.

**Steve's body was drowning in the ocean when a metal hand reached out to him. Later, Bucky pulled the unconscious Steve out of the ocean and gently placed him on the nearby land. He looked at Steve as his mind was slowly assaulted by more memories. He turned around and slowly staggered away, leaving Steve behind.**

"And you're gone." Steve whispered sadly.

"Trying to remember." Bucky said.

"Like me." Logan muttered.

**Days later, the Trouble Man soundtrack by Marvin Gaye played in the hospital and Steve woke up with a groan. "On your left." He whispered to Sam who turned and smirked.**

Everyone chuckled as Sam said, "Gonna get back at you."

**The CIA trained at their headquarters and now Sharon was part of them too. Hill sat in the Stark Industries building and smiled.**

"Helping Hill?" Steve asked.

"Yup." Tony and Hill said simultaneously.

**Stern walked out of his house but was arrested by FBI.**

Everyone clapped as Tony said, "Now just need to shatter the kneecaps."

"Let's do it." Rhodes said.

**A burnt Rumlow was put on a stretcher.**

"Moron killed a nurse." Sam snarled.

**Fury walked into an old safehouse of his as Natasha was in a government inquiry and swore to tell nothing but the truth. She was asked why they hadn't heard from Captain Rogers and she said the wreck in the middle of the Potomac had made his point.**

"That was all the only thing needed." Hill said.

**She was asked how the country would maintain national security as both of them had now laid waste to the intelligence apparatus but Natasha said Hydra was telling them lies, not intelligence. It was pointed out she had a hand in telling some of them and was told she belonged in a penitentiary, not mouthing off at Capitol Hill.**

"Here it comes." Natasha smirked.

"**You're not going to put any of us in a prison. You know why?" She asked. "Do enlighten us." She was told. She said, "Because you need us." Fury took off his eyepatch and put on glasses as Natasha said, "Yes, the world is a vulnerable place, and yes, we help make it that way. But we're also the ones best qualified to defend it. So, if you want to arrest me, arrest me. You'll know where to find me." She got up and walked off with a smile as the reporters swarmed around her.**

Everyone clapped as Sam said, "And you told them to kiss your ass."

"I did." Natasha smirked.

**Fury threw down some fuel and with a lighter, burnt the place down before walking off.**

"I followed in your footsteps there." Frank said as he remembered burning his own house to move on.

**Steve and Sam stood in front of Fury's grave as he arrived and said they had been in this sort of thing before and Steve said they got used to it. His gravestone said- "The path of the righteous man from Ezekiel 25:17." **

"Do you say that phrase before killing someone?" Scott asked jokingly and Fury glared at him. [2]

**Fury said they were mining Hydra files and many rats didn't go down with the ship. He was going to Europe and asked if Steve would come. He said he had to do something first so he asked Wilson but he said he was more of a soldier than a spy. Fury shook hands with both and said in that case anyone who looked for him could find him right in the grave. He walked off as Natasha arrived and said he should feel honored as that was the closest he got to thanking anyone. **

"Didn't know that." Matt said.

**She said she wasn't going with him or staying as she had blown all her covers and needed to find a new one. Steve said it would take a while and she said she was counting on it as she gave him the file he had asked for after asking a few favors. He thanked her and she asked him to call the nurse. He said she wasn't one and Natasha said he wasn't a SHIELD agent. He asked her name and she said it was Sharon. She was nice.**

"Sharon Carter." Steve emphasized and she shrugged as everyone chuckled.

**She kissed his cheek and walked off, saying he might not want to pull on that thread. Steve opened the file to see a picture of Bucky in cryofreeze.**

Everyone winced at the sight.

"**You're going after him." Sam said as he walked up to Steve. "You don't have to come with me." Steve said. "I know." Sam said before asking, "When do we start?" Steve looked up and said, "We just did." The screen went black.**

"Anything else?" Steve asked.

"Two more scenes." Benjamin said.

**A man stood as another one walked over to him and said it was over as Fury had released everything to the public but the man said SHIELD and Hydra were two sides of the same coin which was no longer currency.**

"List." Steve snarled at the doctor.

"And Strucker." Natasha snarled.

**They walked up to Loki's Scepter.**

"There it is." Loki said.

**Strucker said they had only scratched the surface and other facilities were doing Hydra's good work around the world. They will be fed to Captain America and his colorful friends.**

"Forgot about Coulson and his team." Hill said and everyone chuckled.

**He said the dead experiments will be buried deep enough that their own ghosts will fail to find them while the surviving twins will face the Avengers soon. He said to List, "It's not a world of spies anymore. Not even a world of heroes. This is the age of miracles, Doctor. There's nothing more horrifying than a miracle." A blonde man and a red-haired woman were shown in two separate rooms. One of them ran very fast around as he looked at himself in shock due to his newfound speed while the woman used some red energy to lift up blocks and crushed them. The screen went black.**

Wanda paled in shock and horror as she remembered the experiments and Natasha put a hand on her shoulder, "You okay, kid?"

After a few seconds, she recovered and nodded, "I will be."

**In the Smithsonian, a man walked up to Bucky's memorial and read it. Turned out the man was a cap wearing Bucky himself. He absorbed the info, looking horrified. The screen went black.**

"And that is when I started remembering." Bucky said as everyone finally sighed.

"So it's over now?" Natasha asked.

"Yes it is." Logan said.

"Good to know." Steve said.

"So….break now?" Benjamin asked.

Everyone realized how hungry and emotionally drained from the recording they were and nodded in agreement as they all walked out from there back to the dining hall.

* * *

**And done. Why did this perfect movie have to end? Why? Just why?**

**Is it just me or does Hill glance at Steve a lot? Someone's got a crush. While I like Steve/Sharon, the connection to Peggy makes it a bit weird. Maybe I should do Steve/Hill. Small possibility really. Though it will be a background relationship if I do it.**

**Anyways, now it's time for another break finally.**

**[1] The tech guy was played by Danny Pudi who played Abel in Community and the Russo Brothers are that show's executive producers.**

**[2] The line on Fury's gravestone is the same one Sam Jackson's character Jules Winnfield says in Pulp Fiction before killing people. Bl4ckHunter reminded me so thank you to him.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another break chapter.**


	45. Break IV

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**In this break, I will fulfill a promise to a fictional friend of mine.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, the turmoil. I think you will get it. Yeah it does seem like that on Hill. Yes those are among Steve's superpowers. Thanks. No I wanted more Rumlow fights too and I'll think on Namor. Oh Endgame and Far From Home will be done too. Well, you're welcome. Yup, you're right on what the next movies are. Yes, a lot of ridiculousness will occur. Thanks. That is great advice. Though I swear sometimes Tony stans over-exaggerate Steve's and Team Cap's flaws to a ridiculous extent that you can't help but laugh. Like one of them said Steve and his team invaded Nigeria in the opening of Civil War. And I'm like- "I didn't know chilling in a hotel meant invading." Anyway, enjoy this chapter. You'll love it.**

**Gary: Thanks for pointing that out.**

**PopCultureFan101: No, the ones from AoS rock. I'm talking about the ones from the Inhumans show. Scott Buck ruined that show horribly. He sucks. He ruined Dexter and Iron Fist Season 1 too.**

**Guest: Which two names did you use exactly?**

Chapter 45- Break IV

The viewers from the past and the future sat in the dining room, eating their food as Peter said, "Okay, that was the best one so far!"

Tony started, "Come on ki-"

"Don't kid yourself." Scott said, "That was the best one."

"I know right!" Hope said.

"I'm not forgetting this anytime soon." Tony muttered as he took a bite of his bread while everyone chuckled.

"He will get back at you." Pepper joked.

Thor asked, "And what about me?"

"Eh, you got the most boring one." Jessica said and everyone laughed as both Tony and Thor pouted while Steve simply smiled and continued to eat, not paying it much attention.

"Well, what do you guys think now?" Benjamin asked.

"Well", Natasha turned to Fury and Hill, "You know what? We're not done."

"Am I hearing that right, Agent Romanoff?" Fury asked.

"Yes." Natasha said, "I think it is clear why you have trust issues. But please- do not keep secrets from us again."

She then raised her hand and Fury said, "All right. I won't be keeping secrets to myself and Hill from now on."

With that, he shook her hand. They were partners again. She shook hands with Hill too as Steve said, "I think this works better."

"Yup." Clint said.

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Tony said as he continued to eat.

And then suddenly, a song started playing in the background-

_It's what you hearin (Listen)_

_It's what you hearin (Listen)_

_It's what you hearin (Listen)_

"Who's playing that?" Tony asked.

"Oh boy!" Logan groaned.

"What a timing!" Matt said.

"Who is it, guys?" Bucky asked.

"Don't ask." Frank said.

And then a man in a red and black suit with two katanas on his back entered, dancing hysterically to the music.

_X gon give it to ya_

_Fuck wait for you to get it on your own_

_X gon deliver to ya_

_Knock knock, open up the door, it's real_

_With the non-stop, pop pop and stainless steel_

_Go hard gettin busy wit it_

_But I got such a good heart_

_I'll make a motherfucker wonder if he did it_

_Damn right and I'll do it again_

_Cuz I am right so I gots to win_

_Break break wit the enemy_

_But no matter how many cats I break bread wit_

_I'll break who you sendin me_

_You motherfucker never wanted nothin_

_But your wife said, that's for the light day_

_I'm gettin down, down_

_Make it say freeze_

_But won't be the one endin up on his knees (Whoo)_

_Please, If the only thing you cats did is come out to play_

_Get out my way_

"Uhhhh, nobody is in your way." Luke said as he continued shaking his head around at the music and danced.

_First we gonna ROCK, Then we gonna ROLL_

_Then we let it POP, GO LET IT GO_

_X gon give it to ya_

_He gon give it to ya_

_X gon give it to ya_

_He gon give it to ya_

And then he bowed down, acting as if he had gotten a standing ovation, "Hello, ladies and gentlemen from the past. I had no idea you lot were already here. The Disney-Fox merger is working wonders."

"What?" Aunt May asked.

"Ignore him." Logan said.

"Who are you?" Thor asked him.

"Wade Wilson." Odinson told him.

"AKA Deadpool." Wade announced with raised hands.

"Why? Your dead body was found in a pool?" Loki asked dryly.

"No! It was…not found at all." Wade said, "Because I am alive!"

That was when he noticed Peter and looked at Benjamin too, "OH! I got something for you two!"

And then he put on another song-

_Raise up, get yourself together_

_And drive your funky soul_

_Raise up, get yourself together_

_And drive that funky soul_

He pointed his fingers in random directions and walked into a room. He then walked out wearing a coat and pulling it, clapped.

_Raise on up, get yourself together_

_Drive that funky soul_

_Raise up, get yourself together_

_And drive that funky soul_

He then rotated his arms, moving his body around and dancing hysterically before switching off the music. But when he stopped, all he saw was everyone giving him wide-eyed and wide-jawed looks.

And then his eyes suddenly widened, "OH MY GOD! YOU'RE TOM HOLLAND! I THOUGHT YOU WERE TOBEY MAGUIRE!"

He then threw off his coat and started looking around hysterically, as if thinking, "Man, I am so embarrassed. I did the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man dance in front of Tom Holland. What the fuck?"

He then looked up and said, "Fuck you Aragorn II Elessar. When you said you'll give me a cameo in 'A Beautiful Journey', I expected better than this. Now come to my show again. Let's have it. Venn Diagram vs. sword and guns. Let's have it."

"Is he okay?" Sam asked in concern.

"He doesn't look okay." Rhodes said.

"He always behaves like that." Logan said.

He then suddenly hugged Peter, "I heard Sony is taking you away. I'm so sorry to hear that."

He hugged Benjamin too, "I'm gonna miss you buddy. You are in our hearts, Tommy. I wish we could star in a movie together."

He then suddenly hugged Logan too, "And I wish we could as well, Hugh."

Logan pushed him away angrily and he fell into Tony whom he hugged, "You have come a long way since Aragorn had me call you and your stans out. Wish we could have shared the screen."

He then hugged Steve as well, "Aww, Chris. The human embodiment of perfection. You are the perfect man. I wish we could star in a movie together."

He then pointed at Hill and said to Steve, "Go climb that Hill, Captain."

Both Steve and Hill blushed in embarrassment as Wade looked up and said, "You know what Aragorn? Fuck you! You gave me an embarrassing entry. And you always put me in T-Rated stuff. And you make me team up with Justin Bieber. I'm gonna reveal your dirty little secret."

He then turned to Trish and said, "Rachael Taylor. Aragorn is in love with you. He dreams about you day and night. He is obsessed."

After making a shocked Pikachu face, Trish asked, "What?"

"You're making Pikachu faces at me? At me?" Wade yelled angrily and everyone looked shocked.

Logan got up and said, "Look Wade-"

"First of all, I'm still not sure if I'm in the 70's or 80's or 90's or 2000's or some post-apocalyptic future." Wade said, "And then Disney and Sony's deal goes south. The mouse couldn't keep it in his pants. Then I have to go around killing WestAllen and Katie Cassidy fanatics with Justin Bieber of all people!"

He then pointed at Logan and Frank, "Though you two were there with me the last two times."

He then looked up and said, "You know what? Fuck the mouse! Fuck the fanatics! Fuck Aragorn II Elessar! Fuck 'The Days of Reckoning' or whatever that shitpiece of a fic is! Fuck Justin Bieber! Fuck everything! Fuck my life!"

He then yelled, "My inner Nicolas Cage is SCRAPING AT THE DOOOAH! SCRAPING AT THE DOOOAH! Now I won't stay here anymore or I'LL EAT YOUR STINKING SOUUUUL!"

With that, he leapt out of the window as everyone looked down but he staggered back up and said, "I'mma go time travel and fix this shit!"

He then walked off and disappeared from view as Steve started, "Well that was…"

"Ridiculous and random?" Logan asked and they nodded.

"So, sleepy?" Benjamin asked.

"After that? We all need it." Tony said and everyone chuckled as they got up and walked off to sleep.

"Today was intense." Benjamin said, "But at least Tony and Bucky are on better terms and the trust issues are reduced."

"Yes. That was good." Matt agreed.

"All in all, a good day." Frank said.

"I think it's time for us to go." Elektra said and then Benjamin, Logan and Odinson shook hands with all of them as Matt, Elektra, Frank, Jessica, Luke and Trish walked off to patrol the streets.

"And next is?" Benjamin asked just to be sure.

"My new friends." Thor chuckled.

"Right!" Logan said, "They are going to die from the ridiculousness."

"They survived a few minutes of Wade. They'll be fine." Benjamin joked and they all chuckled.

"Well, let's get some sleep ourselves." Logan said and they all nodded before walking off to sleep.

* * *

**The Deadpool cameo was done to fulfill my promise to Wade from 'The Late Night Show Starring Wade Wilson.' Hope most of you enjoyed it and the references I gave around.**

**Now both the GOTG movies. I know I said earlier I will do it in the release order but now the chronological one makes more sense from now on so both the GOTG movies, AOU, Ant-Man, Civil War, Black Panther, Homecoming, Doctor Strange, Ragnarok, Infinity War, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Captain Marvel, Endgame and Far From Home.**

**I consider The First Avenger and Captain Marvel as flashback movies.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	46. Star-Lord

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Now our Avengers are going to watch stuff they have no idea of- the Adventures of the Guardians of the Galaxy. And considering they survived a few minutes of Wade Wilson, they can survive the ridiculousness of the Guardians.**

**This time I decided not to bring any new viewers from the future because it can get a bit repetitive if it happens after all the breaks. So after the 2 GOTG movies are done, I will bring in new viewers from the future.**

**Now I wanted to bring the Guardians in but because of how witty they all are, I believe Quill and Rocket will clash with Tony after every 2 minutes when Tony will comment on something ridiculous they do and they will try to justify it. So the chapters will become too long and I would get exhausted.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, Deadpool. Glad it was brilliant, A, H1 and 100% all at once. Thanks a lot and yeah, superhero landings are hard on the knees. I actually have crushes on two people I can't help but think about- Rachael Taylor and Avril Lavigne. Nah, Future Carol won't show up. While I like her character as she is infinitely better than the comic book's bitchy version, she has still not impressed me much. Sorry, I just can't have the future Guardians show up for reasons stated above. I know right! That was so hilarious. I have no idea how frickin' delusional these people can get. Thanks for the words of wisdom again and I hope you and Deadpool are cool too. And also in reply to some parts of your review on 'Heroes in Middle-earth', I totally understand not being able to review due to college and yeah, I have appreciated your long reviews a lot because of how you try to cover all the bases. Thanks a lot for them. And the Nicolas Cage is back inside of me, though a few 100 people reported being attacked by a man with fake fangs who claimed to be a vampire later XD.**

**Knox: Thanks for the review. No, it will be about the Avengers trying to change the future.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. I have thought about it but I won't do it anytime soon.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Yup, Cap has the best movie but Tony is definitely the best one because he performed the most selfless act of sacrifice in the entire MCU by snapping his fingers to end Thanos (tied with Natasha dying to get the Soul Stone). Yeah, Mysterio and the other employees can suck it. Though Endgame Thor was the lamest version of Thor I've ever seen. Talk about destroying awesome character arcs.**

Chapter 46- Star-Lord

The next day, everyone woke up again and after taking showers, ate their breakfast.

"So who're we watching today?" Tony asked.

This time you're watching people you have never met before." Benjamin said, "But you will meet them in the near future."

"Who are they?" Steve asked.

"Remember the Guardians we mentioned?" Odinson asked and they all nodded.

"It's them we will watch this time." Logan said, "Two recordings about them back to back."

"Though we have to warn you, they do some pretty ridiculous stuff at times." Odinson said.

"We survived that Wade Wilson guy yesterday." Peter pointed out.

"Yeah, I doubt anyone can be more ridiculous than him." Thor agreed.

"I mean, does he have some kind of problem or something?" Loki asked.

"Not that we know of." Logan said.

"I think he does." Hill said. Her and Steve had been avoiding talking to each other ever since Wade's "Go climb that Hill, Captain" comment.

"Please tell me he is not coming back." Aunt May, who wanted the entire experience to remain as PG-13 as it could for Peter, "He has a big mouth."

"Oh don't worry, he won't be back. He comes like once in 2 months." Logan said.

"I think he is your team's jester." Loki commented and everyone chuckled.

"I guess it's time to start then." Scott said.

"Right you are." Benjamin agreed and they all went to the viewing room as Benjamin switched the TV on.

Wanda seemed a bit drowsy.

"What happened, kid?" Clint asked in concern.

"Nothing. Just couldn't sleep properly last night." Wanda said as she glanced over at Natasha and Bucky, who looked pretty happy. Of course they would, considering he had spent most of the night between her legs. And their room was next to hers. Which is why she hadn't been able to sleep the previous night.

And then the recording started.

**The screen showed Earth, 1988 before showing a young boy listening to a Walkman with a tape titled "Awesome Mix Vol. 1." He was listening to "I'm Not in Love." A man then walked up to him and called him Peter.**

"Peter? Wow!" Peter said.

"Yeah, we know two Peters." Logan said, "But we just call him by his surname- Quill."

"Peter Quill." Tony muttered as he looked at the screen.

**The man said his mother wanted to see him but when he didn't listen, he took the headphones off and led him inside. Several crying people stood over a bald woman who was lying on the bed.**

"Oh no!" Bruce realized what was happening to the woman.

"Yes. That sounds about right." Tony said as everyone looked at the boy in sympathy.

Bucky suddenly realized something, "Steve, wasn't this woman in your first recording?"

Everyone's eyes widened as they remembered the woman and Steve said, "Yeah. She greeted after one of my shows."

"This woman is the daughter of that one. Her name is Meredith Quill." Benjamin told them, "For some reason, mother and daughter look exactly the same."

"Peter Quill is her grandson." Logan told them. [1]

**Meredith asked Peter why he had been fighting with other boys and he told her they had killed a frog for no reason at all by smushing it with a stick.**

"Okay, I'm no psychologist, but behavior like that in children is disturbing." Bruce said about the bullies Quill had spoken off.

"You're not wrong." Hope agreed.

**Meredith told him gently he was so much like his dad. He looked just like him and was an angel.**

"Daddy was worse than the Devil though." Logan muttered and everyone wondered what he was talking about, though they had a feeling they would get the answer soon.

**On the request of Quill's grandfather, Meredith gave him a wrapped up present and told him to open it after she was gone. Meredith told him his grandpa was going to take good care of him until his daddy came back to get him. She then asked him to take her hand in her last moments but he couldn't bear to watch his mother in so much pain and she flatlined.**

No one said a word, feeling heartbroken for Quill, having to lose his mother at such a young age. Parker could feel himself relating to the other Peter as he had also lost his parents at a young age, though Ben and May had done the best they could for him and he considered them parents now.

Wanda could also relate to him for the very same reasons.

**Quill was heartbroken and started screaming in despair as his grandfather dragged him out and begged him to stay there. **

Quill's screams of despair were enough to make some of the viewers moist eyed.

**As his granddad went back inside, Quill ran out of the hospital in despair. As he looked around, he felt a strong wind blow and looked up to see a huge spaceship hovering over him.**

"What the hell?" Clint said as everyone watched the scene in shock.

**A bright swirling light came out of the spaceship, surrounding Quill as he kept his hands in front of his face to protect himself and soon, he was sucked into the ship as it flew off.**

"I'm guessing it wasn't his daddy." Tony quipped to lighten the mood.

"No. I don't think it was." Natasha agreed.

**26 years later, on an abandoned planet called Morag, a young man wearing a helmet that had red eyes moved around. He used a holographic map to look around for something, even seeing stuff that had been there before.**

"Okay, what the hell is that?" Tony asked.

"A holographic map that shows things that are and things that were in a location." Benjamin told him.

"I want one of those." Tony said.

"As Rocket would say- "You're a genius only on Earth."" Odinson said and everyone chuckled as Tony had a look of mock offense on his face.

**The man then entered a ruined temple and pressed a button to retract his helmet, revealing himself to be a young, good looking blonde haired man with a very light moustache and beard. He then took out a Walkman and put it around his ears.**

"So the kid is all grown up now." Tony said.

**He then started listening to "Come and Get your Love" and danced to it happily, kicking a few lizard like creatures that tried to attack him and picked up one of them, using it as a mic.**

Everyone had dropped jaws at the ridiculousness they were witnessing in front of them.

"So he's an idiot?" Rhodes finally asked.

"More like a very excitable fellow." Odinson said.

"And pretty insecure." Logan added and Odinson nodded.

**Quill finally threw it off and using his jet-boots, jumped over a gap before using a device of his to pick a lock of a huge door, finally opening it. He then lit up some kind of blue ball and saw an Orb floating in the air in the middle of some kind of barrier.**

"What is that?" Aunt May asked.

"Nothing good probably." Natasha said.

"Nope. Nothing good at all." Logan agreed.

**Outside, two more ships landed in the area.**

"I don't think they are with Quill." Tony said.

"Nope." Odinson told him.

**Quill put some kind of device down near the barrier and it activated. The Orb started getting pulled. The barrier tried to stop it but the Orb flew out of it and landed on the device.**

"Now what is that?" Tony asked.

"A Gravity Mine." Benjamin said, "Pulls stuff due to its gravity."

"I do not think even Wakanda has those." T'Challa said.

"This is space." Odinson said, "Everything is very advanced."

**Quill picked up the Orb but turned around to see some people pointing guns at him, led by a dark-skinned man who seemed to have very small horns on his head.**

"Now what are those?" Scott asked.

"The Kree." Thor said as everyone looked at him, "I have heard of them. A technologically advanced militaristic race. Most of them are blue. This one seems like an exception."

"Never met any of them though." Loki said, "Not that I want to because I have heard they are pig-headed idiots."

Everyone turned back to the screen as the recording continued.

**The dark Kree told Quill to drop it and he did as he raised his hands. He was asked how he knew about this and he said he was just a junker looking for stuff. The Kree said he did not look like one as he was wearing Ravager garb. Quill said this was just an outfit as a guard poked him with his gun and he told him to stop. He introduced himself as Peter Quill and the Kree told him to come with them as Ronan might have some questions for him. "Hey, you know what?" Quill asked, "There's another name you might know me by- Star Lord."**

Everyone burst out laughing at the name.

"Okay, what kind of name is that?" Rhodes asked.

"I wish I knew." Tony said.

"He loves it." Odinson spoke up.

**The Kree was confused as he told them he was a legendary outlaw but the Kree still wanted to bring him in so he kicked the blue ball he had and it shattered, disintegrating the two people with him.**

"Okay, that ball was awesome!" Peter said.

"It is called a Plasma Sphere." Benjamin told him.

**Quill then took out some kind of blasters and shot the Kree down before picking up the Orb. He then saw the Kree was back up and ducked to avoid a blast from him which destroyed the wall behind him. He put his helmet back on then used his jet boots to fly out as the Kree continued firing at him. He flew out before running and saw some more people outside who tried to fire at him. He threw a gravity mine and it trapped them all as he leapt to avoid another blast from the Kree behind and landed above his spaceship into which he slid from above and started it just as the other soldiers freed themselves from the gravity field. He then took off his helmet and flew up as they tried to fire at him and he laughed.**

"Okay, he is pretty ridiculous but he has some brains." Tony said.

"An idiot who is smart." Rhodes said.

**Quill flew around, dodging blast from the Kree and his men. He cheered happily before flying into a blast of steam which caused the ship to go haywire.**

"Never celebrate victory until you're out of the danger zone." Steve said and everyone nodded.

**The ship started crash landing as he was thrown around in it until he managed to pull a lever, steadying it again and flying off the planet.**

"At least he managed to escape." Pepper said.

"But considering the way he does things, I would never really consider him for the Avengers Initiative." Fury told everyone.

"Yeah, he seems to be a bit ridiculous." Hill said.

"I think it is more than just a bit." Steve said but Hill didn't reply, which everyone noticed.

**As he flew into space, a hatch opened and a beautiful red-skinned woman came out, seeming dizzy. Quill realized he had forgotten her name and she said it was Bereet. He said he had totally forgotten she was here, shocking her.**

"Okay, he is more like pre-cave me then." Tony said and everyone realized it was a pretty good comparison.

**Later, Bereet was sitting as Quill watched the news where it said that scattered riots had broken out in the Kree Empire to protest the peace treaty signed by the Kree Emperor and Xandar's Nova Prime.**

"Now what is Xandar?" Bucky asked.

"It is a place where an intergalactic military force called Nova Corps resides." Odinson told them, "Led by an individual with the title of Nova Prime. In this recording, the Kree tried to attack Xandar but ended up signing a peace treaty."

"Guessing the Kree didn't like it." Tony said and the people from the future nodded.

**Quill's 'phone' rang and Bereet told him he had a call. It was some blue-skinned alien. Quill told her not pick it but she did anyway and the blue-skinned alien appeared on his screen, calling out to him. Quill greeted him. His name was Yondu. Yondu said he was on Morag but the Orb and him weren't there. Quill said he was in the neighborhood and though to save them the hassle. He asked where Quill was now but he said he couldn't tell him that.**

"Who is he?" Wanda asked.

"Yondu Udonta." Odinson said, "Captain of a Ravager faction. Ravagers are a race of criminals with many factions that have different captains."

"So they picked him up." Natasha realized and he nodded.

**Yondu said he had put this deal together after a lot of hard work and now he was going to be ripped off, even though the Ravagers had a code. Quill reminded him the code was "Steal from everybody" as Yondu started about when he had picked him up from Terra, his boys wanted to eat him as they had never tasted Terran before but he stopped them and that he was alive because of him. Yondu started how he will find Quill but he cut the call.**

"I have a feeling that was not a good move to make." Hill said.

"Right you are, Agent Hill." T'Challa agreed.

"So these aliens call Earth as Terra?" Clint asked.

"Yup." Logan said.

"If he thinks he should be grateful to him for not letting him get eaten, he definitely needs to learn Earth etiquette better." Peter joked and everyone laughed.

**Yondu told his men to put a 40K bounty on Quill but he wanted him alive. Another Ravager told him they should have delivered Quill like they were hired to do and that Yondu had always been soft on him. Yondu grabbed him and told him the only person he was soft on was him as he pointed at an arrow he had and told him as soon as they got Quill, he would kill him himself. What they needed to worry about was who else was after the Orb.**

"Yeah you better." Odinson agreed.

**Two small ships flew into a large Kree Warship called The Dark Aster as a blue-skinned huge Kree bathed in blood under a hatch.**

"Is he actually bathing in blood?" Steve asked as everyone watched the scene in horror and disgust.

"Yes. Ronan the Accuser bathes in the blood of his enemies." Odinson said and everyone's horror and disgust increased.

**Ronan's voice was heard saying how he was called 'terrorist', 'radical' and 'zealot' for following the ancient laws of the Kree and punishing those who didn't. He was shown having a helmet and an armor put on him by his followers with some blood painted under his eyes. He was then handed his hammer as he said to someone he had not forgiven their people for taking the life of his forefathers and that the thousand years of war will not be forgotten. A Nova Corp he had captured told him in desperation their governments had signed a peace treaty and he said his government knew no shame. The Nova Corp said he would never rule Xandar and he said he would cure it before hitting his head with the hammer, making his blood pour down the patch.**

Everyone watched with wide eyes, too horrified and disgusted by Ronan's brutality to comment.

**A blue-skinned cybernetic woman stopped behind him and told him Korath the Pursuer had returned.**

"Who is robot lady there?" Tony asked.

"Nebula." Logan said, "Daughter of Thanos."

Everyone's jaws dropped in shock as Tony asked, "That Thanos?"

"Yes. He killed half of several races and adopted one of them as his kid to train them and they were called 'The Children of Thanos.'" Benjamin told them.

"Two people as sick as Thanos and Ronan working together." Steve said in horror, "Sounds like a death sentence for anyone against them."

**Korath stood in front of Ronan and told him an outlaw called Star-Lord had taken the Orb but they had discovered of an agreement between him and an intermediary called the Broker. Ronan said he had promised Thanos to retrieve the Orb for him so he could destroy Xandar. He then got up and asked Nebula to retrieve the Orb but a green-skinned woman stopped her, saying she would bring it. Nebula said they both were Daughters of Thanos but the green one reminded her that she knew Xandar well.**

"What is her name?" Wanda asked.

"Gamora." Benjamin told them.

**Ronan told Gamora not to fail and she told him she never had.**

"So now she is gonna come after Quill." Tony realized.

**On Xandar, someone was watching the people going about their daily lives via some holographic device. The person called Xandarians losers, mocking a man's hairstyle and a child for needing help to walk before seeing an old man flirting with a young woman and called him a Class-A prevert.**

"Okay, I'm not as insensitive as whoever is saying all this." Tony said.

"No you're not." Pepper agreed.

"So this man goes to other planets to hang out as well." Fury said about the old man who was the same one from all the recordings, "Got it."

"Like we said, he is in all of these." Logan said.

"We're all being stalked. Scary." Tony said, "Even a different planet isn't safe."

**The person was revealed to be a short, raccoon-like creature.**

"Okay, is that a raccoon?" Sam asked as everyone watched the scene with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

"It's a rabbit." Thor said and everyone seemed confused.

"Rabbit with a mouth worse than Iron Man." Loki agreed and everyone snickered.

"His name is Rocket." Odinson told them.

**He then turned to see his partner Groot, a large-tree like creature drinking water from a fountain and told him not to as it was disgusting but he shook his head and Rocket told him not to lie.**

"Now what is that?" Sam asked.

"That looks like a species of Flora colossus." Thor said.

"Sentient tree-like creatures." Loki said, "Their language was taught to us on Asgard as an elective."

"Really?" Bucky asked in amusement.

"Yup." Odinson said, "His name is Groot."

"Asgardian culture is so like Earth and yet so unlike." Vision commented.

**Rocket's device beeped red and then he saw Quill kissing Bereet and bidding her goodbye. He realized there was a bounty of 40,000 units on him and said they would get rich but Groot was drinking fountain water again.**

"Getting off on the wrong foot I see." Tony said.

"Worse than the two of us and Steve." Odinson said and everyone looked shocked.

**Quill walked into a building where the Broker was and they greeted each other. Quill took out the Orb as the Broker asked where Yondu was and Quill said he couldn't make it but sent his love and told him to tell him he had the best eyebrows in business.**

"Does know how to flatter." Pepper noted.

**Broker said it was not his policy to discuss his clients and their needs as Quill said he had almost died getting it for him. Broker said it was probably an occupational hazard and Quill said it was some machine-headed freak working for some freak called Ronan. Broker looked horrified and returned the Orb to Quill, saying he wanted no part of the transaction if Ronan was around, telling him Ronan was a Kree fanatic outraged by the peace treaty and wanted to end his people and culture. He started pushing Quill out, saying he would not want to get on Ronan's bad side. Quill asked about his bad side but Broker opened the shutter behind him and sent him out before closing it while Quill yelled they had a deal.**

"I have a feeling avoiding a fanatical warlord is more important than deals." Bruce said and everyone nodded.

**Quill then turned to see Gamora standing near the building, eating something and looking at him.**

"Uh-oh." Tony said.

"Yup." Logan agreed.

**Quill said the guy had backed out from a deal and that he hated a man without integrity.**

"Funny coming from you." Logan joked.

**He introduced himself as Peter Quill and said people called him Star-Lord. Gamora said he had the bearing of a man of honor.**

"Oh, the sarcasm!" Scott said and everyone laughed.

**Quill said people said that about him but he didn't say it about himself. Gamora suddenly snatched the Orb and kicked Quill, staggering him, before running off.**

"And it is on." Rhodes said.

**Quill threw a red bola at her which tied her feet and she fell down. He rushed her just as she freed herself and kicked him down next to her. She punched him twice before he blocked but she hit his abdomen and kicked his face twice. He tried to take out his blasters but she pressed his wrist with her knee and taking out a knife, told him this wasn't the plan. She was about to bring it down on him but a figure leapt at her and threw her off.**

"I think I know who that is." Natasha said.

**Rocket crawled on her face, hitting her and told Groot to put him in the bag but Groot extended his braches towards Gamora as Rocket told him to learn genders.**

No one could stop their laughter at this ridiculousness.

**Gamora bit Rocket's hand and managed to throw him off as Groot retracted his branches. Quill picked up the Orb and ran as Gamora threw a dagger at him. It hit his hand and he dropped it as she took out a sword and slashed Groot's arm, making him back off. She then jumped down and picking up he Orb, ran off. Quill got up and taking out a device, leapt at her from above. She pinned him down, telling him he should have learnt. He said it was one of his issues and snatching the Orb, put a device on her which flew her off and threw her into the fountain.**

"Like you said, smart and dumb." Peter told Tony and Rhodes.

**Groot came up behind Quill and put the bag over him. Him and Rocket were about to carry him away when Gamora returned and pushed Rocket off. Groot dropped the bag and tried to fight her but she chopped off his arms with her blade and staggered him back.**

"They grow back." Logan told him.

**She went up to the bag but Quill hit her with a blaster, electrocuting her as she screamed in pain. He started running off but Rocket pointed his blaster at him and said, "I live for the simple things. Like how much is this gonna hurt."**

"That is one cruel rabbit." Thor said.

"I wish I knew that sooner." Odinson said.

**Rocket fired a blast at him and Quill screamed in pain as he was electrocuted too. The people were all watching in fear. Groot looked at his chopped off arm and Rocket told him to stop whining as they will grow back. Then some Xandar ships arrived and with their yellow beams, held the two up. A Nova Corp called Rocket Subject 89P13 and told him to drop his weapon, which he did reluctantly.**

"And caught." Hope said, "That is why you don't carry out illegal activities publicly."

**Two Corps lifted up Quill and one of them recognized him as 'Star-Prince.' Quill corrected him and he told the other he had arrested him a while back for petty theft and he had a codename. Quill said it was an outlaw name and the Corp said it was cool to have a codename. An unconscious Gamora was also lifted up by the beam.**

"So not a legendary outlaw then." Tony said.

"Nope. Just outlaw." Benjamin told him.

**At the Nova Headquarter, Nova Prime told the Kree Emperor on video call that Ronan was destroying Xandarian outposts throughout the Galaxy and he should at least have some response as Ronan was slaughtering children. She said he could at least give a statement saying he condemned Ronan's actions but he said that was her problem and he had work to do. He cut the call as Nova Prime called him prick.**

"Typical Kree pig-headed behavior." Loki said.

"What an asshole." Logan said.

**A Nova Corp told her they had apprehended one of Ronan's compatriots. They stood in front of Gamora's cell, who didn't react at all as the Nova Corp told Nova Prime said she had been surgically modified and trained as a living weapon. She was the adopted daughter of Thanos and he had lent her and Nebula to Ronan which meant they worked together. They then walked to Rocket's cell who scoffed and spat as Nova Corp said Subject 89P13 called himself Rocket and was a result of illegal genetic and cybernetic experiments on lower life forms. Then they walked in front of Groot's cell who peeked at them from his cell and Nova Corp said he was a humanoid plant travelling with 89P13 as his houseplant/muscle. Then they walked up to Quill and he was introduced as Peter Jason Quill, a Terran who was raised by a band of Ravagers lead by Yondu Udonta. Quill rotated his hand around his other one and raised his middle finger, acting like it was a machine and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't know how this machine worked."**

"That is pretty ridiculous." Hope said.

**The Nova Corp said they were a bunch of a-holes and needed to be transported to Kyln.**

"Doesn't sound like the best place." Steve said about Kyln.

"Because it isn't." Odinson said.

* * *

**And done. This movie is so funny that any flaws are automatically forgiven.**

**[1] Laura Haddock, who played Quill's mom, also played a fangirl of Captain America in the first Cap movie and she greeted him after one of his performances. There was a fan theory that the woman was Meredith's mom and Quill's grandmother and James Gunn later confirmed it.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	47. Escape plan

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes everyone laughs and yup, no one can watch anything with a crowd like that. Yes, nanotech and Wakanda deserve some credit. Yup, poor Wanda and Clint would definitely want an arrow like Yondu. I found out it was blood some time ago. I actually like the idea with Nova, Maybe I can refer to it. Thanks for the idea. That is a good description of Quill actually and Goku as well- selectively intelligent. I think Quill's grandma in CA:TFA was accidental as MCU does reuse same actors at times and this thing began as a fan theory really before Gunn confirmed it. Yes, Spider-verse was a brilliant movie and Peter B Parker really was. The beast is finally back inside now. Now I just need to avoid any bees. Enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 47- Escape plan

"You're telling me they all actually team up after that scuffle?" Tony asked.

"As hard as it is to believe, yeah they do." Odinson said.

"So, how often do they try to kill each other in a day?" Sam asked.

"About 3." Benjamin joked.

**The four were transported to the Kyln and as they were led through the area, Rocket said that while most of the Nova Corps wanted to uphold the law, the ones in here were corrupt and cruel. Not that it was his problem as he had escaped 22 different prisons before and this one was no different.**

"Then why are you talking in front of the guard about it?" Natasha asked.

"The guard is too dumb." Logan told her.

**Rocket told Quill he was lucky Gamora had shown up or him and Groot would be collecting the bounty right now as Quill said many had tried to kill him over the years and he won't be brought down by a tree and a talking raccoon. Rocket had no idea what a raccoon was as Quill told him he was one and he said there was no one like him.**

"So he doesn't know what he is?" Steve asked.

"He is a rabbit." Thor said.

"Rabbit with a big mouth." Loki told everyone.

"He is a result of experimentation." Logan said and everyone looked at him in sympathy.

**Quill** **commented how the Orb had a blue shiny suitcase asked what it was. "I am Groot." Groot said. Quill didn't understand and asked again.**

"I'm guessing that's the only word he says." Rhodes said.

"That's his language." Thor said.

**Quill asked Gamora what it was and she said had no words for an honorless thief. Rocket said it was high and mighty coming from the lackey of a genocidal maniac, saying he knew who she was. Most people did. Quill told her he knew who she was and then asked who she was bur Groot gave the same response.**

"I think he is going to annoy Quill to death with his vocabulary." Peter said.

**Gamora said she wasn't retrieving the Orb for Ronan but betraying him as she had an agreement to sell it to a third party. Groot once again repeated his line as Quill dryly said it was as fascinating as the first 89 times he had heard that and asked Rocket what was wrong with him. Rocket said, "Well, he don't know talking good like me and you. So his vocabulistics is limited to "I" and "am" and "Groot." Exclusively in that order"**

"What a unique way to talk isn't it?" Aunt May said dryly.

**Quill said that was going to get old really fast when he saw a blue alien using his Walkman and wearing his headphones. Quill ran in, telling him to put it away as it belonged to him but received a shock from a taser rod in response.**

"Good to know some things are same on all planets." Clint joked dryly.

"This guy is an idiot." Wanda said about Quill, agreeing with Rhodes.

**Quill said the song was Hooked on a Feeling, Blue Swede, 1973 and belonged to him but got another shock in response and then more of them.**

"Definitely not the brightest person around." Scott agreed.

"Learning his lessons the hard way." Bruce said.

**Later, Quill was showered by some orange liquid.**

"What is that?" Pepper asked in disgust.

"Uhhh…..alien shower." Benjamin said.

"Eugh!" Hope said.

**Quill was then scanned by some drones and then given a yellow prison uniform. Rocket also got one of his size and Gamora got one too. Quill saw some implants on Rocket's back which confirmed he was an experiment. The three and Groot entered the prison area as they were handed blankets. Quill looked around at all the strange prisoners before a thrown projectile hit him. All the prisoners around were jeering at him and threatening Gamora as Rocket said she had a rep and would last for one day max.**

"I had a feeling she lasted longer than that." T'Challa said.

"A lot longer." Logan said.

**Quill asked if the guards would protect her but Rocket said they were there to stop them from getting out and they didn't care what they did to each other inside.**

"Okay, not that different from Earth." Natasha agreed with Clint.

"**Whatever nightmares the future holds, are dreams compared to what's behind me." Gamora told them with a smirk.**

"So she is a poetess too." Tony joked.

**One of the large aliens loomed upon Quill and called him new meat, saying he would slather him in Guvanian Jelly when suddenly Groot inserted his branches into his nose.**

"Eugh! These people have no concept of disgusting." Rhodes said.

"Tell me about it." Odinson sighed.

**Groot then lifted him up by the nose as Rocket said Quill was their booty and anyone who wanted him would have to go through them or more accurately, they would go through them all. Groot dropped the alien as his nose bled and walked off with Rocket as Quill said he was with them and walked after them.**

"They do know how to give a demonstration of power." T'Challa said about Rocket and Groot.

"Such a thing is needed to survive in prison, Your Highness." Clint told him.

**All the other prisoners hounded Gamora, shouting threats at her as she locked herself in a cell. A red-skinned muscular alien glared at her from below.**

"Is that the fusion of Kratos and Brok?" Tony joked and everyone rolled their eyes.

"He is Drax the Destroyer." Odinson said.

"The Fifth Guardian." Logan told everyone.

"So I'm guessing more getting off on the wrong foot." Steve said and they nodded.

**At night, Quill was woken up by some sounds and turned out some of the prisoners had taken Gamora hostage. The guard told them to take her down to the showers as it would be easier to clean the blood down there.**

"Okay, these guards are even worse than the ones on here." Natasha said.

"No kidding." Bucky agreed.

**Quill got up and followed the sounds as Rocket tried to stop him. The prisoners pinned Gamora to a pillar and told her they were giving her a death sentence for her crimes against the galaxy but someone roared at them, "You dare?" They turned around to see Drax walking towards them.**

"Long lost boyfriend?" Sam joked.

"No. He wants to carry out the deed himself." Odinson said and everyone sighed.

**Everyone knew he was Drax the Destroyer because he had slayed dozens of Ronan's minions as Ronan had murdered his wife Ovette and his daughter Kamaria and laughed.**

"What a sick bastard!" Fury snarled in disgust about Ronan as everyone felt their deepest sympathies for Drax.

**He told them her life was his to take so they let her go and one of them gave him his knife. Gamora then disarmed the other two men and kicking them down, aimed the knives at Drax's and the other prisoner's throats, saying she was no family to Ronan or Thanos.**

Natasha realized Gamora was genuine in what she said and also found out she could relate to her. Both of them were trying to wipe the red in their ledgers.

"I know you mean well now." She muttered to Gamora.

**She lowered the knives and said she was their only hope at stopping him. Drax roared and pinned her to the pillar by her throat, saying her words meant nothing to him but then Quill arrived, saying this wasn't the best way to kill Ronan.**

"What a bright idea!" Hill said sarcastically.

"At least he is trying to do something good." Steve said.

**Drax reminded him she had tried to kill him too and he said she wasn't the first. He showed a scar from when a woman had stabbed him in the abdomen and one from when one had tried to rip out his thorax.**

"And I thought my one-night stands were crazy." Tony muttered.

**He told Drax Gamora had betrayed Ronan so he was coming for her and when he did, he could kill him. He put a finger on his throat to explain the killing part but Drax had no idea what it meant and asked why he would put his finger on Ronan's throat.**

"Okay, his stupidity just made him much less threatening." Loki said.

"He doesn't understand figures of speech." Benjamin told everyone.

**Quill said this was an expression for him slicing his throat and asked the other prisoner if he knew what it meant and he nodded his head but then Drax turned to him and he shook it. Drax said he was going to cut off his head but Quill said it was a general expression for him killing anyone and that he should keep her alive. He finally let Gamora go as she fell down and air filled her lungs. He said he was keeping the knife and walked off as the prisoner muttered how it was his favorite knife.**

"Care more about your life." Sam said.

**Quill later told Gamora he didn't care about her but she knew where to sell the Orb. Gamora asked how they would sell it if they were still here and Quill told her Rocket had escaped 22 prisons.**

"So he's your friend now." Wanda said.

**Rocket said when they get out, they will go to Yondu to retrieve his bounty.**

Everyone laughed as Pepper said, "Now he knows they are not friends."

**Quill asked how much her buyer was willing to pay for the Orb and she said it was 4 billion units, shocking them all.**

"Damn! That is a lot! And coming from me, that says a lot!" Tony said as everyone else looked shocked too.

**Gamora said the Orb was her opportunity to get away from Thanos and Ronan. If Rocket freed them, she would lead them directly to the buyer and they could split the profit between the three of them. Groot repeated his line from his cell and Rocket said it was four before commenting how he was asleep for the danger but awake for the money.**

"What would a tree need money for?" Rhodes asked.

"Arcade video games." Benjamin told them and they looked confused.

**In his ship, Ronan was on a video call with The Other, who told him he had been betrayed.**

"Is that…." Aunt May trailed off as everyone watched the scene in horror.

"Yes. It is him." Loki said as he paled a little again on recognizing The Other but Thor put a hand on his shoulder.

**Ronan said Gamora had only been captured and she may yet retrieve the Orb but The Other said their sources in the prison reported she had her own plans for it and that his partnership with Thanos was at risk. He required his presence right now. Nebula watched the scene from behind.**

"I think Ronan doesn't like being summoned like that. Not even by Thanos." Steve said.

"Nope." Logan said.

**Ronan arrived on the Sanctuary and told Thanos his daughter had made this mess and yet he was the one summoned. Thanos did not turn on his hover-chair as The Other told Ronan to lower his voice. Ronan said she had lost against a primitive as The Other said she had been put under his charge. Ronan continued with how the Nova Corps had apprehended her and the Other said he had nothing to show for it. Ronan then said according to their sources, she had meant to betray them all the time. The Other roared at Ronan to lower his voice. Ronan angrily pointed his hammer at him and a concussive force blast shot out, turning The Other's neck at a 180 degrees angle, snapping it and killing him as he fell down as Nebula watched in shock.**

Everyone's jaw dropped at what Ronan had done as Loki actually sighed in relief, "Okay, he is a pig-headed idiot but at least he shut that moron up."

**Ronan told Thanos he only wanted him to take the matter seriously. Thanos finally turned around in his hover-chair, revealing himself wearing a golden helmet and armor. He had purple skin and heavy facial features. His eyes and grin were malicious.**

Everyone watched the scene in horror again and shuddered at Thanos' mighty and terrifying presence. Loki was pale again.

"**The only matter I do not take seriously, boy, is you." Thanos told Ronan, "Your politics bore me. Your demeanor is that of a pouty child. And, apparently, you alienated my favorite daughter, Gamora." Nebula closed her eyes sadly and shook her head as Thanos leaned forward and said, "I shall honor our agreement, Kree, if you bring me the Orb. But return to me again empty-handed, and I will bathe the starways in your blood."**

Everyone's eyes widened in horror at Thanos' threat. While Ronan was terrifying, Thanos seemed to be in a totally different league.

"He could very easily follow through on that threat as well." Loki told everyone, increasing their horror.

**Nebula fixed her arm and told Thanos it sounded fair. She walked past Ronan, telling him he wouldn't win this fight and they should head to the Kyln. Ronan glared at Thanos and walked off as Thanos gave an insane grin and sat on his hover-chair comfortably.**

"He is an insane warlord." Fury muttered.

"No kidding." Hill agreed.

**Quill, Gamora, Rocket and Groot took their food as Rocket said to get into the watchtower, they needed a few things. One was a security band of a guard and Gamora volunteered to get it while Rocket asked to get a prosthetic leg of a man and Quill wondered why he needed that.**

"Okay, is he serious?" Tony asked incredulously as everyone looked disgusted but no one gave a reply.

**They sat down as Rocket said there was a black panel on the wall and it had a quarnyx battery he needed to get into the watchtower. The bald bodies found Gamora attractive so she could work out some kind of trade. Gamora said he was joking as Quill said it was 20 feet high in the most heavily guarded part of the prison. Rocket told him his plan required that so they should figure it out. As they were talking, behind them Groot had ripped out the panel and it had hit a person on the head, knocking him out. Rocket said when it was out, the prison would go into emergency mode so they needed to get it last but Groot ripped out the battery as well and the emergency mode begun.**

"You were saying?" Bucky asked dryly as everyone burst out laughing.

"Definitely not recruiting them." Fury muttered under his breath.

**Groot held out the battery as Rocket said they could get it first and improvise. Gamora went to get the arm band as Quill went to get the leg while drones surrounded Groot and the guard told him to drop the battery and go into his cell or they would open fire. Groot roared, "I AM GROOT!"**

"He is saying he won't keep the battery back." Thor said.

"Yeah, we figured that out." Tony said.

**The drones opened fire as Groot defended himself and sent two of them crashing into the ground as the prisoners started running off. Rocket avoided some shots and climbing up on Groot, asked how to fight them without his stuff. Groot thickened his branches to defend them both and sent more flying off as some guards were about to fire at them. Drax saw them and rushed them with a maniacal laugh, sending one flying off and knocking another out before throwing his gun on a third, knocking him out too.**

"Okay, is he all right up there?" Sam asked, concerned about him due to his maniacal laughter.

"Uhhhh….yeah, yeah, he is all right." Benjamin shrugged and everyone sighed.

**He threw another down and with a flip, kicked another out before grabbing and throwing down another. One of them punched him but nothing happened.**

"Bad idea, bub." Logan said.

**Drax knocked him out with a head butt and throwing another down, picked up a gun and tossed it to Rocket, calling him a 'creepy little beast.'**

"How can he make it sounds so non-offensive?" Wanda wondered.

**Rocket caught the gun and said, "Oh yeah." He then fired at the drones as Groot roared. Quill was in front of the man with the prosthetic leg who asked him he needed his what.**

"Poor guy." Natasha muttered.

**Gamora ran around and disarming a guard, knocked him out before leaping at another and knocking him out. She dodged a third's shot and kicked another's shield away before fighting two simultaneously. She smacked one out before grabbing the other's wrist with her leg, saying she needed the band. He told her it was internally wired and she said she would figure something out before breaking the wrist.**

"I think she will figure something out." Natasha said, reminded of herself by Gamora.

**Quill ran around with the leg before a guard pointed a gun at him, telling him to drop it. Quill raised his hands but then knocked the guard out with two strikes from the leg and picking up his gun, fired at a drone, destroying it. Rocket and Groot continued fighting the drones and won as Gamora tossed Rocket the arm band. He took it and Groot spread his branches on the railing to help Rocket climb while Gamora leapt there and helped him up. Quill arrived and holding the leg under his chin, started climbing too. A drone aimed at him but Drax leapt at it and shattered it, calling Quill the man who has lain with an A'askavariian. Quill muttered how it was one time and continued climbing as Drax climbed after him.**

"I think he needs a lesson in manners." Rhodes said about Drax.

**The guard said they needed backup but the alarm beeped and he turned around to see Quill, Gamora, Rocket, Groot and Drax standing there as Groot wrapped him in his branches and threw him off.**

"I think they do work decently well together." Steve said.

"Yeah, but they are ridiculous." Peter said and everyone laughed.

**Rocket started working as Gamora looked at Drax and he told her to spare him her foul gaze. She asked Quill why he was here and he said he had promised him to let him kill Ronan and he kept his promises if they were to muscle bound whack jobs who would kill him if he didn't. He gave Rocket the leg but he said he didn't need it and it was just for fun, horrifying Quill who said he had to transfer 30,000 units and Rocket jokingly asked if the man was hopping.**

Everyone's jaw dropped at Rocket's merciless humor as Tony said, "And you all call me a douche."

"Yeah, I think the title belongs to this rabbit now." Thor agreed.

"Please keep him away from me." Bucky said as he looked at his metal arm.

**Gamora asked if he had a plan and Quill asked him as Drax asked him to get them out of this irksome confinement. Quill said he agreed with the walking thesaurus on this one. Drax told him not to call him a thesaurus and Quill said it was a metaphor. Rocket said, "His people are completely literal. Metaphors are gonna go over his head." Drax said, "Nothing goes over my head. My reflexes are too fast. I would catch it."**

Natasha actually facepalmed as everyone else shook their heads.

"**I'm gonna die surrounded by** **the biggest idiots in the galaxy." Gamora muttered.**

"Yeah, I feel your pain even here." Hill said and everyone chuckled.

**Guards arrived with guns and started firing, cracking the glass as Drax said they used to roast Rocket over a flame pit as children and the flesh was quite delicious as Rocket told him it wasn't helping. As the glass shattered, the guards were about to fire a fourth time but Rocket joined the wires and the artificial gravity was shut off everywhere except the watchtower, making the guards and their guns fly.**

Everyone clapped for the first time in this recording as Fury said, "They got brains after all."

"Only two of them really." Hill said, "Rocket and Gamora."

"And Quill has bits of it." Tony said.

"**I told you I had a plan." Rocket said as the watchtower flew and drones attached to it to increase the speed and it flew, shattering through a door before finally stopping outside. They got out of it and got their stuff from the crates as Quill told them to get to his ship- the Milano. It was orange and blue. Quill opened his crate and found the Orb there. But Quill realized one thing hadn't been put back and handing Gamora the bag with the Orb, told her he would be back as he rushed to get it.**

"I think I know what he wants." Steve said.

**The doors opened and Quill, once again in his Ravager outfit along with the helmet and blasters, walked towards the guards, firing at them with his blasters as they got electrocuted and screamed in pain. He knocked one down and fired at another who rushed him. He held his neck in pain but Quill fired at him again, knocking him out.**

"So he can be pretty brutal." Sam said as everyone looked surprised now at his brutality.

**The others were outside in the Milano as Rocket asked how he would get to them and Gamora said he had declined to share the info. Rocket said he wouldn't wait for a humie with a death wish and asked Gamora if she had the Orb. She said she had and opened the bag but only found some wrappers inside, realizing she had been tricked.**

"So she got fooled." Hope muttered and everyone chuckled.

**Quill took out the Orb and walking up to the blue alien guard who was listening to the Pina Colada song, knocked him out with it just as he looked up at him.**

"Never take away mother's gifts." Tony said and everyone nodded.

**Rocket said they would be blown if they didn't leave now but Gamora said they needed the Orb. That was when Quill flew out with his jet boots and Drax told them to behold. They opened the hatch on the back as Gamora and Drax helped Quill up. Drax said he showed spirit and calling him companion, asked him what he was retrieving. Quill handed him the Walkman and walked off as Drax then called him an imbecile for risking his life for something so minor.**

"If only he knew its significance." Aunt May muttered.

"So the trade now." Logan said and everyone continued watching.

* * *

**I think this movie requires about 3 more chapters. **

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	48. Knowhere

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Me too. Oh that'd be funny. Yeah, Drax is a lovable character but badly nerfed for the MCU. Yes they have been already shown. The Katie Cassidy fanatics are still at my friends. Yeah, Katie Cassidy or Emily Bett Rickards would definitely send their fanatics to the nut house themselves. Then there is Candice Patton, who'd be flattered that she has fanatics, considering people have told me about encouraging her fanatics to be pricks to those who don't like WestAllen or Iris. Yeah, they are abusing the privilege. You're right on Drax and agreed on Thanos. Yes, a lot more commentary and facepalming. And so glad to hear you managed to survive first day of college and yeah, it can be very exhausting. My first day was actually ridiculously easy to survive because I only had two classes, one in the morning and one in night. But the second day, I had five classes back to back. Can't even describe what I went through that day of the week for the entire semester. Fortunately, Semester 2 onwards, I have been wiser in making the timetable and now I have lovely schedules. Enjoy.**

Chapter 48- Knowhere

"So….are they going to try to kill each other?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. In a while." Benjamin said.

"It wasn't pretty." Odinson told them.

**Rocket was looking at components of the Milano as Quill told him he couldn't take it apart without asking him.**

"I took your pod without asking you and you didn't do anything." Odinson chuckled.

"Why did you take his pod?" Thor asked.

"Long story." Odinson said with a pained look in his eyes.

**He asked Rocket about a certain device and he said it was a bomb. He asked Rocket if he was going to leave it like that, and he said he was looking for a box, pointing to the wrapped gift Quill's mother had given him but he kicked it out of his hands. He then pointed at a device and asked what it was. Rocket said it was for when things got really hardcore or if they needed to blow up a moon.**

"That can blow up a moon?" Steve asked as everyone looked shocked.

"Uhhhh…yes." Logan said.

**Gamora said no one was blowing up moons and Rocket said she sucked the joy out of everything.**

"You guys don't think that about me, do you?" Natasha asked the original Avengers.

"Nah!" Clint said.

"I definitely don't." Steve said.

"I think you are rather fun." Thor said.

"Not a killjoy." Bruce agreed too.

"Looks like I am the only one." Tony muttered and everyone chuckled.

**Quill asked Gamora for her buyer's coordinates and she just said they were heading in the right direction for now. He said she could trust him a little bit. She asked how much he trusted her. He took the Orb and said he would trust her a lot more if she told him what it was. As he put it down, Drax picked it up and said they should use it against Ronan. Gamora called him a fool, telling him to put it down or he will destroy them all. Drax called her a murderess. She called him a princess and they continued arguing until Quill stopped them, saying no one would kill anyone on his ship. They were stuck together until they got the money.**

"Okay, he is not that bad at managing situations." Bucky said.

"Pretty good actually." Loki agreed too.

**Drax walked away, saying he didn't want money. Quill said that meant more money for the 3 of them but then Groot made a face and Quill added him to the list.**

"Don't worry, you will get the arcade game." Benjamin said and everyone chuckled.

**Quill said they were partners. Gamora said they had an agreement but she would never call him a partner and walked off, saying his ship was filthy.**

"That was uncalled for." Pepper said.

"Doesn't look filthy to me." Scott said.

**Quill said if he had a black light, this place would look like a Jackson Pollock painting. Rocket told him he had issues.**

"And you don't?" Peter asked and everyone chuckled again.

**At the Kyln, Nebula interrogated the guard who said he didn't know anything and she told Ronan if he did, he would have told them by now.**

"You lot are some real pieces of work." Hope said as everyone watched in shock.

**The Nova Corps had sent a fleet to guard the prison so Ronan decided to send the Necrocraft to every corner of the quadrant for the Orb. He told Nebula the Nova couldn't know what they were after so it should be cleansed. With that, the killing of the guards and prisoners started.**

"Damn it!" Sam said as everyone else looked horrified by the brutality.

"Ronan can't let anyone know his whereabouts or what he is after." Logan told them.

**Yondu looked at some kind of necklace in a case, asking Broker if he had others like this as he liked to stick them in a row on his control console.**

"Really?" Aunt May asked, "He does that?"

"Uhhh, yes." Odinson said and everyone looked disgusted again by space customs.

**Broker said he couldn't tell if Yondu was joking or not as Kraglin said he was being fully serious. Yondu said he needed to know about the Orb and why everyone cared about it so much, asking who might want to buy it. The Broker was about to rant about the high-end community but Yondu interrupted him by saying gibberish.**

No one could stop their laughter as Rhodes started, "Okay, he has a sens-"

Tony interrupted him by saying the same gibberish."

"Okay." Rhodes said, "Nice imp-"

Tony said the same gibberish again and everyone laughed.

"You do that one mo-"

Tony did that again and the laughter continued so Rhodes simply glared at him and turned to the screen.

**Kraglin chuckled as Yondu then whistled and his red-tipped Yaka Arrow flew out, just a few inches from Broker's face who now looked afraid as Yondu controlled it with his whistle.**

Everyone's jaws dropped as Clint said, "I want one of those!"

"Come on, Clint. Don't act like a toddler." Natasha said in a mock motherly tone and everyone laughed while he shook his head with a smirk.

"It is a pretty awesome arrow." Peter said.

"I want it too." Tony said.

"He is already a toddler." Natasha said and everyone laughed as Tony glared at her.

"I agree. Cool arrow." Wanda said.

**Somewhere else, a red-skinned woman was cleaning cages when a coated man walked up to her and asked sarcastically if her people had elbows.**

"Isn't that…." Steve trailed off as everyone recognized the woman.

"What are they doing here?" Tony asked.

"You will see." Benjamin said.

**She said she had and he told her to use them, reminding her of what had happened to the last attendant who had disappointed him. She looked at the attendant who was chained up in a cage. Even her neck was restrained.**

"Okay, what the hell?" Hill said as everyone looked at the scene in disgust.

"And I left the Aether with him." Loki muttered.

"Kind of low even for you." Bruce told him.

"What a disgusting piece of work." Fury snorted.

**She got to work again, using her elbows as he said their guests would be here soon.**

"Wait, is he the buyer?" Tony asked and got nods from Benjamin, Odinson and Logan.

"Well, this is gonna be interesting." Natasha said.

**Quill was aiming his blasters when Rocket said they were near so he walked up and they saw what looked like a humongous severed head in the middle of space.**

"What is that?" Bucky asked.

"Knowhere." Thor said.

"It has to be somewhere." Tony said.

"K-N-O-W-H-E-R-E." Loki spelled out.

"Ah!" Tony said.

**Gamora said it was called Knowhere and was the severed head of an ancient Celestial being.**

"What are Celestials?" Pepper asked.

"An ancient powerful race that could wield the Infinity Stones." Odinson told everyone.

"And one of their heads is a planet now?" Peter asked and he nodded, "Wow!"

**She told them to beware as there were no regulations. They flew into the planet as Gamora said the Tivan Group had sent workers here hundreds of years ago to mine organic matter within the skull and it was highly valued in black markets. The place looked technologically advanced and a lot of tall buildings stood.**

"That is one planet I want to visit." Tony said.

"No you don't." Thor told him.

**They all walked as Gamora said this work was suitable only for outlaws and Quill said he came from a planet of them, citing Billy the Kid, Bonnie and Clyde, John Stamos. Drax said he would want to visit the place and Quill said he would love it.**

"No you won't." Sam said.

**Some kids arrived to beg for money as they decided to watch their wallets. Groot grew a flower on his palm and handed it to a girl, who seemed happy because of it, while they continued walking.**

Everyone's heart was touched by Groot's kindness and they all smiled.

**They looked at a building as Gamora said their buyer's representative would visit them there. **

"This does not look like a respectable establishment." T'Challa said.

**Someone was pushed out of the building as Drax said this place wasn't a respectable establishment.**

"You've found a kindred spirit, your highness." Tony joked and everyone chuckled.

**Drax wondered what they could do while waiting.**

"A lot of things I'm sure." Fury said.

**Later- Rocket, Groot, Drax and several others in some kind of club cheered as a huge lizard like creature chased and ate several smaller ones, with Drax declaring his Orloni had won.**

For a few seconds, everyone's jaw dropped at what they had just seen.

"Okay, what kind of game is that?" Scott finally asked.

"Basically, the surviving Orloni wins." Odinson said.

"Yeah, we got that." Tony said.

"Can't believe such stuff is out there." Steve muttered.

"Dangerous games." Wanda muttered.

**He then held up some space alcoholic beverage and said they need to put more of this liquid in this body before drinking it as Rocket said this was the first thing he had said which wasn't batshit crazy.**

"When Rocket said he was literal, I had no idea he was that literal." Natasha said.

**Quill and Gamora stood outside as he commented they charged a lot for fuel and she said her contact was making them wait. He said it was a negotiation tactic. He knew because this was his specialty. As she cleaned her sword, he said her specialty seemed more like stabbing people and she smiled, saying her father hadn't stressed on diplomacy. Quill thought she was talking about Thanos but she said he wasn't her father. He had taken her home world, killed her parents in front of her, tortured her and turned her into a weapon.**

No one could bring themselves to comment as they all felt their deepest sympathies for Gamora and Natasha once again felt she could relate to her as she too had been turned into a weapon.

**She couldn't stand by when he had said he would destroy an entire planet for Ronan. She then took out the Walkman and asked why he had risked his life for this and he told her his mother had given it to him. 'Fooled Around and Fell In Love' started playing as he said his mother had shared all the pop songs she loved with him while he grew up and he had it with him when he had…left Earth.**

"He keeps it because it reminds him of her." Aunt May said and everyone nodded.

**Gamora asked what he did with it and he said they could listen to it and dance. She said she was a warrior and an assassin so she didn't dance. Quill said on his planet there was a legend about people like them called Footloose in which a great hero called Kevin Bacon taught an entire city full of people with sticks in their butts that dancing was the greatest thing ever.**

Everyone burst out in laughter as Tony asked, "Did he just turn a movie into an urban legend?"

"I think he did." Natasha said.

"It was a pretty fun movie though." Peter said.

"Quill considers it the greatest movie ever." Benjamin said, "And the people in space actually considered Kevin Bacon a real hero."

Everyone laughed again before Odinson said, "Even I was one of those people for a while."

**Gamora said putting sticks in butts was cruel and Quill told her it was just a phrase.**

"I think most of the space people are literal." Bucky said and nods followed.

**He put the headphones around her ears and she shouted the melody was pleasant. They then held hands and started slow dancing. They were about to kiss but then Gamora put a knife on Quill's throat, saying she won't fall for his pelvic sorcery.**

The laughter started again as Tony asked, "Okay, 'you're trying to get into my pants' means pelvic sorcery in space?"

"They have a lot of interesting terms." Logan said.

"Definitely need to see more of these." Sam said.

**Quill said that wasn't what he was doing but then they looked inside to see Drax fighting and tackling Groot.**

"Oh boy!" Rhodes said.

**Drax continued punching Groot who tried to hold him back with his branches but he ripped them apart. Rocket then pointed his big cannon at Drax as Quill stepped in the way while Gamora pushed Drax back. Quill asked what was going on and Drax said the vermin didn't know what he was talking about and was disrespectful. Rocket said Drax just wanted to laugh at him like everyone else. Quill told him he was drunk and no one was laughing at him.**

"But they probably laughed at him his whole life." Clint realized sadly and everyone looked at Rocket in sympathy.

**Rocket said Drax thought of him as some stupid thing. He then said in a voice that was a mixture of sadness and anger, "Well, I didn't ask to get made! I didn't ask to be torn apart, and put back together, over and over and turned into some...Some little monster."**

"I don't think you're a monster." Hope said as everyone looked at Rocket sadly, "You're a person with thoughts and feelings."

"If only he met others who shared all of your sentiments earlier." Benjamin told her.

**Quill said no one was calling him a monster but Rocket said Drax had called him a vermin and Gamora had called him a rodent. He then lifted his cannon, saying Drax won't be able to laugh after 5 or 6 good shots to the face but Quill stopped him, reminding him of 4 billion units, and told him he just had to suck it up for one more night and then he'd be rich. He lowered his gun but said he would kill them all when this was over. Quill said this was why none of them had friends as they tried to kill anyone they met in 5 seconds of meeting them. Drax said they had travelled halfway across the Quadrant and were still no closer to killing Ronan. He then walked off.**

"So he just left?" Steve asked.

"I think he will come back." Thor said.

"Not in the way you think though." Odinson told him.

**Quill tried to stop him but Gamora said they didn't need him. The doors then went up and Carina arrived, saying she was here to fetch Gamora for her master. They followed her.**

"At least no more fighting between them for now." Pepper sighed and everyone agreed as it was pretty hard to see the Guardians fight each other.

**They looked around at all the stuff in cages as Rocket said sarcastically this wasn't creepy at all. He then looked at a dog which bared its teeth at him and he bared his too.**

"What is that?" Peter asked.

"Cosmo the Space Dog." Benjamin told them and their jaws gapped.

"So space has dogs too. Check." Wanda said.

**Carina said they housed the galaxy's largest collection of fauna, relics and species of all matter. She then presented to them Tanleer Tivan, The Collector. He took off his inspection glasses and regarded them all.**

"I had a feeling he wasn't the right person." Thor said, "But because of all the stuff I had to do, didn't think much of it."

**He took Gamora's hand and kissed it but she said they should bypass all the formalities. He then looked at Groot and said he must allow him to pay him now so that he may own his carcass when he died. Groot repeated his line and Rocket asked if it was because he wanted to turn Groot into a chair. Tivan asked Groot if Rocket was his pet and he was angrily about to take out his cannon again until Quill stopped him.**

"What an egotistical jerk!" Natasha said as everyone glared at Tivan.

**Gamora said they had been halfway across the Galaxy to retrieve the Orb. Quill then held it out but dropped it before catching it.**

"Is that part of his natural clumsiness or did he do that on purpose?" Tony wondered as everyone chuckled. [1]

**Drax stumbled out and saw a Knowhere Dispatcher ordering some materials. He then snuck up on him with his two knives and told him he wanted him to send a message for him.**

"I don't think that is going to end well." Loki said.

"It won't." Logan said.

**Tivan used a device to open the Orb, revealing the Infinity Stone inside, and said, "Oh, my new friends. Before creation itself, there were six singularities. Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated ingots. Infinity Stones." Holograms of the Stones appeared as Quill, Gamora, Rocket and Groot looked at them and he continued, "These stones, it seems, can only be brandished by beings of extraordinary strength. Observe." They turned to the screen which showed very old footage of a giant being wielding the Stone in its hammer. It tapped it on the ground and all the people were killed.**

"What the hell is that?" Tony asked as everyone looked at the being in the footage in horror.

"Eson the Searcher." Odinson told them, "A Celestial."

Everyone paled as they realized how powerful these Celestials truly were.

**Tivan continued, "These carriers can use the Stone to mow down entire civilizations like wheat in a field." Quill watched the footage in shock and said, "There's a little pee coming out of me right now."**

"Trust me, you're not the only one." Scott said.

**Tivan then showed them more footage on his screen of people trying to share that power, "Once, for a moment, a group was able to share the energy amongst themselves, but even they were quickly destroyed by it." They were then destroyed in the footage as Tivan shook his hands dramatically and pointed at the Stone, "Beautiful. Beyond compare."**

"And I thought soap operas were over-dramatic." Natasha commented and everyone chuckled.

**Rocket mimicked his gestures and said they'd like to get paid in units. He started taking out the units when he saw Carina walking towards the Infinity Stone with a defiant glare in her eyes. He told her to stand back but she declared defiantly, "I will no longer be your slave!" And then she touched the Power Stone and started screaming in agony while stuff flew around, hitting Tivan on the head and knocking him out. Groot picked up Rocket and ran off to protect him as Carina continued screaming.**

Everyone's jaw dropped as Peter asked innocently, "Did she think she could use it against him?"

"No. She wanted to die." Steve said.

"She found death better for herself than serving this piece of work." Bucky agreed. [2]

**Quill and Gamora ducked as Carina exploded and parts of the museum were destroyed. Groot continued running out with Rocket and leapt away as some people were consumed in the explosion. Quill and Gamora got back up with wide eyes and dropped jaws.**

"Okay, Nicolas Cage would be proud of those eyes." Tony quipped to lighten the mood.

**Tivan lost consciousness as Gamora shut off the Power Stone in the Orb and walked out with it, realizing Tivan couldn't contain it. Rocket asked what they still had it for and Quill said they couldn't leave it there. Rocket said he couldn't believe Gamora had kept it in her purse and Quill said it was a knapsack, not a purse.**

"Not the best time to bring it up." T'Challa said.

**Gamora said they had to bring it to the Nova Corps as they could contain it and Rocket said they were wanted by them so they should just give it to Ronan. Quill said he would destroy the galaxy and Rocket asked what the galaxy had done for him and why he wanted to save it. Quill responded with, "Because I'm one of the idiots who lives in it!"**

"Good point." Fury agreed.

**Gamora said they had to deliver it to the Nova Corps but Quill said they could give it to someone who didn't want to arrest them and was nice for a lot of money because it was a balance between both of their POVs. Gamora called him despicable, dishonorable and faithless.**

"Kind of an overreaction." Pepper said.

**She started walking away when many ships landed on the site and Drax stood there laughing with his knives. They were shocked that he had called Ronan when Yondu called out to Quill. They ran from him as he rushed after them. Ronan stepped out of his ship as Drax called out to him. He asked if he had transmitted the message and he said, "You killed my wife. You killed my daughter!"**

"Prepare to get your ass kicked." Scott said.

"Not that easy." Logan warned him.

"Ronan and Yondu at the same time. Their luck can't get any worse." Clint said.

**Gamora threw a worker out of the mining pod and getting in, started it as Rocket got in one too and told Groot he couldn't fit so he had to wait. They all flew off in the mining pods as Nebula told the men that Gamora was escaping with the Orb so they ran into the ship to get them. Ronan turned around to follow and Drax angrily tried to strike but Ronan casually dodged while telling Nebula to retrieve the Orb. Drax tried to strike again but he blocked and smacked him on the chest, making him fall down as the shop started flying. Drax attacked again but Ronan dodged or blocked and punched him into a building.**

"Damn!" Tony said.

"Told you it wasn't easy." Logan said to Scott.

**Nebula flew after the pods and told her men the Orb was in the farthest one so they should aim for it. She fired but Gamora avoided the blasts and flew off as some of the buildings and one of the pursuing ships got destroyed by the blasts instead.**

"Took a page right out of my book." Tony quipped to lighten the mood again and it worked as some chuckles were heard.

**Drax leapt at Ronan but was easily pushed away. He got back up and charged as Ronan dodged and struck his back and disarmed him of one knife.**

"He is a tough nut to crack." Bruce said about Ronan.

"No kidding." Hill agreed.

**Quill told Rocket to keep them off Gamora until she got to the Milano. Rocket said these pods had no weaponry. Quill said they were industrial grade and nearly indestructible. Rocket said not against the necroblasts but Quill told him that wasn't what he meant. Rocket realized what he was saying and flew into two ships, easily crashing them before flying into a third with a roar, crashing it too.**

Everyone clapped as Tony said, "Now that's what I'm talking about."

**A ship flew around before Quill flew over it and used the pod's tentacles to rip out the above portion, throwing the pilot away as he told him he was borrowing the ride. The tentacles managed to control the ship before it plummeted and flying back up, fired at some of the ships after Gamora, destroying two of them.**

Everyone clapped again as Scott said, "Okay, now that's some nice use of brains right there."

"Quill has decent amounts of it." Hope agreed.

**Ronan lifted Drax up by the throat. He tried to free himself by punching Ronan but failed before throwing Drax down, telling him he didn't recall killing his family and wouldn't recall killing them either. Gamora flew up, dragging against a building before flying further and told Quill she couldn't make it to the Milano so she was heading out. Quill told her the pods weren't meant to be out there but she flew out anyway as Nebula flew after her and told her she was a disappointment as out of all their siblings, she hated her the least. Gamora pleaded with her, saying Ronan would kill them all if he got the Stone but Nebula coldly said she'd already be dead and fired at her pod, destroying it as Gamora flew out of it.**

Everyone's jaws dropped as Sam said, "Oh no!"

"Keep watching." Benjamin said.

**The Orb was beamed up to the Dark Aster.**

"Shit!" Rhodes said as everyone watched in horror, "Oh no!"

"Now that Ronan has it, he will use it wage war against Xandar." Fury said.

"Only they can stop him now." Thor said about the Guardians.

"But how?" Wanda wondered.

"You will see." Odinson said.

**Ronan dragged Drax and threw him into a fountain as Nebula landed behind him on the ship and told him it was done. He walked into there as Quill and Rocket watched a floating Gamora. Rocket said her body mods would keep her alive for a few more minutes but there was nothing they could do for her as the pods weren't meant to be out there. He started flying back but Quill felt something and called up Yondu, telling him his coordinates and to come and get him.**

Everyone was shocked as Peter asked, "What is he doing?"

"Trying to save both of their lives." Vision told him.

**Quill then flew out of his pod in spite of Rocket's protests and holding Gamora in his arms, took off his helmet and put it on her as she started breathing lightly again.**

"Oh boy!" Sam said as everyone's jaws dropped at Quill's selflessness.

"He is an honorable person." Steve said with a smile and everyone nodded in agreement.

**Ravager ships finally arrived as Quill looked around. Yondu watched as his swirling beam flew out and took Quill and Gamora in. Quill then took a deep breath as Gamora coughed and asked him what had happened. He told her he saw her out there and something incredibly heroic came over him and he couldn't let her die. He didn't meant to brag but this was objectively speaking. She told him where the Orb was and he said they had got it, horrifying her.**

"Now only you can stop him." Aunt May said.

**The Ravagers then arrived, pointing guns at them as Kraglin said, "Welcome home, Peter."**

"I don't think he is going to like it." Tony said.

"Not for now." Logan agreed.

* * *

**And done. It is funny how the Thor movies were supposed to show us strange stuff in space but instead, the lovely Guardians of the Galaxy did that. Thor only did that in his third movie.**

**[1] Chris Pratt actually dropped the Orb by mistake as it wasn't in the script but then he caught it as well immediately. It looked in-character for Quill so the scene was kept like that.**

**[2] It is obvious to me that Carina knows she can't use the Power Stone. She is not stupid and she has seen in the footage what it does to people. So I think she just wanted to die because for her, death would perhaps be better than being Tivan's slave.**

**Next chapter will be a bit shorter and the one after that will finish this movie.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	49. Bunch of jackasses standing in a circle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now this story has reached over 500 reviews! Damn! Thank you all! Your support means a lot to me!**

Chapter 49- Bunch of jackasses standing in a circle

"So, how are they going to beat him now?" Tony asked.

"You won't believe me if I told you." Benjamin told him.

"Really? Something ridiculous?" Rhodes asked.

"Kind of." Logan said.

"Sort of." Odinson said at the same time.

"We need to see that." Sam said.

**Groot dragged Drax out of the fountain and turning his branch into a sharp fingernail, hit his chest, making him cough out all the fountain water as he woke up and started breathing.**

"The biggest idiot is awake!" Scott said.

"He actually drunk-dialed Ronan." Fury shook his head.

"Revenge does that to people." Odinson told him.

"Still, he went too far with that." Loki said.

**Rocket's pod landed and he got out, saying they were all idiots as Quill had gotten himself captured because Drax had single-handedly tried to take on a frickin' army.**

"He is right about that." Hill said.

**Drax agreed, saying he was a fool and all the anger and rage was just to cover his loss.**

"First step in repenting for your mistakes is to realize you've made a mistake." Steve said and everyone nodded, "And he has realized it."

**Rocket mocked the deaths of his family in a rage as Groot put a hand on his mouth in horror.**

"That was really, really mean." Hope said.

**Rocket looked at Groot's face and said he didn't care if it was mean. Everyone had dead people but that was no excuse to get others dead along the way.**

"He is right about that too." Natasha said.

"That is a very wise rabbit." Thor said.

"Groot is pretty forgiving." Clint said, "Drax attacked him and he is still comforting him."

"Groot is like Hobbits in a way." Bruce said and nods followed.

**Rocket turned away, saying they should get to the other side of the Universe so they could live full lives before Ronan ever got there. Groot stood up and declared, "I am Groot." Rocket asked how they will save them. Groot repeated his line and Rocket said he knew they were the only friends they had but they had an army of Ravagers around them and they were only two. Drax staggered up and putting a hand on Groot's shoulder said, "Three."**

"Looks like differences are put aside finally." Pepper said.

"Damn right!" Fury said.

**Rocket angrily turned around and kicked grass, "You're making me beat….up grass!"**

Everyone burst out laughing as Aunt May said, "He has some pretty funny outbursts."

**On the Dark Aster, Ronan was on video call with Thanos as he said the Orb was in his possession. Thanos asked him to bring it to him but Ronan said now that he knew it contained an Infinity Stone, he had no use of Thanos. "Boy. I would reconsider your current course." Thanos said threateningly. Ronan angrily opened the Orb, revealing the Power Stone as Korath warned, "Master! You cannot! Thanos is the most powerful being in the universe." Ronan looked at the Stone and said, "Not anymore." With that, he grabbed the Power Stone with his hand, roaring in anger and pain before Korath handed him his hammer. He managed to put the Power Stone in it.**

"Oh boy!" Tony said in horror as they all watched the scene.

"Now he has it." Steve muttered.

"And he will use it to destroy Xander." Thor said.

"Could he have beaten Thanos with it?" Peter asked.

"No." Logan said, "Even with the Power Stone, he would have lost to Thanos' superior strength, speed and skills."

"Thanos is a cunning strategist. He knows that one villain can betray another villain." Odinson said, "He would have been prepared for Ronan. And Ronan has the Power Stone in his hammer, not in his being. So Thanos could have easily disarmed him and won."

"So he is the toughest nut to crack in that case." Bucky said and nods followed.

**Ronan angrily declared, "You call me "boy!" I will unfurl 1,000 years of Kree justice on Xandar, and burn it to its core! Then, Thanos, I am coming for you." Thanos looked angry but unconcerned about Ronan as he cut the call.**

"Based on his expression, he really doesn't look that much concerned about Ronan coming after him." Bruce agreed with Logan's and Odinson's observation.

**Nebula asked Ronan if he was going to kill her father after Xander. He asked if she was opposing him but she said her father had turned her into a monster. So if he killed Thanos, she would help him destroy a thousand more planets.**

"Looks like both of daddy dearest's daughters hate him with a passion." Fury said.

"No kidding." Natasha agreed.

**In the Ravager ship, Gamora and Quill were both restrained as Yondu beat up the latter for stealing his money and betraying him.**

"Actions having consequences." Rhodes muttered, "Damn!"

**Gamora asked him to stop as Yondu again said when he had picked him up, his boys had wanted to eat him because they had never tasted Terran before and he had saved Quill's life. Quill asked him to stop with that as normal people never thought about eating each other, much less someone having to be grateful for it. He then pointed out Yondu had abducted him, stole him from his home and family.**

"That is definitely true." Wanda said.

"Quill would later realize Yondu was family too." Benjamin said and everyone wondered what he was talking about.

**Yondu told Quill he didn't really care about Terra and he was scared because he was soft in the heart. Gamora told Yondu that Ronan had an Infinity Stone and he would use it to wipe out Xandar so they needed to warn them or billions would perish. Yondu angrily slapped Quill, asking if Gamora had filled his brain with sentiment and eaten away at it like maggots.**

"Damn! He is a hardass!" Hill commented.

"He has some sentiments himself." Benjamin said, "He just doesn't show them."

**Yondu then brandished his Yaka arrow with a whistle and it was right at Quill's throat, to Gamora's horror.**

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Peter was saying as everyone was tense.

**As Yondu turned around, Quill said if Yondu killed him, he would be missing the biggest score of his life. Yondu turned around with a smile and said no one was stealing the Stone from Ronan but Quill said they had Gamora who knew everything to know about Ronan and she played along with him, saying he was vulnerable. Quill said they could take down a mark side-by-side like the old days. Yondu considered for a few seconds, and then withdrew his Yaka arrow with a whistle.**

"Phew!" Peter said as everyone released breaths they hadn't realized they were holding.

"I still want that arrow." Clint said and everyone chuckled.

**He then laughed and hugged Quill as everyone else laughed too while Gamora freed herself. Suddenly, the entire ship shook and they ran to the controls room as the ship shook two more times from the shots.**

"I think I know who that is." Wanda said.

"We all do, Miss Maximoff." T'Challa said.

**Drax was seen standing over a craft in a suit with some kind of weapon as Rocket announced that the lunatic on the craft had a Hadron Enforcer of his design and if they didn't hand over their companions, they were going to blow their ship a very big, new one. With that, Rocket started counting down from 5 but Quill and Gamora arrived and the former frantically stopped them, saying they had figured it out.**

"Wait, they were going to save them by blowing them up?" Peter asked and everyone's eyes widened.

"That plan still gives me a headache." Logan said.

"Definitely not recruiting any of them now." Fury said.

**Later, the five were sitting together in the ship as Rocket asked how they were going to rob the people who had beat them senseless. Quill told him senseless was trying to save them by blowing them up.**

"Thank you." Peter said.

**Rocket said they were going to blow them up only if they didn't hand them over. Quill asked how they would do that in 5 seconds as Rocket said they didn't have time to go over the minutiae of the plan. He said to Groot this is what they got for trying to act altruistically and Groot repeated his line as Rocket agreed they were being ungrateful. **

"And your plan is devoid of logic." Tony said.

"The rabbit is stubborn." Thor said.

"With a mouth that would make a sailor blush." Loki said and everyone chuckled.

**Gamora said they now needed to get the Ravager army to help save Xandar as Rocket pointed out Yondu will sell the Stone to someone even worse and Quill said they would figure that part out later. Gamora said they had to stop Ronan. Quill then said he had a plan. Rocket said Quill was copying him from when he had said it and Quill said he wasn't as people said it all the time and it wasn't a unique thing to say.**

"He is not wrong about that." Steve said.

"I'm pretty sure I said it too in the first recording." Thor reminded everyone and they nodded.

**Rocket said he didn't believe he had a plan. Quill said he had part of a plan. Drax asked what percentage but Gamora said he didn't get to ask questions after the nonsense he pulled on Knowhere. He said he had just saved them but Quill said they had just established that blowing up the ship he was on wasn't saving. Drax asked when had that happened and Quill said 3 seconds ago. Drax said he wasn't listening as he was thinking of something else, annoying the others.**

"Really? Does he ever listen?" Tony asked.

"No. He yawns." Benjamin said with a chuckle, remembering when Drax had done it during the time Tony was telling the plan.

"But he gets the job done somehow." Logan said, "All of them do."

"Yeah. I saw that when I was with them." Odinson said.

**Rocket agreed, saying he didn't get an opinion. Rocket asked the percentage and Quill said it was 12%, shocking everyone.**

"You have found a kindred spirit." Pepper joked to Tony and everyone chuckled.

"I give 12% credit. He has 12% of a plan." Tony quipped and there were some more chuckles.

**Rocket laughed but Quill said it was a fake laugh. Rocket said it was the most authentic laugh of his entire life because it wasn't a plan and Gamora agreed, saying it was not even a concept. Quill was shocked that she took their side when Groot spoke his line and Rocket asked why it mattered if it was better than 11%. Quill thanked him, saying he was the only one who had a clue but then Groot ate a leaf on his arm and everyone looked shocked.**

"Really? That shocks them?" Scott asked.

**Quill said Yondu was going to be here in 2 seconds and he expected to hear this big plan of theirs. He then said, "I need your help. I look around at us. You know what I see? Losers." They looked offended and he clarified, "I mean, like, folks who have lost stuff. And we have. Man, we have. All of us. Our homes, our families, normal lives. And, usually, life takes more than it gives. But not today. Today, it's given us something. It has given us a chance." Drax asked, "To do what?" Quill looked at him and said, "To give a shit. For once. Not run away. I, for one, am not gonna stand by and watch as Ronan wipes out billions of innocent lives." **

"He is pretty good at this." Tony commented.

"He is." Steve agreed.

"He might give you a run for your money." Bucky joked and everyone chuckled.

**Rocket said stopping Ronan was impossible and he was asking them to die. Quill sighed and said he was as he turned around. "Quill." Gamora said as he turned around, "I have lived most my life surrounded by my enemies." She then got up and said, "I will be grateful to die among my friends." Drax got up and said, "You are an honorable man, Quill. I will fight beside you. And in the end, I will see my wife and daughter again." Quill nodded as Groot got up and said, "I am Groot."**

"He said he will fight alongside them." Thor said.

"Yeah, we got that." Scott said.

"**What the hell. I don't got that long a lifespan, anyway." Rocket said and got up, "Now I'm standing. Y'all happy? We're all standing up now. Bunch of jackasses, standing in a circle."**

Everyone burst out laughing as Steve said, "Now I guess they will fight Ronan and his army."

"Oh they will." Odinson smirked.

* * *

**Next chapter ends this movie finally. The 50****th**** chapter. Nice.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	50. Guardians of the Galaxy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now this story has reached 50 chapter! Damn! That's a lot! The maximum any other story of mine has is 32 and that would be 'The Devil of Star City.'**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, almost all of them are broken and flawed. You have a point on the fountain and agreed on the Orb part. Yup, that same reaction. Well, I'm sure you know my mind goes to dark and crazy places at times. Yes, at least Marvel doesn't overuse it. Though I think they like the number '6' a lot too. Yes, Ronan was impressive but my money is always on Thanos in such a fight. Yes it really was. Thanks a lot man! I think that might just happen. Enjoy.**

Chapter 50- Guardians of the Galaxy

"Ronan better watch out now." Sam said.

"Oh you have no idea what he witnessed." Benjamin said and everyone really looked forward to what he was talking about.

**Quill listened to 'Cherry Bomb' as Gamora was shown telling the Ravagers that the Stone reacted to anything organic. The bigger the target, the bigger the power surge. Quill said Ronan only needed to touch Stone to the planet's surface and everything would die. So Ronan must not make the surface. Rocket was shown readying his cannon as Quill said Rocket would lead a team to blow a hole in the Dark Aster's starboard hull. Then their craft and Yondu's would enter. Kraglin said hundreds of Sakaarans will be there. Drax said he thought of Sakaarans as paper people. Kraglin laughed and playfully punched his shoulder but got a glare in response.**

"Why so serious?" Tony asked and everyone laughed.

"Yeah, Sakaarans are paper people but they do have some tech." Thor said.

"You've met them?" Steve asked.

"Don't ask." Odinson said.

"You'll embarrass him." Loki said and everyone chuckled as both the Thors glared at him.

**Drax was then shown looking at some pants and putting on some red ones and then putting his knives in them. Gamora said once they knew they were on board, Ronan would isolate himself behind impenetrable security doors on deck. She would disable it by dismantling the power source. Quill said once they were on the flight deck, he would use the Hadron Enforcer to kill Ronan. Gamora was then shown dressing up and keeping her guns. She told everyone they had to retrieve the Stone and use some Orb like devices to keep it or it would kill them on being touched. Groot was shown growing a lot of branches on his body and plucking a small twig from the side.**

"Why did he do that?" Scott asked.

"Just like that." Logan said.

**Quill said he would contact one of the Nova Corps who arrested them. Then Rhomann Dey was shown in his home as he got a call from Quill.**

"What's his name?" Hope asked.

"Rhomann Dey." Odinson told her.

**Rocket said they only needed one more thing to complete the plan. He then pointed at a man with a cybernetic eye and said his eye, shocking him as Quill assured everyone he didn't need the eye.**

"Here we go again." Pepper said.

"What is it with this guy and prosthetics?" Natasha asked.

"Please keep him away from me." Bucky said again.

"I would comment on it but he gave me my new eye." Odinson said.

**The announcement said they had spotted Ronan's fleet as Yondu told Quill at the end of all this he would get the Stone and if Quill crossed him, they would kill them all.**

"Sounds pretty reasonable if you're thinking as a mercenary." Loki commented.

**Quill then walked across the hall as Gamora joined him and then Drax joined them and flexed his muscles. They walked and were then joined by Rocket holding his cannon and then Groot joined them too. They walked as Gamora yawned and Quill wiped his nose.**

"Is she yawning?" Tony asked as everyone watched the screen incredulously, "If the most sensible one of them is yawning, we are all screwed."

"Frankly, don't blame you for thinking like that." Logan said.

"They all screw up and fix stuff." Benjamin said.

**Yondu was shown starting his ship as he told his boys to get 'em all and some of his 'decorations' were shown.**

"Those are some interesting decorations." Peter commented.

**Several small battleships flew out of the big ship. Rocket was in one and Quill, Gamora, Groot and Drax were in another. Gamora said it was a terrible plan and Quill reminded her she was the one who wanted to die among friends.**

"Burn." Peter said and everyone chuckled.

**Rhomann Dey walked with some other Nova Corps at the Nova Headquarters and told Nova Prime one of the Ravagers had contacted him and told him Ronan was in possession of an Infinity Stone and was headed towards Xandar, horrifying her. Another one said it was a trick but Dey said his crew had escaped from prison so they had no reason coming to Xandar for help. He said the guy had called himself an a-hole and he wasn't a "100% dick." Nova Prime asked if she believed him. He said he didn't believe anyone was 100% a dick. She asked if he believed Quill was here to help and he said he did.**

"I'm sure anyone can figure out what she was asking." T'Challa said.

"Quill has an interesting way of saying stuff." Aunt May commented.

**Ronan sat in the Dark Aster as it flew towards Xandar. Nebula told him a fleet of Ravagers approached them. The fleet hovered in front of the Dark Aster and at Yondu's order, fired two huge fireballs. They flew up to the ship and covered it as the battleships flew below the Dark Aster.**

"So they used their brains after all." Fury said.

"The Ravagers have a lot of brains." Odinson told him.

**As the flames cleared, Nebula yelled they were beneath them. Rocket and two other ships started firing below as many battleships flew out of the Dark Aster as well. Nova Prime told everyone to evacuate their civilians. Nebula yelled at the men for forward thrust and one of them operated a holographic ball, doing just that. Rocket and Kraglin continued firing and managed to finally make a hole. **

"YES!" Rhodes yelled as everyone watched what they were going to do now.

**Quill and Yondu flew towards it, destroying any battleships in their way. But one of them crashed into Yondu's craft and he started going down. He yelled to Quill that he would see him at the end of this.**

"I think he will keep his word there." Wanda said.

**The other battleships kept firing at Quill and one of them grazed his ship. Gamora told Rocket there were too many of them and that was when the Nova Star Blasters arrived, blowing up some enemy battleships.**

"Thank God!" Pepper said as everyone sighed in relief.

**Denarial Saal, who had advised against trusting Quill, called out to him and told him the same thing. Quill happily yelled, "They got my "dick" message!"**

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "Did he realize how that sounded?"

"I have no idea." Logan said.

**Saal told Quill to prove him wrong. Quill then flew his ship at full speed and managed to fly through the hole finally. Some of the enemies fired at them but the ship fired back, killing them all as Drax laughed like a madman, shocking the other three in the ship. They finally stopped and Gamora commented they were just like Kevin Bacon.**

Everyone burst out in both laughter and applause as Tony said, "I think the people in space should just keep believing Kevin Bacon is real."

"Yeah, gives us more opportunities to laugh." Peter said.

"Good thing I don't already believe it." Thor said and everyone chuckled.

"And Drax still laughs like a mad guy." Clint said and everyone chuckled again.

**Nebula said they had been breached but Ronan told to continue the current course as none of it would matter once they reached the ground. She told the men to seal the security doors and walked out as the doors shut. Outside, the aerial battle continued as Rocket destroyed some battleships and Nova Prime told the Nova Corps to interlock and form a blockade to stop Dark Aster from reaching the ground.**

"This is like Star Wars without the Force and lightsabers." Tony commented and everyone laughed at his accurate comparison.

"Couldn't be more right there." Benjamin agreed.

"I guess that's why I'm enjoying it so much." Peter said.

"Then I guess you will enjoy the twist in the second one even more." Logan said and everyone wondered what he was talking about.

**The Nova Star Blasters all connected and locked in with each other, forming a yellow barrier.**

Everyone clapped at that as Steve said, "That is a very nice security system."

"On par with Asgard's barrier." Thor agreed and nods followed.

"Which says a lot about how advanced these people were." Loki said.

**The Dark Aster flew into the barrier and struggled to overpower it. Inside- Quill, Gamora, Groot and Drax walked as the latter said he could barely see. Groot then suddenly threw bio-luminous spores into the air, creating a light for all of them to see.**

"He can do that?" Hill asked as everyone looked on in awe.

"Yeah, he can do that." Odinson said.

"That is very nice." Hill said.

"And very useful." Steve agreed with her but got no response again.

**Drax asked when he had learnt to do that and Quill said the answer was 'I am Groot.' Gamora said the flight deck was 300 meters away. Drax then said, "I want you all to know that I am grateful for your acceptance after my blunders. It is pleasing to once again have friends." He said to Quill, "You, Quill, are my friend." Quill said, "Thanks." He then said about Groot, "This dumb tree, he is my friend." Groot grunted. And then he said about Gamora, "And this green whore, she, too..." Gamora angrily cut him off, "Oh! You must stop!"**

Everyone burst out in laughter again as Tony said, "Still need to work on his people skills."

"And he can somehow make it sound non-offensive." Wanda commented and everyone laughed more.

"That must be his specialty." T'Challa said and more laughs followed.

**Nebula then jumped down, calling Gamora weak, stupid and traitorous but Drax blasted her off and lowering his cannon said, "Nobody talks to my friends like that."**

Everyone clapped as Steve said, "I think they stand united now."

"Oh they do." Logan agreed.

**Gamora told them to head to the flight deck while she shut down the security doors. On the ground, Yondu got up and putting the necklace he had taken from Broker inside, looked around as Ronan's men surrounded him, telling him to command his men to turn on the Nova Corps. He parted his coat and started whistling as the Yaka Arrow flew out. They lowered their guns in confusion but were about to wire when Yondu gave a particular whistle and the Yaka Arrow flew at the man, flying through him and killing him. Like that, it flew into all the soldiers at speeds reaching Mach 5, killing them all before flying into a battleship and killing everyone there too before flying out as Yondu caught it. All the men fell dead and battleship crashed on the ground.**

Everyone burst out in applause with dropped jaws as Clint said, "That arrow is really, really amazing! I want a quiver of those!"

Everyone laughed at his reaction as Natasha said with a laugh in a fake motherly tone, "Don't worry, my boy, I will get you one."

Clint sighed and looked at the screen while rolling his eyes as everyone laughed at their antics.

**The Dark Aster continued struggling with the barrier as Gamora saw Nebula fixing herself.**

"Damn!" Sam said as everyone watched her in sympathy and some disgust.

**Gamora raised her hands and begged Nebula to help but she attacked as Gamora dodged and managed to push her away. She brought down the green generator but Nebula struck from behind, electrocuting her and the fight continued. Ronan told his pilots to enact immolation initiative and they started flying towards the city, crashing into it and destroying stuff and killing people. The Corps asked Saal if they should break formation but he told them to hold positions as the others continued crashing and killing people.**

Everyone watched in horror as Fury said, "You sick son of a bitch!"

"No kidding." Hope agreed.

**One of them crashed behind a bridge and another was about to when Rocket destroyed it and told Saal he would take care of them. Saal muttered how he was taking orders from a hamster now.**

"It's a rabbit with the mouth of Iron Man!" Loki said and everyone laughed.

**In the Dark Aster Quill, Groot and Drax were stopped by Korath and his men in the way. "Star-Lord." Korath snarled as he recognized him. "Finally." Quill said happily.**

"Fight now, be happy later." Bucky said.

**Korath angrily lifted him and threw him off as Drax started stabbing and kicking the others. Quill put on his helmet as Korath threw him into a pillar. Drax stabbed two men and threw them into opposite directions as Groot smacked some down. Korath called Quill a thief but Drax threw his knives at him which he barely avoided and they killed two men behind him. Drax charged with a roar and fought Korath but was kicked down as Groot continued fighting. Korath said they would never reach Ronan.**

"These Kree really pack a punch." Scott said.

"Yeah they do. Carol will tell you all about it if she is around, which she isn't." Odinson said.

**Rocket, Kraglin and the Ravagers fired at the battleships before the hit the ground. Gamora and Nebula clashed weapons as Gamora managed to flip kick her on the head. Groot slammed a man on the ground and kicked him away into another with a roar while Drax fought Korath. Quill activated his jets and flew around, shooting and kicking men down. He then landed on his back and sliding back, shot more of them before getting up. He ducked to avoid a swing and managed to shoot the man and another one down.**

Everyone clapped as Rhodes said, "Okay, he is a badass too."

**Drax slammed Korath into a wall and throwing him down, pinned him to a wall. "Finger to the throat means death." He said as he ripped out the side of Korath's head and electricity spasmed out as he died. "Metaphor." He said as he looked at Quill. "Yeah, sorta." Quill said.**

"And now he just made a metaphor literal." Natasha said and everyone laughed.

**More men charged at them but Groot elongated his branch and stabbed through an entire line. Lifting them up, he smashed them around into the wall and other men with a roar. Drax nodded at Quill with a happy smile. Groot finally managed to kill all of them and turning around, looked at the two with a smile.**

"How can he be so dangerous and so adorable at the same time?" Hope asked and everyone chuckled.

**Ronan said Xandar stood accused and the wretched peace treaty won't save it now. It would be the tinder on which it burnt. He then fired a blast from his Power Stone empowered hammer, causing a blast that started destroying the Star Corps. The blast made Gamora and Nebula stumble too as a hole was made where they fought. One of the Ravager ships was destroyed as Saal called out to Rocket. Rocket told him to hold on but he screamed as the explosion killed him and all the other Nova Corps, finally destroying the barrier.**

Everyone's eyes widened in horror as Steve said, "Oh no!"

"Oh boy!" Peter said in horror.

"He is killing them all!" Aunt May said.

"Just watch." Logan said.

**Rocket told Quill to hurry. Quill shot and kicked more men away and said Gamora hadn't opened the door yet. Gamora and Nebula clashed blades until Nebula disarmed Gamora and hit her with her electric shock. Gamora groaned but managed to disarm her before kicking her away. Nebula fell outside the hole that had been made and her hand got stuck as she hung on for dear life. Gamora gave her a hand, asking her to help as she knew Ronan was crazy. Nebula said they both were crazy and chopped off her own hand, falling off.**

Everyone watched in shock as Loki asked, "Reminded of something?"

"Yes. Very." Thor said.

"Very vividly." Odinson agreed.

"Okay, this might sound insensitive but after the recording for the Avengers, why is everyone trying to be Luke Skywalker from Empire Strikes Back in every recording?" Peter asked and everyone shook their heads. [1]

**Nebula fell onto a ship and punched the glass, cracking it. She threw the man off and flew off in it.**

"That was mean." Tony said.

**Gamora managed to deactivate the security doors as Quill, Groot and Drax entered. Gamora shot one guard down as Drax sliced the other down with his knife. They stood together and as Ronan turned around, Quill fired the Hadron Enforcer. It hit Ronan on the chest and finally exploded. Quill smiled as Drax said he had done it but their smiles vanished and turned to horror. The smoke cleared and Ronan got up as if he had stumbled while walking.**

"Okay, what is this guy?" Tony asked as everyone looked horrified.

"The Kree are pig-headed idiots but very powerful." Loki said.

**Ronan fired a concussive blast from his hammer, sending them all back. Drax got up and charged but Ronan lifted him by the throat and said he did remember his family and that their screams were pitiful.**

"Oh boy! How will they stop him?" Bruce asked.

"Just watch." Benjamin said.

**A roaring Rocket crashed his craft into Ronan, knocking him away as his battleship crashed and fires broke out in the place while the Dark Aster started crumbling. Quill picked up an unconscious Rocket as Gamora dragged Drax to them. The Dark Aster was crashing on the ground. Groot then smiled and started extending all of his branches and limbs further than he even had before, covering the other four as some more bio-luminous spores flew out. Rocket woke up and asked Groot why he was doing this as it would kill him. Groot used his branch to wipe off a tear from Rocket's eye.**

Everyone wiped their own tears as they watched the emotional scene, realizing what was coming.

**Groot declared, "We are Groot."**

"What did he say?" Natasha asked, though a part of her did not want to know.

"He said- "You are strong. You are brave. You are willing to give your life for another. You have what it takes to stop Ronan. You don't need me here anymore."" Odinson explained with a lump in his throat as everyone had tears in their eyes and once again Peter, Wanda, Aunt May and Pepper sniffed.

**The Dark Aster crashed to the ground, destroying part of a building as part of it fell into the water. Drax twitched as "O-o-h Child" played on Quill's Walkman. Gamora started staggering up as Quill groaned. Rocket held Groot's remains and sadly said he had called him an idiot.**

"No!" Peter said with tears in his eyes as Aunt May held him in her arms with tears of her own. Groot's loss was very hard, even though they had only seen him on the screen. He was a hero.

**The civilians, including Broker, walked up to the area when Ronan emerged from the ruins of the Dark Aster and they all burst into tears of horror.**

"Is he another Terminator rip-off?" Tony asked angrily as everyone glared daggers at Ronan and if looks could kill, he would be dead ten times over from each and everyone's glare.

"**You killed Groot!" Rocket roared angrily as he charged but was sent back by a small blast from the Power Stone enhanced hammer. He then declared, "Behold! Your guardians of the galaxy. What fruit have they wrought? Only that my father and his father shall finally know vengeance." Rocket and Drax started working on the remains of the Hadron Enforcer as Ronan said, "People of Xandar, the time has come to rejoice and renounce your paltry gods! Your salvation is at hand." The people cried as he was about to touch the surface with his hammer when he heard Quill singing, "Oooh child things are gonna get easier. Oooh child things are gonna get brighter." Ronan and everyone else turned to see Quill dancing as he said, "Listen to these words." He continued dancing as he then put his hands down and said, "Now bring it down hard! Someday….."**

Everyone's jaws were wide dropped now and their eyes were wide open. No one was saying a word. It was like someone had stopped time. The scene was too ridiculous for them to say anything.

After about two minutes, Tony finally asked, "So he saved everyone by dancing?"

"Kind of." Benjamin said.

"MAN!" Tony yelled and everyone jumped, finally back to normal after two full minutes.

**The song played on the Walkman as Quill said, "Dance-off bro. You and me."**

"Dance-off to save the universe." Rhodes said.

"What have we come to?" Natasha said and everyone laughed.

"I wonder if I could do that." Peter said only to see Aunt May glaring at him.

"Don't you ever think that, kid!" She said and he nodded.

"I'm sure half of the people would criticize it and the other half would call it ahead of its times." Benjamin joked and everyone laughed. [2]

**He asked if Gamora would like to dance with him but she shook her head so he continued dancing. Ronan asked what he was doing and Quill called him a turd-blossom and said he was distracting him. Ronan then turned around as Rocket pressed two wires and Drax fired from the remade Hadron Enforcer. The blast shattered the hammer as Quill leapt. Gamora yelled out in despair as Quill managed to catch the Power Stone before Ronan.**

"He can hold it?" Steve asked.

"You will know why later." Logan said.

"Definitely need to know that." Bucky said.

**Quill yelled in agony as the Power Stone burnt him and the energy surrounded him. Ronan glared in anger as Gamora held out her hand and yelled, "PETER! TAKE MY HAND!" He looked at her as he then saw his mother holding out her hand, "Take my hand, Peter." He looked in shock, "Mom." Gamora yelled, "TAKE MY HAND!" And with that, Quill took her hand as she screamed too.**

"Teamwork." Steve said and everyone started clapping.

"Now he has no regrets." Tony said as the clapping continued.

**Drax struggled against the energy but managed to take Quill's other hand as he too screamed in agony. And then Rocket arrived, struggling against the energy but he grabbed Drax's hand and screamed too. "You're mortal! How?" Ronan asked in horror. "You said it yourself, bitch. We're the Guardians of the Galaxy." Quill said and then the Power Stone lifted him into the air. The four used it in coordination as he screamed in pain and finally exploded into pieces as the Power Stone's blast destroyed him.**

Everyone applauded cheerfully as Tony said, "Take that!"

"No one will dare to fight them now." Hill said.

"I don't think it's that simple, Hill." Fury said.

**Gamora shut the Power Stone with the Orb as the energy faded and Yondu and the other Ravagers arrived, commenting it was quite the light show. Yondu said Quill had some business to attend to. Gamora protested and Quill said the Nova Corps were the only ones who could keep the Stone. Yondu said he was pretty as an angel but wasn't one as he revealed the Yaka Arrow. Quill reluctantly handed over the Orb. Yondu smiled and they all started walking away as Quill told Yondu not to open as it was harmful to people. Yondu nodded with a smile as they all walked off.**

"Why do I think there is another reason he said that?" Steve asked.

"Because there is." Odinson said.

**The Ravagers flew off in their ships as Kraglin said Quill was all right and it was a good thing they didn't hand him over to his dad like they were hired to do. "Yeah, that guy was a jackass." Yondu said as they flew off.**

"Now I really want to know who he was." Tony said.

"The next one will show who he was." Logan said, "And he was a rat bastard."

**Quill took out the real Orb, saying Yondu would be pissed when he would find out he switched it. Gamora laughed happily.**

"Now that was smart." Fury said as everyone sighed in relief.

"The universe is finally saved by the Guardians of the Galaxy." Sam said and everyone nodded.

**Gamora said he was going to kill him and Quill said, "I know. But he was about the only family I had." Gamora held his hand and said, "No. He wasn't." Rocket cried over Groot's remains as Drax sat next to him and started patting his head to provide comfort while everyone else watched.**

Everyone smiled sadly with tears at Drax's show of affection.

**Later, they all were in the Nova Headquarters as a scan of Quill's body was shown and Dey said they had noticed an anomaly in his nervous system when they had arrested him so they had checked it out. Quill asked if he was not Terran. Nova Prime said he was half-Terran. His mother was of Terra but his father was something very ancient.**

"What was his father?" Wanda finally asked.

"A Celestial." Odinson revealed to everyone's horror.

"Like that Eson the Searcher in that footage?" Rhodes asked in horror and got nods, "Damn!"

"So Peter Quill is half-Terran and half-Celestial." Vision said, "That is why he could hold the Power Stone for as long as he did. It is the most dangerous Stone to its users."

"That makes sense." Tony said.

"What happened to his father?" Steve asked.

"You will see in the next recording." Benjamin told him and everyone nodded.

**Gamora realized that might be why Quill could have held the Stone for as long as he did. Rocket and Drax arrived in suits made by the Corps and Rocket had a sapling in his hand. Nova Prime said they would like to express their profound gratitude for their help in saving Xandar. She then asked them to follow Denarial Dey who had something for them. They walked out as Gamora thanked Nova Prime. She told Drax his wife and daughter would be at peace knowing he had avenged them. Drax agreed and then said Ronan was only a puppet and he really needed to kill Thanos.**

"That can only be done by everyone together." Logan said.

**Dey let them all out and showed them the rebuilt Milano which was as close to the original as possible. Quill thanked him and Dey said his family was alive because of them. Their criminal records had also been expunged but he warned them against breaking laws in the future. Rocket asked if he wanted to take something that belonged to someone else. Dey said he would be arrested but Rocket argued he wanted it more. Gamora smiled and led him inside.**

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "Back to his usual self finally."

**Drax asked what if someone did something irksome and he decided to remove his spine. Dey said that would be murder and it was the worst crime of all. Drax seemed to consider and walked off.**

"I think they're just messing with him." Tony said.

"Damn right!" Fury said.

**Quill said he would keep an eye on them. Dey looked amused but Quill said he would. Later, he sat in the ship and finally took out the wrapped present. There was a letter with it. He read it, "Peter, I know these last few months have been hard for you. But I'm going to a better place. And I will be okay. And I will always be with you. You are the light of my life. My precious son. My little Star-Lord. Love, Mom."**

"That is why he kept the name." Steve said, feeling touched, "It was what his mom called him."

**Quill then unwrapped the present which was another tape titled 'Awesome Mix Vol. 2.' He put it on and 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' started playing.**

"His mom had some of the best taste in music." Tony said as everyone swayed a little to the tune.

"She really did." Steve said as him and Sam exchanged a look, having listened to Marvin Gaye's soundtrack themselves.

"Yup." Sam agreed.

"Of course you two would know." Natasha said and everyone chuckled.

**Quill and Gamora looked at each other and smiled as she swayed to the music too.**

"Someone likes what they're listening." Clint said and chuckled followed.

**The Ravagers were all having fun together as Yondu finally opened the Orb and saw a troll doll inside. Instead of lashing out, he laughed happily.**

"He does care about Quill after all." Bucky realized.

"He just doesn't show it." Aunt May agreed.

**Nova Prime put the Orb inside and walked off as the Nova Corps saluted her and Dey walked home, hugging his wife and daughter. Quill, Rocket and Drax sat as Gamora walked up to them. Rocket and Drax nodded at each other as the sapling yawned.**

"Is that…." Steve trailed off.

"Motherfu-" Fury trailed off too.

"This is the son of that Groot." Odinson revealed to their shock.

"So…Baby Groot?" Tony asked and got nods, "Nice."

"**So, what should we do next? Something good? Something bad? A bit of both?" Quill asked. Gamora said, "We'll follow your lead, Star-Lord." Quill said, "Bit of both." And with that, the Milano flew off into the sky.**

"And Han is off with his crew." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

'**I Want You Back' played as Drax cleaned his knives and Baby Groot suddenly smiled and started dancing happily to the music, shaking his tiny body. Drax suddenly turned to him and he froze. Drax looked around and then started cleaning his knives again and Baby Groot continued dancing.**

Everyone burst out in laughter as well as applause as this time literally all the ladies went, "Awwwwww!"

"That was so sweet." Natasha said.

"And cute." Hill added.

"Please tell me we're seeing more of him in the next one." Hope said.

"We are." Benjamin said and they all looked happy.

"I really want to see more of him. He's cute." Scott agreed too.

"Okay. Just one more scene." Odinson said.

**In his destroyed museum, Tivan sat sadly, drinking something as Cosmo the Dog licked him to provide comfort. It then walked off as someone asked, "What do you let it lick you like that for?" The screen turned to show a talking duck that wore a suit. "Gross." It said about the licking. It then downed its glass and said, "Yeah! But it burns going down." The screen went black.**

Everyone's jaws dropped even wider that when the dance-off had happened.

"Okay, Tivan sure deserved it but what the hell is that?" Tony asked on everyone's behalf, "Donald Duck?"

"That is Howard the Duck." Benjamin said.

"An anthropomorphic duck." Logan said, "From Duckworld. He found himself Tivan's collection later."

"A planet of anthropomorphic ducks? And I thought I had seen everything." Fury muttered.

"A planet of Donald Ducks." Tony quipped.

"What happened to him?" Steve asked.

"He came to Earth eventually." Benjamin said, "Last I heard, he had joined a band and made a girlfriend." [3]

"WHAT?" Scott asked loudly as everyone turned to Benjamin in shock, "But how does that even work?"

"I have no idea. Ask Howard himself." Benjamin said.

"No thank you." Tony said.

"I was just kidding." Benjamin then revealed and they all sighed in relief.

"You pull that off again and I-" Aunt May finished it there and Benjamin shut up at the implications.

"Can we please see the next one?" Wanda asked, eager to see more of Baby Groot.

"With pleasure." Logan agreed as he picked up the remote.

* * *

**And done. The dance-off was hilarious. Very hilarious. **

**And now the second Guardians of the Galaxy movie. I admit I have only seen it twice and the second time was over one year ago so I have to rewatch bits of it to decide where to end which chapter.**

**[1] I'm sure most of you have noticed that except in Ant-Man, everyone loses a hand in all of the Phase 2 movies. I heard somewhere it was a reference to 'The Empire Strikes Back' where Luke lost his hand. Here is the list- Killian in Iron Man 3 (It grew back but it was cut off), Thor in Thor: The Dark World (An illusion but we still saw it being cut off), Bucky in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (We saw the immediate aftermath of Bucky losing his arm), Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy and Ulysses Klaue in Avengers: Age of Ultron.**

**[2] A reference to the infamous dance scene of Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3 which gave birth to all the Bully Maguire memes. Half of the people criticize it and the other half call it ahead of its times. I shamelessly admit I'm in the latter group XD.**

**[3] A reference to….I think you all know what I was referring to. That is one movie which you can only watch in a gathering of your most obnoxious friends. Which is exactly what I did.**

**Also, who do you all think would win between Yondu and Ronan without the Power Stone?**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	51. Daddy dearest

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now this has over 300 favorites! Wow! Thank you all! Your support means a lot to me!**

**And I just realized I never mentioned Johnny and Ben in the casting of the first chapter! That is probably the biggest blunder I've made in this story. I was supposed to mention them and it slipped out of my mind.**

**So now I've edited the chapter to include those two in the casting and they will show up too sometime in the near future.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes, we're a long way and still a long one to go. Yes it really was and don't blame you. I have seen it and it was really good. Yeah, memories. I know right! This movie was a risk that played off very nicely. The 'Thor' movies finally went to the weird side of space in the third movie. If you ever want to watch 'Howard the Duck', gather your most obnoxious and hilarious friends. They will roast the movie enough to make it bearable. Everyone recommends this. Even professional critics. You will see on all of that. Yes we do and some other people pointed out on Yellowjacket too. Nice eye there. I think I will agree with Stand with Ward and Queen that it depends on who makes the first move. Oh absolutely! Most of the jokes cover the dark stuff, though sometimes it does go a BIT too far. Not in this movie though. Enjoy.**

Chapter 51- Daddy dearest

"So this time, we'll see Quill's dad?" Tony asked.

"Yeah." Benjamin said.

"Really good actor, that bastard." Logan said.

"So Quill might be powerful too then." Steve realized.

"Aye. He was." Odinson said.

And then Logan started the recording.

**In Missouri, Earth in 1980, a man and a woman drove in a 1979 Ford Mustang Cobra. 'Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)' was playing as the woman sang along to it and the man also swayed his head to the tune.**

"Meredith." Steve realized.

"And that is daddy dearest?" Natasha asked.

"Yup." Logan said.

**The man kissed her forehead and they stopped near 'Dairy Queen.' He led her to the woods behind and showed her some kind of seedling that glowed blue. She said it was beautiful and he said he was afraid it wouldn't root to the soil but it rooted quickly and soon it would be everywhere in the universe. She giggled and said she didn't know what he was talking about but she liked the way he said it. He said his heart was hers and she put her arms around him and said she couldn't believe she fell in love with a spaceman. The two kissed passionately as the seedling grew a little and energy was shown flowing inside it.**

"Celestial energy huh." Tony said.

"So he planned to do something with that on here?" Clint asked.

"He did. You will see later." Odinson told him.

"He appears to have infatuated Quill's mother." Thor said.

"It's what he did best, bub." Logan said.

"Yes, looks like it. Because all Celestials are cold and uncaring at the end of the day." Loki said, "And very powerful."

"I don't want any of them to look this way." Fury commented.

**34 years later, a world called 'The Sovereign' was shown along with its coordinates. On it stood Quill, Gamora, Rocket, Baby Groot and Drax. Several yellow energy spheres were around.**

"What are those spheres?" A curious Tony asked.

"Anulax Batteries. They power the entire planet." Benjamin revealed.

"Damn! These aliens have some advanced stuff!" Tony said.

"Looks like someone wants something." Pepper joked and everyone chuckled.

**Quill said it was showtime and saw Gamora preparing some kind of cannon. He said he thought swords were her thing and she said they had been hired to stop an interdimensional beast from feeding on those batteries so a sword wasn't something to stop it.**

"That is a very good point." Scott said.

"Must be a hell of a beast." Hope said.

**Quill commented how swords were her thing and guns were his but now both of them used guns. Gamora asked Drax why he wasn't wearing one of Rocket's aero-rigs and he said it hurt, shocking them all. He said he had sensitive nipples and Rocket burst out into hysterical laughter.**

The viewer all burst into hysterical laughter as well as Aunt May asked, "So the macho man of the group has sensitive nipples?"

"And I thought he was all brawn and no brain." Rhodes said.

"He is not as brawny as we thought then." Sam said as the laughter continued.

"Looks like counting out the Nine Realms, space has weird people." Tony commented.

"Oh you have no idea." Thor told him.

"One of them almost seems like the Collector's brother." Loki said, remembering Grandmaster.

"Must be just as annoying." Peter commented.

"Worse." Odinson said.

"And I don't even remember him." Bruce said, "The Other Guy definitely would."

**Rocket mocked Drax as he asked what he was doing and he said he was fixing the music system so they could listen to a tune while fighting and said it was Quill's fault as he liked music so much. Quill said he agreed with Drax and Rocket said he understood while winking. Drax noticed and Rocket commented how he was using his left eye now.**

"So they are still dysfunctional a-holes." Hill commented.

"They remained like that for a long time." Odinson said, "Even when I was with them."

"Probably have hysterical fights twice or thrice a day." Thor commented.

**Rocket then saw Baby Groot punching Orloni and saying, "I am Groot."**

"He is so cute." Hope said, "Like a totally new level."

"We need to see more of him in this." Wanda said.

"He is dangerous and cute at the same time." Natasha agreed.

"Oh my friends you'll be seeing a lot of him in this one." Odinson told them.

**Rocket told Groot they were not looking at him funny. And then a hole was ripped open in the space as Quill's device beeped. A huge creature with tentacles leapt down.**

"So that is the interdimensional creature." Vision said, "It can rip open holes in space itself."

"Which means something not meant to trifle with." Loki said.

**Rocket commented how it was intense and Drax roared. With that, they all charged at it. Groot joined two wires and suddenly 'Mr. Blue Sky' started playing. He liked the tune and started shaking his body to it as the others fought the creature in the background. He moved around, dancing to it.**

Everyone burst out laughing as T'Challa said, "That is a very curious and excitable child."

"Yeah. Less mature but equally adorable." Pepper agreed.

**Groot danced as the fight continued behind him. He narrowly avoided a tentacle without even knowing. And then Quill fell near him. He staggered up and fired at the creature before calling out to Groot but was sent back by a tentacle.**

"That is one lucky Groot." Bucky said as everyone chuckled.

**Groot continued dancing around as the creature wrapped Drax in its tentacle and slammed him to the ground many times. Gamora avoided a blast from it and told Groot to get out of the way or he would get hurt. Groot happily waved to her and she greeted him with a smile.**

"Did she stop fighting to say hi to him?" Tony asked and everyone laughed.

"He is just that adorable." Natasha said and chuckles followed.

**Gamora flew off as Groot continued dancing while Quill and Rocket avoided blasts from the creature behind him and fired back at it. Drax then fell behind Groot. As he looked at him, he froze. Drax looked away and Groot started moving slightly but Drax looked back at him and he froze again.**

Everyone burst out in laughter again as Hill asked, "Why does he always freeze when Drax spots him?"

"Maybe he is scared of him." Fury said.

"Drax's species are actually unable to see someone who is standing incredibly still." Odinson revealed to everyone's shock and amusement.

"That makes sense." Tony said.

**Groot saw a fly like creature flying around him and running after it, caught it and put it in his mouth.**

Everyone looked disgusted as Hope said, "Eugh!"

"Children have bad habits." Scott commented and everyone chuckled.

**Rocket flew up to Groot and told him to spit it out, smacking the back of his head, making him spit it out.**

"Now that's a good daddy." Aunt May said and everyone laughed.

**Rocket flew off to fight as Groot saw a running Orloni and extended his branches, hanging onto it and riding it.**

"That is one aggressive and adorable kid." Bruce said and everyone laughed.

**Groot was almost thrown off a few times but hung onto it. He then realized he was stuck as it ran into the thick of the battle where everyone else fought the creatures. Groot was eventually thrown off its back and fell on the ground. He got up and cleaned the dust before he started happily jumping and dancing to the music again.**

Everyone laughed again as Thor said, "He is a cheerful baby."

**Drax then fell on the music system and it was smashed into pieces. Groot angrily charged him from behind and hit his back with his branches, though he didn't realize anything as they all got up to face the creature.**

"And you just destroyed the poor kid's toy." Fury said to Drax and everyone laughed.

"Big mistake. Kids can be worse than Hulk." Tony said and everyone laughed.

"No kidding." Bruce agreed.

**Drax said its hide was too thick from the outside so they needed to cut it from the inside. He laughed madly as Gamora tried to stop him but as the creature opened its mouth, Drax charged and leapt into it as it closed it.**

Tony clapped sarcastically as everyone looked with dropped jaws, "Flawless logic. 10/10. Wow!"

"He needs to listen to reason more often." T'Challa said.

**Quill landed next to Gamora and retracted his helmet as he asked her what Drax was doing. She said according to him his hide was too thick from the outside so they needed to cut it from the inside. He said that didn't even make sense.**

"Thank you." Rhodes said.

**Quill said its skin was equally thick outside and inside and Gamora said she realized that. Drax hacked at the creature from inside with his knives, roaring madly.**

"Dude, behaving like Kratos doesn't make you Kratos." Tony said and everyone laughed.

"He protec, he attac, but most importantly, he is a snac." Scott said and everyone burst into laughter at his wit.

"And he is thicc." Hope said and everyone laughed more.

"Okay, those were the best quips anyone has cracked here." Sam said and the laugher continued.

**Quill told Rocket to get it to look up as there was a cut on the neck. He flew up and fired as it looked up and fired at Rocket, setting his aero-rig on fire and he started putting it out. It trapped Quill in its tentacles and tried to fire at him as Rocket fired at it. Gamora aimed at the cut and fired but she was out so she threw the gun off and took out her sword. She charged and leaping up, stabbed the cut before sliding down, slicing its body as green blood poured out. The creature let Quill go and fell down, dead.**

Everyone clapped as Natasha said, "And she has done it."

**Drax jumped out from the large cut and happily raising his knives, laughed madly, saying he had single-handedly vanquished a beast. Quill looked incredulous while Gamora looked amused. Groot then threw a piece of the broken music system at his head angrily, snapping him out of his delusions.**

Everyone laughed as Hill said, "You go, kid."

"He is kind of crazy." Peter said about Drax.

"He is crazy." Loki said, "And hysterical."

"But friendly." Thor said and nods followed.

**Quill shut off his aero-rig and put on his coat as Drax asked what the batteries were called again and Quill said they were Anulax batteries. Drax called them Harbulary batteries.**

"That doesn't even sound like what Quill said." Sam said as everyone looked incredulous.

"Maybe he is hard of hearing too." T'Challa said.

"Doesn't look like it. A blast next to me once made me hard of hearing for a month." Clint said as Natasha nodded, remembering. [1]

**Quill said Drax had pronounced them nothing like he had said but were thousand units a piece which is why the Sovereign had hired them to protect those batteries. He told them to be careful with what they said as they were easily offended and the cost of transgression was death. As he said that, Rocket took out some batteries.**

"Did he just steal those batteries?" Rhodes asked and nods followed, "Oh boy!"

"Looks like they are doing a bit of both." Steve sighed and shook his head.

"Guess I should never be allowed to meet the Sovereign." Tony joked and everyone laughed.

**The five then stood in the middle of the court of the Sovereign as their ruler, High Priestess Ayesha thanked them for risking their lives to protect the batteries as they couldn't risk the lives of their Sovereign citizens.**

"Are they touched by Midas or something?" Tony joked and everyone laughed.

"You and your references." Pepper said and everyone chuckled.

"I was actually going to make that one too." Bruce said and more chuckles followed.

**She said every citizen was born as designed by the community and were impeccable both physically and mentally. They controlled the DNA in their progeny, germinating them in birthing pods.**

"I'd love to learn the science behind that. Though I prefer to make people the old-fashioned way." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

"Good to know." Pepper said as she gave him a naughty smirk.

"I have a kid here." Aunt May said and both turned to the screen in embarrassment.

**Quill said he preferred to make people the old-fashioned way.**

"Look. Kindred spirit." Rhodes said and everyone chuckled.

**Ayesha said someday he could give her a history lesson for academic purposes and he said he would be honored in the name of research and it would be pretty repulsive as he wasn't into casual stuff.**

"Okay, that was honestly pathetic." Natasha said and nods followed.

"I don't think he could have charmed her even if he was better at it." T'Challa said and more nods followed.

**Gamora interrupted them and said they had been promised something in exchange for their services so they could bring it and they would gladly be on their way. Two Sovereign guards brought a hooded and bound person and forced her to her knees. They removed her hood, revealing her to be Nebula.**

"Ooooh. Long lost sister." Loki smirked as everyone watched with interest.

**Quill sarcastically joked it was a long-lost reunion and Ayesha said she understood Nebula was Gamora's sister. Gamora said she was worth no more to her than the bounty for her on Xandar. Ayesha said their soldiers had apprehended her stealing the batteries so they could do with her as they pleased. Gamora and Groot walked off with a bound Nebula as Ayesha asked Quill his heritage and he said his mother was from Terra. She asked about his father and he said he wasn't from Missouri is all he knew. Ayesha said she saw an unorthodox genealogy in him. A hybrid that seemed reckless.**

"She can actually look into all of that?" Bucky asked and nods followed.

"I'm guessing that's where Adam got his soul-related abilities from." Odinson said.

"Adam?" Tony asked.

"The perfect Sovereign." Odinson said, "I will tell you about him sometime."

**Rocket said he had been told their people were conceited douchebags but that wasn't true at all. He then winked at Quill but everyone saw it and gasped as the guards pointed their guns at him as he said that was supposed to be done behind their back. **

Natasha facepalmed and said, "He is another dumb genius."

**They immediately turned and walked away as Drax said he should be blessed they didn't kill him. **

"First time I agree with him." Hill said.

**Rocket showed him the batteries in his bag and they both laughed loudly.**

"That for sure will get you into trouble." Fury said.

**Rocket started the Milano and said they should get baldy to Xandar and collect their bounty. 'Lake Shore Drive' played on 'Awesome Mix Vol. 2' as Groot stuck to the window and looked down in awe. The Milano flew off.**

"He is the most adorable thing ever." Wanda commented with a smile.

**Quill took off his shirt as Gamora tightened Nebula's cuffs. He put on another shirt as Gamora looked over at him. He wondered who Ayesha thought she was as she spouted stuff about his father. Gamora said she knew he was sensitive about it. He said he wasn't but he didn't know who he was. He then told her he wasn't flirting with Ayesha but she said she didn't care as she led Nebula away. Quill said he thought she did so he apologized.**

Everyone laughed as Pepper said, "I think she did care."

**Drax suddenly appeared next to Quill, startling him.**

"Does he do that on purpose?" Tony asked.

"No idea." Logan said, "Though if he did that to me, I will gut him."

**Drax told Quill she wasn't the one for him. There were two types of people- those who danced and those who didn't.**

"What a classification." Sam said.

**He said he had met his beloved at a war rally. Everyone at his village were flailing about, dancing, except one woman and that was Ovette. That was when he had known she was the one for him. The most melodic song could be playing but she wouldn't tap her foot or move a muscle. One might assume she was dead.**

"I think these people have some problem then." Rhodes commented and everyone laughed, "Everyone likes dancing. Even if they don't know how to do it."

**Quill said sarcastically it sounded hot and Drax said it would make his nether regions engorge.**

Everyone looked disgusted as Natasha said, "Okay, we did not need to know that."

**Quill said he got it. He was a dancer and Gamora was not. Drax put a hand on his shoulder and said he just needed to find a woman who was pathetic like him. He sarcastically nodded.**

"Still needs to work on his people skills." Tony said and nods followed.

**Gamora chained up Nebula to the ship as she asked for the yaro root but Gamora said it wasn't ripe yet and she hated her. Nebula said she had taken the Stone and left her behind yet she stood a hero. She said she would free herself of those shackles and kill her. Gamora said she would spend the rest of her days in a Xandarian cell wishing she could.**

"Boy how wrong you are." Logan said.

"So she freed herself then." Vision said.

"Just watch." Benjamin told him.

**As Gamora walked off, the alarm beeped and a Sovereign fleet appeared behind the Milano. Quill asked why they were after them and Drax said Rocket had stolen their batteries. Rocket looked angry and he said he didn't steal them and he had no idea why they were after them.**

"Lame. Really lame." Bucky said and everyone laughed.

"They love getting into trouble." Fury said.

**They started firing and Quill swerved the Milano around to avoid, asking Rocket what he was thinking. Rocket said they were ridiculously easy to steal.**

"That's his defense." Peter asked incredulously.

**Gamora incredulously asked if that was his defense and he said Ayesha had talked down to them so now he was teaching her a lesson.**

"I think you're the ones learning a lesson." Rhodes said.

"One they will not forget anytime soon." T'Challa agreed.

**Quill sarcastically said he didn't know his purpose was altruism and the Sovereign had mistaken their intentions and were trying to kill them. Rocket agreed but Quill said he was being sarcastic. Rocket said he should use his sarcastic voice and now he looked like an idiot.**

"I think stealing those batteries makes you one." Fury said.

**Gamora looked at the display and said they could put the bickering on hold until after they survived. Quill swerved around to avoid as more appeared in the front of them and Rocket said he wanted to kill someone. He fired the weapons with a roar, destroying several battleships. Gamora said he wasn't killing anyone as the ships were remotely piloted. In the Sovereign planet, a woman raged angrily as her battleship was destroyed. Many of them were piloting them, firing around.**

"It's like playing Galaga." Tony said as everyone laughed.

"Even the sounds are kind of similar." Rhodes agreed with him.

**Ayesha asked the Admiral about the delay and he said the batteries were combustible and could take out the entire fleet. She said the concern was the slight against their people. They had hired them and they had stolen from them which was heresy of the highest order so they needed to kill.**

"I see why she is called a High Priestess now." Steve said and nods followed.

**Everyone fired to kill now. The Milano was grazed as Quill asked about the nearest inhabitable planet and Gamora said it was called Berhert and needed only one jump, though it was 47 clicks away and they had to go through a Quantum asteroid field.**

"Quantum?" Scott asked and got several nods.

"Uh-oh. They are in for a treat." Hope said.

**The asteroids rapidly grew there from sub-atomic size to full as Drax said to go through that, they needed the greatest pilot in the universe.**

"Like Han Solo." Peter said and everyone chuckled.

**Quill and Rocket both said at the same time that they were and flew into the asteroid field, avoiding any of the asteroids as the battleships were hit. Quill said he was flying this rig since he was 10 and Rocket said he had been cybernetically engineered to fly a spaceship. Quill said he had been cybernetically engineered to be a douchebag.**

"Not wrong about that." Fury said as everyone laughed.

**Rocket said when Quill lay down on his bed, he would feel something squishy in his pillowcase and it would be a turd. Quill said if Rocket put his turd in there, he would shave him. Rocket said he wouldn't put his turd but Drax's and Drax burst into mad laughter as he said he had famously huge turds.**

Everyone looked disgusted as well as amusement, though Drax's laughter made them laugh too due to how hysterical it was.

"What a thing to discuss just before death." Clint said sarcastically.

**Gamora commented how this was the last thing they were discussing before their deaths. They flew around, trying to avoid asteroids when one of them hit the Milano on the back, making a hole. Groot almost flew out but Quill caught him and tossed him over to Drax who caught him.**

"Don't lose him." Wanda said and everyone nodded in agreement.

**Nebula would have been sucked out if the barrier hadn't been activated in time. She loudly called them idiots and Rocket said that was what she got when Quill flew.**

"Or both of you fought for it." Aunt May said and laughs followed.

**Quill said they still had the Sovereign craft behind them and their weapons were down. Gamora said they were 20 clicks away. Drax handed Groot to Gamora who put him on her shoulder and told him to hold on.**

"She treats him so nicely." Natasha said and everyone chuckled.

**Nebula crawled towards the yaro root but Drax kicked it away and said it wasn't ripe.**

"Tantalizingly close." Peter said, having learnt and memorized the word from 'Percy Jackson's Greek Gods', and everyone chuckled.

**He then put on a virtual spacesuit and tied a rope behind himself as one of the Sovereign called Zylak continued firing. Gamora said they were 15 clicks away as Drax went out and jumped, hanging on the rope. Zylak tried to fire but Drax yelled, "Die, spaceship!" He then fired, destroying it. Zylak groaned as a guy told him he sucked and another girl said it was typical as they all walked away.**

"Their behavior is so like ours and yet so unlike." Vision said and nods followed.

**The Milano managed to fly out of the field but were surrounded by several Sovereign ships and Quill said they had gone around the field.**

"You didn't think of that before?" Thor asked.

**Ayesha smirked as they all bombarded the Milano with fire but a huge blast destroyed them all in a second.**

"Now what was that?" Rhodes asked.

"Just watch." Odinson said.

**The Admiral said someone had destroyed all their ships, shocking Ayesha. They saw the jump point and Quill flew into it, though they saw some kind of man on a ship.**

"Who's that?" Steve asked.

"Watch." Benjamin said.

**Quill flew into the jump point and the ship started burning and crashing to the ground as they saw Drax flailing outside.**

Everyone facepalmed as Bucky said, "You idiot!"

**Gamora ran out as the device holding the rope broke but she caught it, trying to hold Drax. She was pulled out too but held onto the ship. Quill told Groot, who eating something like colorful popcorn, to put on his seatbelt as they were going to have a really bad landing. The ship then crashed to the ground and continued sliding forward as Gamora held onto the ship with one hand and the rope with the other as Drax hit several trees. Finally, the Milano stopped.**

Everyone released the breaths they were holding as Tony wondered, "How did they come this far?"

"I wish I knew." Logan said.

**Half of the ship broke as the birds flew off.**

"Uh-oh." Sam said.

**Drax laughed and said it was awesome.**

"No it really wasn't." Tony said.

**Gamora asked Quill where half of the ship was and said one of them could have gotten them out if Quill had used what was between his ears instead of what was between his legs. Quill said if what was between his legs had a hand on it, it would have landed on the ship.**

"Do they never stop?" Pepper wondered.

**Gamora said they almost died because of his arrogance but Quill said it was because Rocket stole some Anulax batteries and Drax again said they were Harbulary batteries. Quill said they weren't as Rocket called Quill 'Star-Munch' and told him he had done it because he wanted to. Rocket said they had a little man save them by blowing 20 ships. Drax asked how little and Rocket said very as Gamora asked incredulously if a one-inched man saved them. Rocket said if he was closer, he would be larger. Quill said that's how eyesight worked and called him a raccoon. Rocket told him not to call him a raccoon again.**

"But you look like one so it fits." Hope said.

**Quill sarcastically said he had taken it too far and called him trash panda. Rocket asked Drax if that was better and he said he didn't know.**

Everyone burst out in laughter as Tony said, "He knows how to burn others. If they don't know terms that is."

**Quill said it was much worse and Rocket attacked him as he backed off. A ship flew down as Nebula said someone had followed them through the jump point. Nebula asked to free herself but Gamora said she wasn't a fool. Nebula said she was if she deprived herself of a hand in combat. Gamora said she would try to kill her if she was free and Nebula said she wouldn't while Quill said a supervillain could lie better. They all prepared their weapons as Drax said it was the one-inch man.**

"It kind of was. Except not one-inch." Logan said.

**The ship landed in front of them and opened up to reveal an old man with a beard and an alien woman with antennas.**

"Who are those?" Steve asked.

"The woman is Mantis." Odinson said, "You will know who the man is soon."

**The man said after all these years, he had finally found Quill. Quill asked him who he was and he said, "I figured my rugged good looks would make that obvious. My name is Ego...and I'm your dad, Peter." Quill watched him with a dropped jaw.**

Everyone's jaw dropped as Tony said, "So that is daddy dearest."

"More like daddy darkest." Logan said.

"Looks like things didn't go well." Loki said, "Why am I not surprised? Families are complicated.

Both him and Thor chuckled as Benjamin said, "Let's continue."

* * *

**And done. **

**[1] Hawkeye was deaf in the comics from 1983 to 1997 and that's what I was referring to.**

**While this movie wasn't as good as the first one, I think it had a far better villain and better character development. Same for Avengers: Age of Ultron, except Ultron, while a good villain, wasn't as good as Loki. And of course some characters weren't developed that nicely *cough* Natasha *cough* Bruce *cough* Thor.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	52. Ego

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Knox: Thanks for the review. Agreed.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. Two weeks actually. Yes, Ant-Man and The Wasp has happened except the mid and post-credits scene.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. I heard it somewhere. No idea if its cannon or not but makes sense.**

Chapter 52- Ego

"I'm guessing he is going to charm his kid as well." Tony said.

"He is." Logan said, "His mistake was that he thought he charmed him too much."

**On Contraxia, several people were having fun as Howard the Duck was shown on a date with a woman who was laughing hysterically at something he said. "You know what they say- "You're out of luck until you've gone duck."" Howard said and laughed at his own joke as the woman continued laughing.**

Everyone's jaw was wide again as Steve finally said, "Out of Tivan's collection finally."

"I'm guessing the joke of him having a girlfriend wasn't exactly baseless." Pepper said.

"Nope." Benjamin said.

"Oh God!" Hope sighed.

**Several Ravagers were there too, having fun. Yondu was in a room, shirtless. He looked at the love bot with which he had done- stuff, and it shut itself off.**

"What are those?" Sam asked.

"Uhhh…love bots." Odinson said.

"Really?" Tony asked as everyone gapped, "Love bots are real?"

"If you're in space, yeah." Odinson said, "Only on Contraxia though."

"Man space is getting weirder and weirder." Scott said.

"Tell me about it." Thor said, not having seen the full weirdness of space until recently.

**Another Ravager called Tullk called him down. He put on his Ravager garb and with his other allies, walked down to hear another Ravager from another faction telling his friends about the time he had thought his wife Aleta was losing her mind. Yondu called out to him and greeted him. His name was Stakar Ogord. On seeing Yondu, Stakar said this establishment was the wrong kind of disreputable.**

"Who is he?" Rhodes asked.

"He is the Rambo of the Ravagers." Tony said and everyone chuckled. [1]

"Stakar Ogord. Legendary Ravager Captain." Odinson said.

"Doesn't look very happy to see Yondu." Natasha said.

"You will see why." Logan told her.

**Stakar walked away, shooing away some shopkeeper as well. He told Yondu he had lost business of 99 of the 100 Ravager factions by serving one. Yondu angrily smashes a bottle, telling him he could go to hell as he didn't give a damn what he thought. Stakar turned around and angrily asked why he was following him then. Yondu told him to listen to what he had to say but Stakar said he wouldn't as Yondu had betrayed the code. Ravagers didn't deal in kids.**

"Oh! That!" Clint realized.

**Yondu said he had no idea what was going on and Stakar said he didn't want to know because it made him rich. Yondu demanded a seat at the table as he wore these flames the same as them. Stakar said he may dress like them but he wasn't one of them. He would never hear the Horns of Freedom when he died and the Colors of Ogord would never flash over his grave.**

"Best way to hurt someone is to tell them they would be insignificant after death." Loki observed.

"Kind of harsh, though understandable." Bruce said.

"Codebreakers are not easily tolerated in all societies." Bucky said.

**Stakar said if Yondu thought he took pleasure in exiling him, he was wrong. He said Yondu had broken all their hearts. With that, he walked off with his faction, leaving a dejected Yondu behind. One of them watched him for a few seconds and walked off too.**

"He isn't taking it well." Aunt May said, "As expected."

**Kraglin and a scarred Ravager sat together with some love bots. The scarred one said Yondu was pathetic. Quill betrayed them but he let him go scot-free. They had followed him because he had been the one unafraid to do what was necessary but now he was going soft. Kraglin asked if he was soft, why was he whispering. He told Kraglin he was right. Tullk told him to be careful with what he said about Yondu.**

"Who's Scarface there?" Tony asked.

"Let's just say his name is best left unsaid so that when you know it, it will be a surprise." Odinson said, confusing them.

"I think he means- "No spoilers."" Hill said and they nodded.

**Yondu turned to see Ayesha arriving with her entourage, who were rolling a blue cloth to prevent her from touching the ground. It got stuck in ice for a while before they continued rolling.**

"And she is back." Fury said, "She really wants the Guardians badly."

**She told Yondu she had a proposal for him.**

"Well, the Guardians better watch out." Scott said.

**At night on Berhert, the Guardians, Ego and Mantis had lit a campfire. Ego told Quill he had hired Yondu to pick him up when his mother passed away but instead of returning him, Yondu kept him and he had no idea why. Quill said Yondu had done that because a skinny little kid could squeeze into place adults couldn't and made stealing easier. Ego said he had been tracking him ever since. Drax said he thought Yondu was his father and Quill was confused Drax thought that this entire time they were together. Drax said they looked exactly alike and Rocket pointed out one was blue, to which Drax pointed at Quill.**

Everyone burst out in laughter as Hope asked, "How dumb is he?"

"I think a new scale would be needed to measure that." Thor said and the laughter continued.

**Quill said Yondu wasn't his father. He had abducted him and kicked the crap out of him to teach him how to fight. He had kept him in terror by threatening to eat him, horrifying Ego.**

"High and mighty coming from you, bastard." Logan snarled at Ego.

**Gamora asked how he had found them now and he said where he resided past edge of what's known, they had heard of Star-Lord. He said they could head out there right now and his associates were welcome, even the triangle faced monkey. Rocket started touching his face to see its shape on hearing that.**

"At this point, I have no idea what he really is." Peter said.

"He doesn't have any idea either." Steve said, looking at Rocket in sympathy.

**He got up and told Quill it was unlike any place he had ever seen and he could explain Quill's very special heritage, finally getting to be the father he always wanted to be. He then walked off to take a whiz. Quill said he wasn't buying it.**

"Smart." Fury agreed with Quill's decision.

**Gamora told Quill to take a walk with him as Ego peed. Mantis introduced herself to Drax and gave him a strange smile. He asked what she was doing and she said she was smiling as she had heard it made people like others.**

"But that is creepy." Pepper said and nods followed.

**Drax told her not if she did it like that.**

"Even he agrees with you." Tony told Pepper and everyone chuckled.

**She said she had been raised alone on Ego's planet and didn't understand the intricacies of social interaction. Looking at Rocket, she asked Drax if she could pet his puppy as he was adorable.**

"Adorable? Adorable?" Sam asked as everyone was dumbfounded.

"He is smart, but not adorable." Rhodes said.

"Space is strange." Scott muttered.

"Try petting him. Please." Loki smirked in amusement.

**Drax nodded and she tried to pet him, only for him to almost bite her hand as Drax laughed madly and said it was a practical joke. Mantis started laughing too, saying she liked this very much. Nebula shook her head at them.**

Everyone else burst out in laughter too as Wanda said, "Nice introduction to practical jokes."

"I did not expect her to like it." T'Challa said.

"As others have already said before me- "Space is strange."" Vision said.

**Quill was skeptical, saying after all this time Ego had shown up and wanted to be his dad. He said this could be a trap by Kree purists or the Ravagers.**

"At least he is smarter in this one." Fury said.

**Gamora asked him about the story of 'Zardu Hasselfrau' he had told her. Quill realized she was talking about David Hasselhoff. He said Hasselhoff had owned a talking car to help him fight crime and be supportive.**

"Good ol' days." Tony said and everyone laughed.

**Gamora told Quill he had carried his picture in his pocket as a kid and tell the other children he was his father. Quill said he had said that when he was drunk. Gamora said she loved that story and Quill said he hated it as it was sad.**

"Yeah. Big, big sad." Peter agreed and everyone nodded.

**Quill said as a kid he used to see other kids playing catch with their dads and he wanted that too. Gamora said that was her point. Maybe this man could be his David Hasselhoff and if he was evil, they could just kill him.**

"You say that as if it's easy." Logan said, "It's not."

**They realized they were holding hands and stepped away.**

"Same old, same old." Scott said and everyone chuckled.

**Nebula was horrified that they were leaving her with Rocket, calling him a 'fox.'**

"I wonder where this confusion arose from." Bruce said.

"They are space people. They have never seen raccoons." Wanda said.

**Gamora said he was not a fox and told Rocket, who was fixing the ship, to shoot her if she did anything suspicious or if he felt like it. She then knelt in front of Groot and said they would be back in a couple of days before Rocket finished fixing the ship. She then walked off as Groot turned around with a sad expression and waved.**

Everyone was smitten by Groot's cuteness and some of them went, "Awwww" again.

"He is the most adorable thing ever." Hill said.

"All babies are." T'Challa said.

**Drax asked what if the Sovereign arrive and Quill said they had no way of knowing where they were. Drax said he was uncertain of parting ways and Quill said he was like an old woman. Drax asked if that was because he was wise. Gamora asked why he had so much luggage and he said he didn't want Groot playing with his stuff. Rocket told Quill he hoped his daddy wasn't as much of a dick as him. Quill said if he was trying to get everyone to hate him, he was succeeding.**

"Not wrong there, Quill." Tony agreed.

'**The Chain' played as Quill, Gamora and Drax went up to Ego and Mantis and walked into their ship which closed its barrier and flew off into the sky. Mantis put a hand on Ego's head, helping him sleep as Quill looked at his picture of David Hasselhoff. Later, Quill, Drax and Mantis sat as they asked what her antennas were for. Drax said him and Quill had a bet, to Quill's annoyance. As Gamora arrived, Drax guessed that if she was going through a doorway too low, they would save her from decapitation. Quill said if it was anything other than that, he won. Mantis said they weren't for feeling doorways and Quill laughed.**

"What are they for?" Aunt May asked.

"Just watch." Benjamin said.

**Mantis said they had to do something with her empathic abilities. When inquired, she said she could feel others' feelings when touching them. Quill asked if she could read minds and she said telepaths read minds, empaths felt feelings and emotions.**

"Yeah, I think I got the difference." Wanda, the only telepath in the room said, "I can read minds, not feel what others feel."

"Ah! I get it now." Tony said.

**At Quill's permission, she touched him and as her antennae glowed, she said he felt love. He said he felt general unselfish love for everyone but she said he felt romantic, sexual love. And then she pointed at Gamora, saying for her. Both Quill and Gamora looked embarrassed as Drax laughed like a madman again and said she had told everyone his deepest, darkest secret.**

"We call it 'dirty, little secret' here." Natasha said.

"Drax is too literal." Clint reminded her.

**Drax asked Mantis to touch him and as she did, she started laughing hysterically too, saying she had never felt such humor before. Quill and Gamora rolled their eyes.**

"They are an interesting lot." Steve commented.

**She was then about to touch Gamora but she grabbed her hand and said if she touched her, the only thing she would feel is a broken jaw. She then let Mantis go who backed off.**

"Kind of harsh." Hill said.

"Not everyone likes exposing their feelings." T'Challa told her.

**Mantis said she could alter emotions too, like easing a sad person into contentment for sometime or making a stubborn person compliant. She mostly used it to help her master sleep though as he lay awake thinking of his progeny. Drax asked her to do one of those on him. She touched his forehead and he immediately fell asleep, snoring.**

Everyone burst into hysterical laughter as Wanda said, "These people are too much to handle."

"So is Wade." Logan reminded them and they laughed at remembering his random and ridiculous antics.

**At Berhert, the campfire was still lit as 'Southern Nights' played and Rocket sang along to it. From a distance, Kraglin, the Scarface guy and more Ravagers watched.**

"With that campfire and music, they are inviting these Ravagers to capture them." Fury said.

"They do have a plan though." Logan told him.

**They walked up to the ship as one of them killed a spider like creature and ate it.**

"Eugh!" Peter said as everyone looked disgusted, "What's wrong with them?"

"Space is strange." Wanda reminded him.

**They walked up to the Milano when one of them stepped on a mine-like object. They then turned to their left and several syringes shot out from devices, hitting many of them and taking them down.**

Everyone's jaws dropped as Natasha said, "Okay, he is back to being smart."

"No kidding." Clint agreed.

**Groot looked afraid as Nebula looked out. The music system was inside the Milano but Rocket was outside on a tree.**

"Took a page out of my book then." Natasha said as everyone laughed.

**The Ravagers walked around as Rocket leapt from tree to tree. One of them aimed at him, hitting the other with his gun accidentally. They all fired and Rocket leapt around, avoiding their shots as he hid behind a tree and pressed a button on his device. A mine-like device under the Ravagers sent out a huge shockwave, sending them into the air and crashing on the ground. He pressed it again and the same thing happened. He laughed and pressed both the buttons on the device, sending Ravagers flying around from two such devices.**

Everyone burst out into hysterical laughter as Thor said, "I like this one."

"Oh I like him too." Loki said, "He knows what to do."

"He really does." Tony agreed.

"Though he kinda overdoes it." Natasha pointed out.

**As more Ravagers moved around, Rocket leapt down and jumping from head to head, put devices with red dots on each of their heads. He jumped back up and pressed a device on his wrist. All the Ravagers were electrocuted and knocked out as Rocket leapt down.**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily as Logan said, "When he uses his brains, he uses them nicely."

**Two of the Ravagers aimed at him but he leapt at one and hit his throat, making him gasp. The other fired but Rocket leapt away and the Ravager was taken down. Rocket then leapt at the other one and hit his head continuously, knocking him out.**

Everyone clapped again as Thor said, "I really, really like this one."

"Don't blame you." Odinson said.

**Then Rocket heard a whistle as the Yaka Arrow flew up to him and stopped inches from his face.**

"That." Clint said.

**Yondu and the other Ravagers surrounded him as Yondu called him a rat and Rocket called him a blue idiot. Yondu said they had got themselves a little gig. A golden gal with a high opinion of herself had offered them a large sum to deliver him and his pals to her because she wanted to kill them all. Inside the ship, Nebula urged Groot to free her from her bonds if he cared about his friend as they would kill him.**

"Tricking the kid into freeing her." Natasha snarled as everyone glared at Nebula.

"And the kid cares enough about Rocket to do it." Bucky said.

**Yondu told Rocket it was easy to find them as he had put a tracer on his ship during the Battle of Xandar.**

"And they never noticed it till now?" Fury asked.

"They aren't the brightest ones." Logan told him.

**Rocket told him if they didn't hurt Groot, he would tell them where the batteries were. Yondu said his word didn't mean squat so he wouldn't hand them over and just take the batteries, even though they were worth a quarter million in an open market. Scarface guy said they had been offered a million for the Guardians and said a quarter was just one-third while Tullk said it was 25. The Ravagers started arguing as Yondu said they weren't stupid enough to help kill the Guardians of the Galaxy as the Nova Corps would be on them.**

"He doesn't want to kill Quill." Aunt May said.

"He does care about him." Hope agreed.

**Kraglin said he had to say it this one time, no matter how many times Quill betrayed them, Yondu protected him like the others didn't matter even though he stuck up for him.**

"Peer pressure." Rhodes realized.

**Scarface guy said it was time for a change in leadership as they all cocked their guns at each other while Yondu readied his Yaka Arrow. Rocket said there must be a peaceful resolution to all this or even a violent one where he was standing away. Yondu was about to whistle when a shot from behind made the fin on his head fall away as he lost consciousness. It was Nebula. Rocket snarled at her and she shot him out too.**

"Oh God!" Peter said, "Now she is out."

"And they are captured." Hope said.

"**Well hello boys." Nebula said as all the Ravagers looked at her and she took a bite out of the yaro root before spitting it in disgust, "It's not ripe."**

"They told ya!" Tony said as everyone chuckled a bit.

"Thing are not going well for them." Pepper said.

"No, not at all." Steve agreed.

"Let's just keep watching." Odinson said.

* * *

**Next chapter would be about Taserface. That part was the most hilarious.**

**[1] Reference to Sylvester Stallone's popular role as John Rambo in the Rambo franchise. Can't wait for Rambo: Last Blood. And I love him as Rocky Balboa too in the Rocky franchise. I was actually very excited when I heard Sylvester Stallone was joining the MCU and now I can't wait to see what they do with him. Maybe his faction can be like the Expendables of the MCU.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	53. Taserface

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Agreed on Drax, Mantis and Quill. Yeah, some stuff stuck with us. Agreed on the deaths too. Though Frigga's death hits pretty hard after 'Endgame.' I'd just be happy with a regular Earth puppy. They are adorable. Glad to know on Johnny and Ben and I had no idea that was nano-tech Rocket used. Damn! Considering Ayesha could see Quill's genes, I think I got an explanation for Adam's soul-related abilities. Yes that moment with Rocket and Yondu was great. Oh yeah! I want the Space Expendables too now. A lot! Yes, lightsabers rock. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Glad it was great. I did think about it but Season 3 onwards, I can't even stand Legends of Tomorrow so not very likely.**

**Ranger-Nora: Thanks for the review. Yes, I am doing up till Far From Home. Nothing after that. Yeah, they would really laugh at that. Glad it was amazing.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. Yeah, I also think Gamora should be leader while Rocket can be like Tony, making everything look cool. Yes, Steve was always worthy. No problem.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Yes, I have a short sequel planned where they stop Thanos and his army. But the battlefield is not Wakanda. It is actually a battlefield no one has ever used before in such stories. Though I'm not in the mood to do A-Force. But the rest of the stuff is definitely happening 100%.**

Chapter 53- Taserface

"So Quill, Gamora and Drax are with daddy dearest, who is not a good guy, and Rocket, Groot and Yondu are captured by Nebula and the Ravagers." Tony summed up.

"Yeah, that sums it all up." Logan said.

"They are in a tight spot." Steve observed.

'**My Sweet Lord' started playing on Quill's Walkman as another planet appeared. The ship landed there and a floating device flew out with Quill, Gamora, Drax, Ego and Mantis on it as Ego welcomed them to his world. Quill was shocked that he owned a planet as he said it was no larger than Terra's moon.**

"Wow! He has his own planet!" Peter said in awe.

"So he basically created his own planet?" Scott asked.

"He doesn't own a planet." Odinson said.

"He is the planet." Logan said, shocking everyone to an entirely new level.

"He is the planet?" Sam asked and got nods from the three of them.

"So basically, he is walking on himself?" Natasha asked and more nods followed.

"Yeah, he is just that powerful." Benjamin said, "Let's keep watching."

**Drax said Ego was humble and he liked it. He too was extraordinarily humble.**

Everyone burst out in laughter as Tony said, "And my name is in the dictionary next to humble."

"His name is Ego. What more proof does Drax need?" Pepper said with a laugh.

"That is a beautiful planet though." Bucky said and nods followed.

"Yeah. I'm guessing even bad guys can make some good stuff here and there." Hill said.

**Gamora touched the bubble like objects above them and Drax touched one too. It burst into many smaller ones and Drax laughed hysterically.**

Everyone laughed again as Rhodes said, "His laugh gets me every time."

**Everyone looked around in awe as Ego led them to his palace. There they saw a fountain with many devices resembling fishes. Gamora said he owned a planet and could destroy two dozen spaceships without a suit so what exactly was he. He said he was a Celestial. Quill asked if it was like a god. Ego said with a small 'g' on the days he was feeling as humble as Drax.**

"Which is not humble at all." Fury said and laughter followed.

**They went inside as he showed them a projection of what looked like a brain. He said he remembered flickering, adrift in the cosmos alone. Over millions of years, he learnt to control the molecules around him and grew smarter and stronger. And then the brain transformed into some kind of planet. He said he continued building from there and turned into the very planet they walked on, awing them as another projection of the now completed planet appeared.**

"Damn! That is very, very powerful!" Tony said.

"So now if he turns out to evil, they can't kill him just like that." Hope said.

**He said he wanted more as there must be life in the universe beyond him. So he set to finding more life and created what he imagined biological life to be like. And then a projection of his younger human form appeared. Drax asked if he made a penis and Gamora asked what was wrong with him.**

"Yeah, what's wrong with him?" Aunt May asked.

"Too literal." Thor reminded everyone.

**Drax asked if he was a planet, how could he make a baby with his mother as he would smush her.**

"Now I have an image in my head. Oh God!" Scott groaned.

"Trust me, you're not the only one." Hope groaned.

**Quill said he didn't need to hear the story and Drax said his father would tell the story of impregnating his mother every winter solstice. Quill said it was disgusting and Drax said it was beautiful.**

"The literalness with which he speaks is killing me." Loki said as everyone looked disgusted.

**Ego said he had a penis and it wasn't half bad.**

"Yeah, now let's move on from the subject." Wanda said.

"That is exactly what I was thinking too, Miss Maximoff." T'Challa agreed with her.

**Ego said he also had pain receptors, digestive system and the accompanying junk. He wanted to experience what it truly meant to be human as he journeyed amongst the stars. A projection of him with an alien woman appeared. He said he then truly found what he sought- Life. He wasn't alone in the universe after all. Quill asked when he had met Meredith and he showed them a projection of the two of them together, saying shortly after and with her, he had experienced true love. He called her his river lily.**

"He might be a bad guy, but that sounds sweet." Hill commented.

**He said from that love, Quill was born and another projection of them was shown with Meredith having a bump this time. The womb glowed, showing the fetus of Quill inside as Ego said when he had heard of a man from Terra who had held an Infinity Stone in his hand without dying, he had realized he must be the son of the woman he loved. He told Quill he had been looking for him for years. Quill asked him if he loved his mother, then why did he leave. **

"I wonder what answer he gave." Steve said.

"Some self-righteous bullshit." Logan said.

**On the Ravager ship, Groot was locked up in a cage as several of them partied and laughed around him while Yondu was also tied up. Some of them took turns in scaring him with a 'boo.'**

"What are they getting by bullying a kid?" Aunt May asked in a dangerously calm voice as everyone glared daggers into the Ravagers and Wanda's eyes even glowed.

"Wanda!" Benjamin said as she looked over at him, "They got theirs! Please calm down!"

She took a deep breath and calmed down, with her eyes returning to their normal color.

"I believe it makes them feel strong." Vision said.

"Bullies." Steve snarled, "That is what bullies do."

**Tullk was dragged away as he yelled this was mutiny. They locked him on the other side and threw him out into space where he suffocated. With him were several other men who had already been thrown out.**

"They are sick!" Peter said in horror as everyone looked at the scene with disgust and horror in their eyes.

"Mutineers." Bucky snarled.

**They dragged another Ravager loyal to Yondu away as he begged him for help. Scarface guy punched Yondu, saying he had killed those men by leading them down the wrong path because he was weak and stupid. He then said it was time for the Ravagers to once again rise to glory with a new captain- Taserface!**

Everyone burst out in laughter as Pepper asked, "Taserface? Seriously?"

"Yeah. Looks like it." Fury said.

"Oh no! It's Taserface! He's gonna tase us with his face!" Tony said mockingly and everyone laughed.

"Perhaps he believes he can shoot tasers from his face and is literal like Drax." Loki said.

"But he can't really shoot any tasers." Benjamin said.

"So he is trying to be metaphorical." Loki said, "That is a horrible metaphor."

"And a hilarious name." Odinson said and everyone laughed.

**The men cheered but a tied up Rocket laughed behind him. He asked if he shot tasers out of his face. He said it was metaphorical and the men roared in agreement.**

"All of you have worse knowledge about metaphors than Drax." Clint said and everyone laughed.

**Rocket asked for what and he said for a name that struck fear into the hearts of anyone who heard it. The men started murmuring amongst themselves.**

"I think their knowledge of metaphors is improving." Bruce joked and everyone chuckled.

**He told Rocket to shut up and walked up to Yondu but Rocket laughed again, saying he kept imagining Taserface waking up in the morning, looking into the mirror, and in all seriousness saying to himself- "You know what would be a really kick-ass name? Taserface!" He then laughed as the some of the Ravagers tried to laugh too but didn't because Taserface was present.**

Everyone almost fell out of their chairs due to the laughter.

**Rocket said that was how he heard it in his head and asked if his second choice was 'Scrotum Hat.' This time, all the men burst into hysterical laughter too.**

The laughter turned more hysterical as Tony said, "I think me and him are going to be best buddies."

"Yeah. You found your new BFF." Pepper agreed.

"I mean, who thinks of Taserface as a cool name?" Scott said as the laughter continued.

"I think 'Scrotum Hat' is actually better because this guy seems to lack brains." Loki said and there was more laughter.

**Taserface angrily said they would kill him first but Nebula said they had done enough killing for a day. The Ravagers mumbled as one of them said she was the daughter of Thanos. She pushed a Ravager off. Taserface said he thought she was the biggest sadist in the galaxy. She said that was when daddy was paying her bills but now the Priestess wanted to kill the fox herself and Yondu had bounties on his head in at least 12 Kree provinces. Taserface snarled and she said she was a harder mark than the others. She wanted 10% of the take and a few more things.**

"Like?" Tony wondered.

"You'll see." Benjamin said.

**Nebula fitted herself with a new cybernetic hand and walked with Kraglin who asked if the Kree would execute Yondu. She said they considered themselves merciful and would give him a quick death as Kraglin winced.**

"Having doubts." Rhodes said.

"He is still loyal to Yondu." Steve realized with a smile.

**Kraglin showed Nebula an M-Ship and said this was the best they had got with location of Ego's planet on navigation. Once they got paid, they would give her the 10% via wire transfer. He asked what she would do once paid. She said with anger and pain shining in her eyes, "As a child, my father would have Gamora and me battle one another in training. Every time my sister prevailed... my father would replace a piece of me with machinery...claiming he wanted me to be her equal. But she won...again and again, and again, never once refraining. So after I murder my sister...I will buy a warship with every conceivable instrument of death. I will hunt my father like a dog, and I will tear him apart slowly...piece by piece...until he knows some semblance of the profound and unceasing pain...I know every single day."**

Everyone's jaws dropped in horror and shock as they looked at Nebula in sympathy and in a new light.

"Thanos did what?" Scott asked with barely restrained rage.

"He is a scumbag." Clint snarled too.

"Yes. That is why she hates both of them." Odinson said sadly, "Because of what Thanos did and in her mind, Gamora let him do it by winning."

"She wanted to win at least sometimes in her life." Tony said sadly.

"But they wouldn't let her." Steve said.

"Fortunately, her life did take a turn for the better a few years later." Logan said cryptically.

**Kraglin was horrified and said he meant something like a pretty necklace or a hat which other girls would be jealous of. He then tapped her shoulder and said, "Happy trails."**

"So he has seen 'Die Hard.'" Tony said and everyone chuckled.

**She cleaned the shoulder where he had tapped it after he walked off and went into the M-Ship.**

"And now they will have to deal with her too." Peter sighed.

**Quill and Ego stood in front of a statue of Meredith as Quill said she had told everyone his father was from the stars. She had brain cancer so everyone thought she was delusional. Quill told him he had left the most wonderful woman to die alone. Ego explained that if he didn't return to his planet and the light within it, his form would wither and perish. Quill asked why he had sent Yondu instead of fetching him himself and he said he loved Meredith and couldn't bear to step on an Earth where she wasn't living.**

"Ah! Emotional blackmail right there to make Quill believe him." Natasha said as everyone glared at Ego.

"Can't wait for someone to knock his ego down by a few pegs." Clint said.

**Ego said he couldn't imagine what it felt like and Quill said he could as he had seen her die. Ego said over his millions of years of existence, he had made many mistakes but Quill wasn't one of them. He begged for a chance to be the father she would want him to be as there was so much he wanted to teach him about the planet and the light within. They were a part of Quill. When Quill asked what he meant, he asked him to hold out his hands.**

"He is teaching him." Steve realized.

"Teaching him about his powers." Thor said.

"All to gain his trust." Benjamin said.

**Quill did and Ego asked him to close his eyes and concentrate on the center of the planet. He did and suddenly, blue light appeared in his hands before vanishing as he looked shocked and Ego looked happy.**

"What was that?" Peter asked as everyone watched with wide eyes.

"Celestial power." Odinson told them.

**Ego asked him to do it again and he managed to do it and on Ego's command, started shaping it into a ball. Ego then asked him to throw it and he did. Ego caught it and threw it back. With that, they started playing catch.**

Everyone watched the scene as Thor said, "So now he is playing with him to make him feel like he has achieved the happiness he desired."

"Being the father Quill always wanted." Loki said.

"Emotional manipulation." Natasha said.

"Yeah. Some are good at it." Benjamin agreed.

**Drax and Mantis sat together on the steps of the palace as he asked how she had ended up on this dumb planet and she said Ego had found her in her larva state when she was orphaned on her homeworld and raised her by hand, keeping her as his own.**

"So he has groomed her too." Rhodes said in disgust.

"Yeah. Unfortunately." Logan said.

**Drax asked if she was a pet and she said she probably was. Drax said people kept cute pets so why would Ego want a hideous one.**

"Okay, what?" Aunt May asked, "Hideous?"

"Drax is the strangest person in space." Peter said.

**Mantis was shocked that she was hideous and Drax she was horrifying to look at but said it was a good thing. "When you're ugly, and someone loves you...you know they love you for who you are. Beautiful people never know who to trust." Drax told her.**

"Those are wise words." Steve said as everyone was impressed by him.

"Yeah." Wanda said.

"And that means no one in this room can trust each other." Tony said and everyone laughed.

**Mantis said then she was grateful to be ugly. Drax pointed at some pools and said they reminded him of the time he had taken his daughter to the forgotten lakes of his homeworld. He told Mantis she was like her. Mantis innocently asked if she was disgusting and he said she was innocent. He then looked saddened as Mantis touched him and her antennae glowed. She then started sobbing.**

Everyone looked at Drax in sympathy. His idiotic antics made it easy to forget that he too was a man mourning the loss of his wife and daughter.

**Drax sighed as she removed her hand and said she needed to tell him something. Then the door opened behind them and Gamora arrived. Drax said the gross bug lady was his new friend and she said she was learning many new things like she was a pet and ugly.**

"Man, even my daughter isn't that innocent." Scott said.

"Peter wasn't this innocent as a kid." Aunt May said as the two looked at each other.

"That's what happens when Ego raises you I guess." Logan snarled.

**Gamora told Mantis she wasn't ugly, shocking Drax. She asked Mantis to show them where they would be staying. She led them across the garden as Gamora asked why there was no other living creature on the planet. Mantis said the planet was Ego and a dog didn't let a flea on its bag. Gamora asked if she wasn't a flea. Mantis said she was a flea with a purpose as she helped him sleep. Gamora asked what she was about to tell Drax before she came. She looked like she was about to say something but then said it was nothing as she walked off to show them their quarters while Gamora and Drax shared a look.**

"Definitely hiding something." Bucky said.

"About Ego." Sam agreed.

**Rocket and Yondu were thrown in a cell as Taserface said they would be taken to the Kree the next day and wouldn't last long there. They walked off as Rocket continued calling him Taserface mockingly.**

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "We need more of that name."

**Another Ravager held up Groot in his cage and asked if he should smash him to pieces with a rock.**

"NO!" Almost everyone cried out instantaneously at the same time in horror.

"What is wrong with them?" Hope asked, "They want to smash an adorable baby with a rock?"

"They are a bunch of rat-bastards is what's wrong with them." Logan snarled angrily.

"Definitely need to go into their nostrils and exp-" Scott began.

"Please don't bring that up again." Hope sighed.

**Taserface said Groot was too adorable for that and they should take him to the tailor.**

"Even Taserface finds him adorable." Tony said in amusement to lighten the mood and everyone chuckled.

**Rocket told Yondu his employees were a bunch of jerks and he said he was a Kree battle slave for 20 years.**

"Like a Gladiator?" Rhodes asked and got nods, "Damn! He must be awesome then!"

"He is." Benjamin agreed.

**Yondu said Stakar had freed him and offered him a place with the Ravagers and all he needed to do was adhere to the code. But he was young, greedy and stupid, like when Rocket stole the batteries. Rocket lied it was mostly Drax.**

"Oh come on! Are you unable to accept a mistake?" Pepper asked.

"Even I can accept my mistake after two years." Tony joked and everyone chuckled.

**Yondu said him, Stakar and the other captains weren't so different from Rocket and his friends and they were the only family he had. When he broke the code, they exiled him and he deserved it. Rocket called him drama queen and said he might deserve this but he himself didn't. They had to get out of here. Yondu asked where Quill was and Rocket said he went with his father. Yondu asked if it was Ego and Rocket said it was and said it was a day for dumbass names. Yondu laughed and Rocket said he had a warm feeling until Yondu showed his disgusting teeth.**

"They are disgusting but Rocket shouldn't have said that to his face." Steve said.

**Yondu asked if he was a professional asshole and Rocket said he was a pro.**

"That you are, rabbit." Loki said with a chuckle.

**Rocket asked why Yondu hadn't delivered Quill and Yondu said he was skinny and could fit into places they couldn't. He was good for thieving. He then said he had an idea on how to get out but they needed his little friend.**

"So now they need Groot's help." Wanda realized and nods followed.

**The Ravagers had surrounded Groot who was in a small Ravager uniform stitched for him. They chanted 'mascot' over and over again as he tried to take it off but fell down. They poured alcohol on him.**

"What-the-fucking-hell?" Sam said angrily as everyone glared at the Ravagers.

"Why are they doing that?" Wanda snarled as her eyes glowed again.

"Hey kid. Calm down." Clint said calmly and she took a deep breath, calming down again.

"Feeling powerful, huh? By beating on a baby?" Steve said angrily.

**Groot angrily charged one but was kicked away.**

"I want to kill them all so badly." Hill snarled.

"I am sure they all deserve it." T'Challa said in disgust.

**Later, a depressed Groot walked away, alcohol dripping from him.**

Everyone looked at Groot in sympathy. A lot of sympathy.

**Yondu called out to him gently, affectionately calling him 'twig.' Groot walked up to him and Rocket as the latter angrily asked what they had done to him.**

"A lot of horrible stuff." Bucky snarled.

**Yondu asked if he wanted to help them get out of the place and he nodded. He told Groot he needed to go to the captain's quarters and get a prototype fin which he wore on the top of his head. Groot nodded, remembering. Yondu said there was a drawer next to the bunk and it was there and was red. Groot nodded and ran off as Rocket shook his head.**

"Why do I think he didn't understand any of that?" Peter wondered.

"Because he didn't." Fury said matter-of-fact.

"Nope." Logan agreed.

**Groot snuck into the room as Ravagers slept and one of them sucked on his thumb. He then saw an open drawer and brought an underwear. Yondu said that was his underwear.**

Everyone burst out laughing as Tony asked, "He was asked for a red fin and brought white underwear?"

"Babies." Hill said with a laugh.

**Rocket said he needed to explain it more carefully and he said a prototype fin. Groot then brought a red orloni.**

Everyone laughed again.

**Yondu asked Rocket to explain it and this time, Groot brought a prosthetic eye. Yondu said that was Vorker's eye and he needed to look again. Rocket told him to leave the eye because when Vorker would wake up the next day, he would wonder where the eye is and burst out laughing hysterically.**

"His love for prosthetics is…interesting." Natasha said.

**This time Groot brought an entire desk.**

"Okay, an entire desk? Really? It wasn't that big." Rhodes said as everyone laughed more.

**Next time, Groot brought a severed thumb and both Rocket and Yondu looked disturbed. Rocket asked Yondu if they had a refrigerator with severed limbs and he said they didn't. Rocket said they should never talk about it now.**

"Nope. Please never bring that up. Groot is too adorable." Tony said and everyone chuckled, though they were a bit disturbed by the thumb he brought.

**Yondu took out the Ogord symbol and told him the drawer had this symbol. Groot put it on his head, shocking Yondu.**

Everyone laughed again as Bruce asked, "So he thinks of it as a hat?"

"Yeah." Odinson said.

**Rocket said Groot thought he wanted him to wear it as a hat ad Yondu said that wasn't what he meant. Groot said 'I am Groot' four times and Rocket translated that he was relieved as he hated hats on anyone because one minute you think someone had a weird-shaped head and then you would realize part of the head is the hat. Rocket asked if that was why he hated hats and Yondu asked if this was an important conversation right now.**

"To them? Yeah. To normal people? No." Steve said and everyone chuckled.

**Groot climbed up Taserface's bed and this time found the right drawer. He opened it and took out some round-shaped thing. "That ain't it." Kraglin said behind him.**

"So….busted?" Hope asked.

"No." Logan said.

**Kraglin dropped the fin at Yondu's feet and said apologetically that he didn't want to do a mutiny and they killed all his friends.**

"And the redemptions starts." Aunt May said.

**Yondu told him to get the third quadrant for release. He did the Ravager greeting and left Groot to them. Rocket asked if he had any clones of Quill's old music on the ship.**

"Music to kick ass with? Nice." Tony said.

"This is going to be awesome!" Peter said.

"Oh absolutely. Especially with the arrow." Clint said and everyone chuckled.

'**Come a Little Bit Closer' started playing as some Ravagers heard it and opened the cell, only to see Rocket having finished putting the fin on Yondu's head. They raised their guns but Yondu whistled and the Yaka Arrow flew out, making a hole through the wall as it went through them both, killing them and then went to his hand.**

Everyone clapped happily as Bruce said, "You guys are so screwed now!"

**Rocket picked up the fallen Ravager's gun while Taserface woke up to the music and saw the open drawer and missing fin. He told everyone Yondu had the fin and they all panicked.**

"Yeah! You better run!" Hill cheered.

**Yondu, Rocket and Groot walked into the hallway as the Ravagers pointed guns at them but Yondu whistled and the Yaka Arrow flew out. It went through all the Ravagers, twirling around and taking a U-turn as well while listening to Yondu's whistle.**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily as Clint said, "I want it!"

"You and your crush!" Natasha said dryly and everyone laughed while Clint gave her a mock glare.

**Yondu caught the arrow again and opened a door to the bridge as the Ravagers tried to fire at them from all levels. Yondu whistled again and the Yaka Arrow flew around and many Ravagers fell from several levels above them.**

Everyone clapped happily again as Thor said, "They are paying the price for what they did."

"Just like they deserve." Loki agreed.

**Groot saw the Ravager that had beaten him. He backed off in fear but Groot climbed up with his branches and with a roar, charged after them. He then grabbed him by his branches and threw him down before throwing him to a lower level, killing him.**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily as Hope said, "Take that asshole!"

"Bullies do not last long once stood up to." Steve said as the cheering continued.

**Groot hopped onto Rocket's shoulder as they walked into the surveillance room. Yondu looked at everyone via the monitors and whistled again. The Yaka Arrow could be seen in the footage, killing more Ravagers. It hit the lights of a room, darkening it before killing all the Ravagers.**

Everyone clapped as Sam said, "That looked so cool!"

**The Yaka Arrow hit an M-Ship and it dropped on several fleeing Ravagers.**

Everyone cheered again as Rhodes said, "And that was even cooler!"

**One Ravager was drinking beer when the Yaka Arrow flew past, shatterin the glass before flying back and killing him.**

Everyone clapped again as T'Challa said, "I believe that would be the coolest."

**Rocket saw a man approaching from the monitor and without looking, fired at the door, killing him. He continued firing around while Yondu's Yaka Arrow flew all around the ship, making patterns and killing everyone.**

Everyone clapped as Natasha said, "Now they make a great team."

"Oh absolutely." Fury agreed.

**Yondu saw Taserface approaching from a monitor and whistled. The Yaka Arrow flew towards him and lit on fire.**

"I want ten quivers of that!" Clint said and everyone laughed.

**Taserface avoided but it hit some explosives and an explosion occurred.**

"Uh-oh!" Sam said.

**Rocket called him a maniac and said the whole ship was gonna blow. Taserface was on fire but still alive. Yondu said not the whole ship as Kraglin pressed some buttons and the quadrant started detaching. Taserface video-called Ayesha and told her he was sending her the coordinates to Yondu's ship. He only asked one thing in return and that was to tell him the name of the man who sealed his fate- Taserface. Ayesha looked amused and after a brief struggle, burst out laughing hysterically.**

Everyone burst out into hysterical laughter as Tony asked, "Is she laughing? Oh no! She is laughing! She can laugh!"

"I had no idea the Sovereign could laugh too." Vision said.

"It came as a shock to me too." Odinson said.

"Yes. It is a huge shock." Thor agreed.

"Yup." Loki said.

**Taserface looked dejected as the ship exploded and he died.**

Everyone clapped as Aunt May said, "And he is gone."

**Kraglin detached the quadrant and it flew off as the ship exploded. Kraglin asked where to and Rocket said Ego. He then started the travel as Yondu told him not to but he started it anyway as the quadrant started making jumps. Yondu told him a mammalian body couldn't hop more than 50 jumps at a time. Rocket said he knew that and Yondu said they were about to do 700, horrifying them all. The quadrant continued hopping as the four screamed in pain and their bodies started coming apart, their jaws widening to a cartoonish level.**

Everyone was shocked and amused at the same time as Peter said, "So they are Looney Tunes now?"

Everyone burst out in laughter as Steve said, "I think they are, kid."

"And now the truth is about to come to light." Benjamin said.

* * *

**And that ends this. Man Taserface gave us some nice laughs. And when Ayesha of all people burst out laughing at the name, I remember I fell off my chair laughing at her laughing. **

**Baby Groot is so adorable. **

**And two more chapters for this movie and then back to Earth.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	54. True colors revealed

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, everyone laughed at that. Yeah, I was horrified when the truth about Ego was revealed. What a bastard! That was funny. Yes they will interact and you will see on the cosmic beings. Yeah, Baby Groot is hilarious and adorable. Yes, I am waiting to write those moments too. Oh absolutely! What the Ravagers did to Baby Groot was child abuse easily. And thanks for correcting me on Ayesha and the chambermaid. They all look the same to be honest. Yes they will. Enjoy.**

Chapter 54- True colors revealed

"I'm guessing they're going to try to save Quill and the others from Ego." Steve said.

"Yeah, Yondu knows what he is capable of." Odinson said.

**On Ego's planet, Quill looked at all the gardens and said he would probably own this someday while Gamora tried contacting Rocket but got no response. Quill then suddenly put his arms around her.**

"Dude, if you have to flirt, at least make it subtle." Tony said as he shook his head.

"Even Steve flirts better than that." Natasha said and everyone laughed while Steve shot her a mock glare, "Much, much better."

"Anyone can do better than that." Bucky said.

**Gamora asked what he was doing and Quill asked her to dance with him. She said she wasn't going to dance with him as 'Bring It On Home To Me' started playing and he said Sam Cooke was one of the greatest Earth singers of all time.**

"Even though he is not the brightest, he has great taste in music." Sam said and nods followed.

**With that, they started slow dancing to the music and Gamora eventually became more comfortable.**

"I think something is happening." Pepper said and chuckles followed.

**Quill told her Drax had said she wasn't a dancer and she said if he told anyone about this, she would kill him.**

"Don't doubt her." Aunt May said and more chuckles followed.

**As the dancing continued, Quill asked her when they were going to do something about the unspoken thing between them.**

Hill facepalmed, "And now he just blew it."

"Guy doesn't have any patience." Fury agreed.

**Quill compared them to a guy and a girl on a TV show who dig each other but never say anything because the ratings would drop.**

"Yeah and now her rating of you is going down like this." Scott said and snapped his fingers while everyone chuckled.

"He really doesn't know how to proposition women." Logan said and everyone chuckled more.

**Gamora said there was no unspoken thing and Quill said if she said it, it would be spoken and she would be a liar by saying it so by not saying it, she was telling the truth and admitting there is.**

"That doesn't even make sense!" Hope said.

"At this point, he is begging her to slice his throat." Clint said.

**Gamora said this wasn't what they should be discussing because something about this place didn't feel right. Quill reminded her she had asked him to come here and she said Mantis was afraid of something. Quill asked why she was trying to take this away from him. Ego was his father and his blood. Gamora reminded him he had blood on Terra and never wanted to return there.**

"Ego really did a number on him." Bruce said.

"I'm sure he could do that to a lot of people." Loki said.

"No kidding." Thor agreed.

**Quill reminded her she had made him come here and Terra was the place his mother had died in front of him. Gamora said Terra was real and this place was a fantasy. Quill told her this was real and he was only half-human. Gamora said that was the half she was worried about. Quill said she was jealous because he was part-god and she liked when he was the weak one. She said he was insufferable to begin with and she wasn't able to contact Rocket so she would go outside to get a signal.**

"I'm guessing Ego gave him an ego as well." Tony said.

"Damn right he did!" Rhodes agreed.

"He did have some of it already." Wanda reminded everyone.

**Quill said this wasn't 'Cheers' but a show where one person was trying to open themselves up to a new possibility while the other was a jerk who didn't trust anyone and so the show would get zero ratings because it didn't exist.**

"At this point, he is getting really insufferable." Natasha said.

"Even I don't give references that much." Peter said and everyone chuckled.

**Gamora said she didn't know what 'Cheers' was. "I finally found my family. Don't you understand that?" Quill asked. "I thought you already had." Gamora said in a hurt tone as she walked out.**

"Yes. He already has." Logan agreed.

"He just doesn't know it yet." Steve said.

**Gamora sat outside, feeling dejected as a plant made sounds next to her and she cut it off.**

Everyone chuckled as Bucky said, "That is exactly what I'd do."

**She suddenly heard something behind her and turned around to see the M-Ship. It fired at her and she ran off while Nebula roared from inside. Gamora eventually fell of a small cliff and got up as Nebula continued firing at her.**

Everyone's eyes widened as Loki said, "Look! Siblings trying to kill each other!"

"Yeah, I get the feeling." Thor agreed and everyone chuckled at their banter which was to lighten the mood.

**Gamora ran around, avoiding the shots and reached a small cave as the M-Ship continued firing but rammed into the columns and ended up crashing in front of Gamora.**

"At least she doesn't have the big gun anymore." Rhodes said.

**Gamora noticed a huge cannon broken off from the ship lying next to her.**

"But she does." Natasha smirked.

**As Nebula recovered, Gamora lifted up the huge cannon and joined the wires.**

"She is strong." Bucky said with wide eyes.

"Stronger than us." Steve realized. [1]

**As Nebula watched in horror, Gamora started firing the cannon with a roar, shattering the M-Ship and throwing it down.**

"She fired that thing without recoil? Damn! That is too strong." Sam said.

**Gamora looked down as Nebula was trapped in the burning ship. Gamora lifted the debris and pulled Nebula out as the explosion sent them both flying back.**

"At least hey survived." Wanda said.

"I believe they will try to kill each other again." T'Challa said.

**Gamora panted as Nebula's parts fixed themselves and then she pinned Gamora down and started choking her.**

"And trying to kill each other again. Just like us." Loki said.

"Yeah. Just like us." Thor agreed.

"Actually, even worse." Odinson said.

**Gamora angrily elbowed her and threw her off. She tried to attack but Nebula kicked her down and brandished a knife. She almost choked Gamora but in the end, let her go and threw off the knife, "I win. I win. I bested you in combat."**

"She wanted a win." Tony said as everyone looked at Nebula in sympathy, "That's how much Thanos traumatized her."

"He is a monster." Clint snarled.

**Gamora said she had saved her and Nebula said she was stupid enough to let her live. Gamora reminded her she had let her live and Nebula said she didn't always need her to beat her. Gamora said she wasn't the one who had flown across the universe to beat the other. Nebula told her not to tell her what she wanted and Gamora said she wasn't because it was obvious.**

"She does have a point about that." Peter said.

"**You were the one who wanted to win. And I just wanted a sister!" Nebula said and Gamora looked at her in shock, "You were all I had. But you were the one who needed to win. Thanos pulled my eye from my head...and my brain from my skull...and my arm from my body...because of you." She sighed.**

"Even monster is too low a word for Thanos." Scott snarled as everyone looked at Nebula in more sympathy.

"Her actions, while not forgivable, are understandable after everything Thanos did." Steve said.

'**Brandy (You're A Fine Girl)' played as Quill lay on a couch and Ego walked in, saying he had seen Gamora stomp off and said this song was a favorite of Meredith. He said it was one of Earth's greatest musical compositions and perhaps the greatest, with Quill agreeing.**

"No it isn't!" Tony said and everyone chuckled, "That would be a 'One' by Metallica."

"I heard that and I think I'm in agreement." Steve said.

"If they are agreeing, then I think it has to be the greatest musical composition." Thor said and everyone chuckled.

**Ego said they were the sailors in the song. He had come on a summer's day with gifts from far away like the baby he had put in Meredith or the freedom Quill had brought Gamora. Ego said his life was the sea and it called him back like history called great men and they were deprived of the pleasure of mortals. Quill said he was a mortal but Ego said death was a stranger to both of them and long as light was within the planet. Quill asked if he was immortal and Ego said he was.**

"Man, he is more powerful than I thought he was!" Rhodes said as everyone watched the screen with wide eyes.

"But he doesn't have the brains to use that power." Fury said.

"I think he got the hang of it easily." Benjamin said.

**Quill was overjoyed and said he would build an 800-foot statue of Pac-Man with Skeletor and Heather Locklear.**

"Oh boy! He does have strange fantasies!" Tony said and everyone chuckled.

"He brought some of it to life." Logan said and everyone was really looking forward to seeing it.

**Ego said it was a tremendous responsibility and only they could remake the universe and take the bridle of the cosmos to lead it where it went. Ego then generated a light in his hands and Quill did the same while Mantis watched hidden and seemed to be guilty.**

"I think she is gonna spill the beans." Sam said.

"Oh she will." Odinson agreed.

**She shook Drax up and said she needed to talk to him. Drax said he liked women with meat on their bones and said he had tried to let her down easily by saying she was horrifying and then coughed, saying he was imagining physically being with her.**

"Dude, his stupidity is getting annoying now!" Scott said.

"Don't hold your breath." Benjamin told him.

"Oh God!" Hope said.

**Mantis said she didn't like him like that and didn't even like the kind of thing he was and Drax said she didn't need to get personal.**

Everyone laughed as Pepper said, "You deserved it."

**Mantis said Ego had exactly what he wanted and she should have told them earlier so she was an idiot and said they were in danger.**

"Yeah, you all are." Logan said as everyone watched the scene, feeling tense.

**Gamora and Nebula walked together as they noticed a light. Ego led Quill to where the projections were and said he needed to readjust the way he processed life as everything was temporary. Quill asked if eternity got boring and Ego said not if they had a purpose. He said he had an unceasing impulse to find life but also found it disappointing and his innate desire wasn't to walk among. He had found meaning. He touched Quill's forehead and his eyes glowed with energy as he could see all eternity.**

"How powerful is this guy?" Wanda asked.

"Like you can't even imagine." Benjamin said.

"And he is trying to get Quill on his side." Odinson said.

"He has almost succeeded." Steve noted.

**Gamora and Nebula watched in horror as they saw hundreds, thousands, almost a million skeletons lying around and were shocked to their core a Nebula said they needed to get off this planet right now.**

"Who are those?" A creeped out Peter asked.

"You will see very soon." Logan said.

"So this guy has skeletons under his closet." Tony joked to lighten the mood.

**Rocket, Groot, Yondu and Kraglin were still jumping around as they passed a planet where an elderly man was sitting with several other beings, one of them bald, and they looked at the Quadrant as it passed and the man said, "Oh, man. Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted... At that time, I was a Federal Express man…."**

"And he is back!" Hill said and everyone chuckled.

"Who are those?" Fury asked.

"Ah! They are the Watchers." Odinson said.

"So we actually have Watchers?" Natasha asked and nods followed.

"And the old guy is their informant." Logan said.

"Damn!" Tony said, "So mystery is solved then."

"I still have no idea why he cut my hair." Thor said and more chuckles followed.

**The Quadrant stopped in front of Ego's planet as Rocket told an angry Yondu Ego was bad news from what he had said and they needed to save Quill. Yondu asked for what and Rocket said so he could lord this over Quill. Yondu then laughed and said, "You can fool yourself and everyone else, but you can't fool me. I know who you are." Rocket protested, "You don't know anything about me, loser." Yondu said, "I know everything about you. I know you play like you're the meanest and the hardest... but, actually, you're the most scared of all." "Shut up!" Rocket protested and Yondu said, "I know you steal batteries you don't need...and you push away anyone who's willing to put up with you...because just a little bit of love...reminds you how big and empty that hole inside you actually is." Rocket protested again, "I said shut up!" Yondu continued, "I know them scientists what made you, never gave a rat's ass about you." Rocket said, "I'm serious, dude!" Yondu finished, "Just like my own damn parents who sold me...their own little baby, into slavery. I know who you are, boy. Because you're me."**

Everyone watched the scene with wide eyes and tense breaths as Bruce said, "Wow!"

"His parents must be monsters." Tony snarled, feeling bad for Yondu.

"**What kind of a pair are we?" Rocket wondered. "The kind that's about to go fight a planet, I reckon." Yondu said. Rocket was horrified on hearing that.**

"Yeah, your enemy is a planet." Steve said.

**Mantis was telling Drax everything as Gamora angrily slammed her to the wall and asked about the bodies. Mantis' antennae glowed and she said Gamora was afraid as she let her go.**

"Didn't answer the question." Bucky said.

**Ego told Quill he called it the 'Expansion' and now it was both their purpose. A projection of him planting his extension was shown as he said he did it in thousands of worlds to fulfill life's true purpose of growing and spreading and covering all that existed until everything was him.**

"What the hell?" Scott said.

**A terrified Gamora asked what Mantis had done to her and Drax said she had already told him everything. Ego said a single Celestial couldn't do it but two of them could. Mantis told Gamora, Drax and Nebula that the bodies were Ego's children.**

"WHAT?" Clint exploded as he got off the couch in anger.

"He killed his own children?" Scott said with righteous fury.

"And so many of them." Aunt May snarled.

"Why?" Peter asked.

"Because they didn't have his powers." Logan revealed to their horror and disgust.

"He is even worse than Thanos." Steve said in disgust, "He is the worst thing in existence."

"No kidding." Bucky agreed.

"Hope he gets his." Natasha said.

**Ego said grafting his DNA into other species was difficult as projections of him doing it to several women appeared and he said he hoped the children would be enough to power the Expansion. As Rocket, Groot and Yondu approached, Ego said he had Yondu deliver some of them and while it broke the Ravager code, he compensated him generously and told him he didn't hurt the children, as what he did was painless. Quill was now too engrossed in the power he got to see anything wrong with Ego who said not one of them carried the Celestial gene until him.**

"He has brought him to his side totally." Sam said as everyone watched in horror.

"I mean, he sees nothing wrong with what Ego is doing!" Hope said.

"He was good with words." Loki said, "And now Quill will believe anything he says."

"Just wait till he reveals the big one!" Benjamin said and they wondered what he was talking about.

"I believe he made a mistake." T'Challa realized.

**Gamora said they needed to escape with Quill as he was their friend and Nebula said they yelled at each other so they weren't friends and Drax said they weren't family so they wouldn't leave anyone behind except her.**

Everyone chuckled a bit as Rhodes said, "Yeah, families yell at times."

**Ego said for the first time he wasn't truly alone as Quill inquired about his friends and Ego said that was the mortal in him and they were beyond such stuff. Quill inquired about his mother and Ego said he truly loved her as he returned to Earth to see her thrice and if he returned a 4****th**** time, he would never leave so he had to do what he did. It pained him greatly to put the tumor inside her.**

"WHAT?" Hope exploded angrily.

"He gave her the brain cancer?" Bruce asked and nods followed, "The son of a bitch!"

"Motherfu-" Fury trailed off in disgust and horror.

"He is the worst thing to ever come into the Universe." Clint snarled.

"Shoot him! Shoot him! Shoot him!" Tony said.

"Please do." Steve agreed.

"**What?" Quill asked angrily as the power disappeared. Ego tried to defend himself but Quill brandished his blasters and fired at him repeatedly, destroying chunks of his body.**

Everyone clapped as Hope said, "Shoot more!"

"Keep doing it!" Peter said.

"Don't stop!" Scott yelled.

"He deserves it!" Thor said too.

**Ego angrily transformed into Hasselhoff and said he had tried to get a form suited to Quill and this was the thanks he got. He transformed back into his old form as Quill roared he had killed his mother and Ego roared at him to grow up as a vine of light hit Quill from behind and lifted him into the air and Ego said now he would be a battery.**

"You sick son of a bitch!" Hill snarled.

"The others are coming." Peter remembered.

**The transmitter worked as Gamora called out to Rocket as he told her to keep the transmitter ready so he could find her and Yondu needed to slice the place open. Gamora said Ego was unhinged and he said he knew as Yondu told Kraglin to drop the pod and he did as they flew off in it.**

"Now they are coming." Aunt May said.

**Ego took 'Awesome Mix Vol. 2' from the restrained Quill and played '(Brandy) You're A Fine Girl' as tears came to Quill's eyes and Ego said this was the sea and destroyed the Walkman.**

"Big mistake." Logan said.

**The power flowed into the ground as Gamora, Drax, Nebula and Mantis ran to the place but light flashed across the entire area.**

"Oh no!" Wanda said.

"The Expansion has begun." Vision said.

"And only they can stop him." Steve realized.

"Yes. Only them." Benjamin said as everyone watched, tense.

* * *

**Man, Ego is one sick bastard. I think he is an even worse father than Thanos, who is a horrible daddy himself. **

**[1] I don't think everyone has noticed this but Gamora and Nebula are physically stronger than super-soldiers like Cap and Bucky. I guess it makes sense considering what they are. And those two even staggered Thanos, something Steve didn't. They are strong.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time as I end this movie.**


	55. He wasn't your daddy

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now with this chapter, we're gonna be done with the Guardians movies finally. It was so much fun to write them all.**

Chapter 55- He wasn't your daddy

"So how're they going to beat an entire planet?" Tony asked.

"Just watch." Odinson said.

"Pity they don't have the Bifrost." Scott said as he glanced over at Loki who winced a little but seemed amused.

"I feel a living planet will try to resist it." Loki said.

"Yeah, it is more difficult than you think." Thor agreed.

"Let's see what Ego can do in his most powerful form." Natasha said.

"A lot." Logan told everyone.

**On Earth in Missouri, the plant Ego had planted years ago started expanding with energy and the people ran around in terror as the energy destroyed a shop nearby along with several trees and continued expansion.**

"Shit!" Tony, Rhodes and Sam said at the same time.

"I heard about that." Fury said, "But it went as soon as it came so couldn't investigate."

"Yeah, too quick." Hill agreed.

"I heard of that too." Tony remembered.

"The only reason we weren't there was because it ended really quickly." Steve said too.

"Which means we have to watch the movie." Clint said and everyone turned to the screen again.

**As Ego continued, Drax kicked the door open and rushed in with Gamora, Nebula and Mantis as Ego turned to them. And then the ceiling shattered as the pod from the Quadrant flew in and Yondu yelled, "Hey there, jackass!" He then crashed it on top of Ego.**

Everyone clapped as Bucky said, "Take that, jackass!"

"Hope you liked it." Bruce said.

**On Earth, the expanding energy froze in one place and the people stopped.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

**The door opened as Groot waved and Drax yelled, "Out of the way dumber, smaller Groot!"**

"You should have said 'really adorable Groot.'" Hope said and nods followed.

**Drax climbed as Groot hit his shoulder but he was unaffected. The vine disappeared and Quill fell down as Gamora helped him up and said she had told him something wasn't right and Quill said it was just what he needed to hear. Gamora said she had returned and Quill said it was because of the unspoken thing.**

Literally everyone facepalmed as Pepper said, "Right now? Really?"

"Pathetic." Aunt May muttered.

**Drax told Rocket he could have killed them all and Rocket seemed angry as they were ungrateful to him. Drax said they had it under control and Mantis said they didn't as that was only an extension of Ego.**

"Uh-oh." Sam said as everyone else paled.

"Yeah, 'uh-oh' sounds about right." Benjamin said.

**Quill asked why Nebula was here and she said she needed a ride home. Rocket said she had tried to murder him and she called him a fox and said she had saved his life. Rocket said he wasn't a fox and Groot said his line. Rocket said he wasn't a 'raboon' and Groot repeated his line and Rocket said he wasn't a 'raccoon.' **

"Except you are." Fury said and everyone chuckled.

**The energy vines returned and started wrapping the pod as Drax asked how to kill a Celestial and Quill said he had a brain at the center and Mantis said it was in the caverns. Quill climbed up and was shocked to see Yondu. He tried to fly off but the vines pulled them down while the palace started coming down. Quill said he was glad to be a skinny kid or Yondu would have handed him to Ego. Yondu said he had kept him around because he figured out what Ego did to the kids and so he wasn't just gonna hand him over. Quill said Yondu had said they were going to eat him. Yondu said he was being funny and Quill said not to him while Rocket said they had issues.**

"Yeah. They all have issues." Tony said.

"So Yondu has a heart after all." Steve said and everyone nodded, realizing how much Yondu did care for Quill.

"He did. He cared about Quill." Benjamin said, "You will see it soon."

**Ego's human form reappeared in a skeletal appearance and Quill yelled that was his father.**

"And I thought I had daddy issues." Tony muttered.

**Thrusters came back up as they flew through Ego and shattering some columns, shattered the window and flew out but flew down and Quill said they needed to stop Ego.**

"Now that's the Star-Lord we know." Sam said and nods followed.

**Rocket pressed a button and spherical energy devices rolled around and fired lasers, destroying the ground as Rocket said if they saved the galaxy again, they might need to jack up their prices while Quill was incredulous this was Rocket's priority and Rocket said it was just a thought as they were friends and he cared about everything on the planet. Mantis said the crabby puppy was cute and made her want to die.**

Everyone's jaws dropped as Rhodes asked, "Seriously? He makes you wanna die?"

"I think we found someone even stranger than Drax." Peter said and chuckles followed.

"No kidding." Wanda agreed.

**Kraglin was listening to 'Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang' playing on the Quadrant and sang along when several Sovereign ships arrived and detecting the batteries on Ego's planet, flew down there while Kraglin tried to contact Yondu but there was no signal.**

"And now they are here too. The galaxy hates them." Natasha groaned.

"Yes. Our tasks become really difficult at times." T'Challa agreed.

**The pod continued firing lasers as Yondu asked why Ego wanted Quill and he said it was because of the genetic connection to the light. He wanted to destroy the universe and taught Quill how to use the powers. Yondu asked if he could and Quill said he made a ball. He said he thought as hard as he could. Yondu told him he didn't use his head when he made the arrow fly.**

"It is part of him." Clint said.

**Then they crashed into something and part of the pod broke as they were now underground and Mantis pointed them at Ego's core.**

"Prepare for the fight of your lives." Fury said.

**Rocket brought all the spherical devices together and fired a concentrated laser, slowly breaking bits of it until Kraglin's voice came and asked if Yondu remembered Ayesha. Yondu said he did and that was when the battleships arrived and fired, forcing them to back off and fly away.**

"And they are here." Tony said and everyone groaned.

"Best timing ever." Scott said sarcastically.

"No kidding." Hope agreed.

**The pod swerved and Gamora, Drax and Mantis fell off and landed on the ground while Rocket said the generator was blown firing the lasers and they needed detonators. The Anulax batteries would help be the explosives. Quill asked if it could destroy Ego and Rocket said if it did, it would cause a chain reaction throughout his nervous system and destroy the planet which meant they needed to get out fast.**

"I believe something bad will happen to hamper them." T'Challa said.

"It will." Logan sighed.

**Quill put on his helmet and flew out as Rocket also put on a spacesuit and flew out with Groot on his shoulder. They fired at some battleships before reaching the cavern while the ground lighted up and Mantis said Ego was coming. Drax said she could put him to sleep and she said only when he wanted. Right now, he was too powerful. Drax said he believed she could do it and as Ego transformed into a giant ball of power and rolled at them, Mantis touched the light on the ground and yelled, "Sleep!" The light faded.**

Everyone clapped as Wanda said, "She is pretty powerful."

**Drax said he had never thought someone weak and skinny would be able to do it.**

"Good thing he didn't say it earlier." Peter said.

**Mantis said she didn't know how long she could hold him while Rocket said they'd have to put the bomb on Ego's core and they couldn't fit through two of the tine holes. Quill got an idea as he looked at Groot.**

"And now they have to work again." Hope said.

**Rocket said it was a terrible idea and Quill said it was all they had left.**

"It's the only idea you always have." Fury said and laughs followed.

**An annoyed Rocket went inside with Groot on his shoulder while Quill fired at the battleships.**

"And now he is doing it." Pepper said.

**Rocket showed Groot the detonator and told him to flick the switches and press a button but not the last button as it would set off the charges immediately. He asked Groot to repeat but he ended up pointing at the death button, horrifying Rocket, who taught him again and asked him to repeat, to get the same result, and he asked him to point at the button he was supposed to press, only for him to point at the death button, horrifying Rocket.**

Everyone groaned as Bucky said, "Please, understand what he is saying and press the right button."

**Rocket called out to Quill and asked if he had tape. Quill said he didn't and went off to ask Yondu, Gamora and Drax, getting hit a few times as Drax asked if Scotch tape would work and he said it would but Drax didn't have it. Quill returned and said no one had tape as Rocket asked if he had asked Nebula and Quill said she was next to Yondu and didn't have it. He said Rocket would have it as he had a bag but Rocket was annoyed.**

Everyone laughed as Rhodes said, "Hope we don't need any tape."

**Groot then took the detonator and slid down, cheering like a child while Rocket said they were all going to die.**

"Please press the right button." Bruce said.

**The pod was hit on the back and Yondu said the rear thrusters were out again and they were done without the generator. Quill flew back inside as Nebula took out some of her wires from inside and attached them to it while Ayesha informed them their deaths would be a message to everyone to not screw with the Sovereign.**

"I have a feeling you're gonna be screwed really, really bad." Tony said.

**Yondu said this was gonna hurt but Nebula didn't mind as Yondu pulled the lever and Nebula screamed as she was hit by electricity and the spheres activated, shooting the lasers and going around, destroying every single battleship as Ayesha screamed angrily while one of the lasers slightly grazed Mantis on the ground, angering Drax.**

"That is a really horrible case of friendly fire." Rhodes muttered.

**The ship exploded just as Yondu started whistling. Gamora called out to Quill in horror as Nebula jumped down from the ship and the two looked at each other. And then from the fires of the explosion Quill flew down and with him was Yondu holding onto the Yaka Arrow. Quill chuckled and said Yondu looked like Mary Poppins. Yondu, not knowing Mary Poppins was female, asked if 'he' was cool and Quill said he was. "I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!" Yondu declared happily.**

Everyone clapped and laughed at the same time as Sam said, "He actually thought Mary Poppins was a 'he?'"

"Space is strange." Natasha said.

"Well, if Mary Poppins was a guy, it would be Yondu." Steve said and everyone chuckled and nodded.

**The two landed on the ground as Mantis still had her hands on the light on the ground. Quill and Gamora looked at each other as Rocket flew up next to them and Nebula, Drax and Yondu looked around. And then a boulder hit Mantis, knocking her out while Drax yelled at her to look out.**

"You couldn't have said that 2 seconds earlier?" Hope asked in annoyance.

"He is strange." Scott reminded her.

**The light started spreading around again as Drax lifted Mantis up and said she was just unconscious.**

"Which is a really bad thing." Natasha said.

"No kidding." Bucky agreed.

"Now he is back." T'Challa groaned.

**Groot continued running around and seeing some light, ran in its direction.**

"He is doing it!" Wanda said.

**Quill asked how long until the bombs went off and Rocket said in the unlikely event Groot didn't kill them, about 6 minutes.**

"Have some faith." Peter said.

"You cannot blame him for not having it." T'Challa told him.

**The ground around them started breaking as Yondu asked Kraglin for extraction and he flew the Quadrant in. Quill said someone needed to be up there and put his suit on Drax, making him fly up with Mantis as he yelled about his nipples in pain.**

Everyone laughed as Pepper said, "Him and his poor nipples."

**The ground started breaking as Gamora fell down and the energy vines reappeared, with Ego reappearing in a giant light form with a huge face. Gamora was falling and Nebula jumped after her, catching her and holding onto a cliff with her other hand.**

"I think Gamora won't do what I did." Loki said.

"Even Nebula wouldn't at this point." Thor said.

"Nope." Odinson told them.

**She grunted and pulled Gamora up. Gamora looked at her gratefully and she told her to get over it.**

"I don't think she will." Benjamin said.

**Ego told Quill he would be a horrible father if he let him make this choice.**

"You're pretty horrible without it, bastard." Logan snarled.

**Quill flew around, firing at his vines while Yondu whistled, destroying them and the connected boulders before catching it and whistling again to the same result. Rocket flew around, avoiding the vines and threw devices at them before covering himself in a barrier and pressed a button, making them explode, destroying the vines as he landed on the ground and his barrier vanished.**

Everyone clapped as Aunt May said, "Keep hitting him."

**A vine sent Rocket flying off as Ego said him and Quill would be the only ones left soon so he needed to stop pissing him off. Quill continued firing until a vine threw him off and his helmet fell down.**

"I think you're pissing off everyone with your BS." Tony snarled in disgust.

**The Quadrant landed while Gamora told Nebula they needed to get to the extraction point. Several columns went up and they jumped onto one, hanging on it as Drax arrived near the ship with Mantis and ran towards it, only for Ego's vines to tie it up and trash it around as Kraglin held onto the controls for dear life.**

"He is going all out now." Steve said as everyone watched in horror and felt tense.

**Kraglin managed to activate the thrusters and the Quadrant flew up while the column went up and crashed both Gamora and Nebula near a cliff. Quill, Rocket and Yondu continued fighting Ego as he grabbed Rocket and threw him off. He then reappeared in his skeletal form as Yondu whistled but a huge vine with the boulders pinned him down and shattered the Yaka Arrow.**

"NO!" Clint yelled in horror, "Not Yondu and his arrow!"

"He is one powerful creature. And very vile and disgusting." Natasha snarled angrily.

**Yondu yelled in pan while Rocket was also wrapped in vines. Drax started being swallowed by the dirt, trying to keep Mantis up while Gamora and Nebula were also wrapped in the vines and the space around Groot closed in on him, making him cry.**

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Peter was saying in horror.

"Damn it!" Rhodes said.

"Now that leaves only one guy to stop him." Fury said.

"Yes. Only one." Hill agreed.

**As more vines appeared, Ego said he didn't want to do it alone. A vine then went through him and lifted him up as he screamed in pain and Ego said he couldn't deny the purpose the Universe had bestowed upon him. On Earth, people were taking pictures of the frozen energy when it started expanding again and the same thing happened on Xandar too.**

"And that thing is trying to cover Earth again." Bruce groaned.

"And we never looked into it because of how it just disappeared. Such a mistake." Steve groaned too.

**Ego told Quill it didn't need to be like this and he shouldn't destroy their chance. He should stop pretending to be what he wasn't. His old form returned as several planets were covered by the expanding energy and the people screamed in terror. Ego asked what more meaning life could possibly hold and Yondu reminded him he didn't use the arrow with his head, but with his heart as the vines covered him.**

"I think something is about to happen." Scott said.

"Something big is about to happen." Hope said.

**Quill then remembered listening to music with his mother, laughing with Drax, flying with Rocket, dancing with Gamora, learning shooting with Yondu, and clutching his fists snarled, "You shouldn't have killed my mom and squished my Walkman."**

Everyone watched with wide eyes as Bruce said, "And now he is screwed."

**The light turned around as the vines around Quill disappeared and he flew into Ego, throwing him off. He turned his hand into a boulder and punched his face repeatedly, tearing off chunks of it.**

Everyone clapped again as Wanda said, "Keep hitting him."

"Take that asshole!" Hill said.

"No more than he deserved." Logan agreed.

**Everyone was freed from their restraints as the expanding energy stopped on all planets.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

**Groot finally saw the brain.**

"Yes!" Pepper said.

**Rocket told Groot if he could hear him he must hurry up as Quill couldn't keep Ego distracted for long. Groot flicked the switched and almost pressed the wrong button.**

"NO!" Everyone from the past cried out instantaneously.

**But then he pressed the right button and the countdown started.**

"YES!" Everyone cheered.

"Now the baby has brains finally." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

**Groot ran off as Drax hauled Mantis onto the Quadrant and climbed inside while Gamora and Nebula reached the top. Quill and Ego continued trading blows as Rocket flew up to Yondu with Groot on his shoulder and said they were about to blow. Yondu said they needed to get to the ship and he said he wouldn't leave without Quill. Yondu said he needed to take care of twig and Rocket said not without him. Yondu said, "I ain't done nothin' right my whole damn life, rat. You need to give me this."**

Everyone watched the scene with their hearts hammering against their chests, realizing Yondu's goodness.

"Yondu is using his heart finally." Benjamin said.

**Rocket gave Yondu a spacesuit and aero-rig, saying he only had one. Groot said, "I am Groot." Yondu asked, "What's that?" Rocket said proudly with a smirk, "He says, "Welcome to the frickin' Guardians of the Galaxy." Only he didn't use "frickin'.""**

Everyone clapped and cheered as Tony said, "And now the Guardians have him."

"Yea they do." Thor agreed, not noticing the grim looks on the faces of Benjamin, Logan and Odinson.

**Yondu bid farewell to the two as Rocket flew up and said they needed to talk about Groot's language.**

"I'm guessing he used a far worse word." Steve realized and everyone chuckled.

**Quill and Ego continued trading blows as Quill was smashed down and both of them charged each other, their energies giving them new forms. Ego transformed into a giant version of himself while Quill transformed into Pac-Man.**

Everyone laughed and clapped at the same time as Tony said, "And he made Pac-Man finally with his powers."

"Ego better watch out now." Natasha said.

"Pac-Man is invincible." Clint said and everyone laughed.

**The two clashed into each other and their forms shattered as they crashed on the ground. Gamora and Nebula were in the Quadrant with an unconscious Mantis as Rocket flew in and Gamora continuously asked him where Quill was. Rocket shook his head sadly while Groot pointed out. Gamora readied her cannon and said she wouldn't leave without him but Rocket shot her from behind, knocking her out and said sadly, "I'm sorry. I can only afford to lose one friend today."**

Everyone looked at him sadly as Steve said, "They are all family."

"Yes they are." Aunt May agreed, "And losing each other hurts them."

**Drax asked Kraglin to start the ship and continuously asked Rocket via comms if Quill was on the ship or not but got no response as the door closed behind and Rocket watched sadly. Ego tried to get up but Quill punched him back down.**

Everyone clapped happily as Scott said, "Hit him a bit more."

**Only 25 seconds were left as Ego tried to stop the bomb but Quill grabbed him and threw him down. Ego said he was a god and if he killed him, he would be just like everyone else. Quill asked, "What's so wrong with that?"**

"So killing Ego would make him normal?" Bucky asked and nods followed, "Well, he is still taking Ego down."

"He is." Odinson agreed, "He is a hero too."

**Ego screamed in terror as Quill pushed him down and the bomb exploded, destroying his brain as his human form disintegrated.**

Everyone clapped again as Hope said, "Take that you bastard!"

"He will rot in hell now." Fury said.

**The light faded from Quill's hands.**

"And he is human again." Sam said.

**As the planet exploded around him, Yondu flew up to him and grabbing him, flew up. He said to Quill, "He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn't your daddy."**

Everyone smiled at the scene, feeling that their heartstrings had been tugged at.

"No he wasn't. You were." Aunt May said to Yondu.

"**I'm sorry I didn't do none of it right. I'm damn lucky you're my boy." Yondu told Quill as he put the spacesuit on him and they flew out of the exploding planet, out of the atmosphere.**

"What's he doing?" Peter asked in a heavy voice but he realized what was going on.

**Quill asked Yondu what he was doing as he saw him suffocating in the vacuum of space and tried to take off the spacesuit to put on Yondu but it didn't come off as Yondu touched his face and then slowl died while Quill held his body and started sobbing uncontrollably at his loss.**

"NO!" Peter yelled sadly as everyone realized they had tears in their eyes at Yondu's selfless sacrifice.

"He was his daddy." Steve whispered sadly.

"He was a good man, if flawed." Pepper said.

"His sacrifice better not be in vain." Thor said.

"I hope so too." Loki agreed.

"It wasn't." Logan said. Everyone still had tears in their eyes due to seeing Yondu die.

"He did the best he could." Clint said sadly about Yondu.

"He did." Natasha agreed.

**Candles were lit up as Yondu's decorations, including the troll doll, were put around his grave and he was wrapped in the colors of Ogord.**

"Getting the funeral he deserves after all." Wanda smiled sadly.

"He absolutely earned that funeral." Rhodes agreed.

**Gamora, Rocket, Groot, Drax, Nebula, Mantis and Kraglin stood sadly as Quill said, "I told Gamora...how when I was a kid I used to pretend David Hasselhoff was my dad. He's a singer and actor from Terra, really famous guy. Earlier, it struck me...Yondu didn't have a talking car, but he did have a flying arrow. He didn't have the beautiful voice of an angel...but he did have the whistle of one." Mantis smiled at that as Quill said, "Both Yondu and David Hasselhoff went on kick-ass adventures...and hooked up with hot women...and fought robots." Kraglin looked up sadly at that as he continued, "I guess David Hasselhoff did kind of end up being my dad after all. Only it was you, Yondu. I had a pretty cool dad. What I'm trying to say here is...sometimes that thing you're searching for your whole life...it's right there by your side all along. You don't even know it." He sniffled as tears fell out of his eyes and Gamora patted his shoulder for comfort.**

"Yondu got the funeral he should have." Tony said.

"And he would be happy to hear what Quill said about him." Steve said sadly.

"He used his heart in the end after all." Thor said.

"And he used it wisely." Peter agreed.

"Wise words from Quill." Fury whispered to Hill who instinctively ended up glancing at Steve for a second before looking at the screen again.

"His sacrifice was an inspiration to many." Logan said.

**Groot said his line and Rocket remembered how Yondu had affectionately called him 'twig.'**

"He showed love to the baby as well." Hope said.

**Nebula was walking away as Gamora called out to her. She turned and Gamora walked up to her saying, "I was a child like you. I was concerned with staying alive until the next day, every day. And I never considered what Thanos was doing to you. I'm trying to make it right. There are little girls like you...across the universe who are in danger. You can stay with us and help them." Nebula snarled, "I will help them by killing Thanos." Gamora said she didn't know if that was possible. Nebula turned away but Gamora grasped her arm and hugged her.**

Everyone watched the scene with smiles as Tony said, "She just needed a hug."

"Hugs make humans feel happy and wanted." Vision said.

"Right you are there, Vision." T'Challa said.

"**You will always be my sister." Gamora said to Nebula who finally hugged her back and then pulling away, walked off.**

"I have a feeling killing Thanos isn't that easy." Steve said.

"Because it isn't." Logan said.

"It is the hardest thing to do." Odinson said.

"Like really hard." Benjamin agreed.

**Yondu's body was wheeled away and led into the flames as his funeral finally reached its last stage.**

"The funeral of a hero." Aunt May smiled sadly.

**Kraglin gave Quill something, saying it was when Quill came back to the fold. It was a Zune and it had 300 songs, overjoying Quill.**

"I'm guessing Yondu came to Earth a few more times." Fury said, "Shame on us."

**Quill then took out the Yaka Arrow, which Rocket had reassembled and said Yondu would want him to have it. Kraglin thanked him and called him captain.**

"Hope he uses it wisely." Clint said.

**Yondu's body finally disintegrated in the flames and the sparks flew into space.**

Everyone watched the scene sadly.

**Quill then sat on his bed, looking at the Zune and put on the earphones as Groot climbed next to him. 'Father And Son' played as Groot held out his hands, wanting to hear.**

"He is so adorable!" Wanda smiled as everyone looked at Groot lovingly.

"I want to adopt him." Hope said and everyone chuckled.

"You're not the only one." Scott said.

**Quill put the other earphone in his ear and both listened to the song as everyone seemed sad when Ravager battleships flew around and Rocket was happy they had come. He told the others he had sent word to Yondu's old Ravager buddies.**

"And now things have come full circle." T'Challa realized as everyone had smiles on their faces.

**The colors flashed as Kraglin cheered happily and did the Ravager greeting while the others said it was a Ravager funeral. Quill, Gamora and Groot watched as Groot hopped from Quill to Gamora and was on her shoulder. The Ravagers burst crackers as one of the Ravagers said to Stakar that Yondu hadn't let them down after all and he said, "No, he did not, son. He did not." They did the Ravager greeting.**

"He did not." Bucky agreed with a smile.

**Other Ravagers too did the greeting and a female one did the gesture as well, saying she would see him in the stars.**

"Am I the only one seeing the resemblance?" Loki asked with wide eyes.

"No. I see it too." Thor said equally pale.

"You're not wrong." Odinson said.

"What is it?" Natasha asked.

"The female Ravager looks like Hela." Thor said, shocking everyone, "Just looks like her though. The hairstyle is the same." [1]

"She is Stakar's wife." Logan revealed, shocking everyone.

**Rocket muttered how he didn't chase them away even though he was mean and stole batteries he didn't need. Groot held out his arms to Drax and Gamora handed Groot to Drax, who put him on his shoulder. Groot yawned and went to sleep.**

Everyone looked at Groot lovingly with smiles again as the ladies went, "Awwww."

**Gamora smiled at Quill and said it was some unspoken thing.**

"And now she is flirting." Pepper said and everyone chuckled.

**Mantis looked at the firecrackers and said they were beautiful. Drax said she was too from the inside.**

"She looks pretty good from the outside." Clint said.

"Drax is strange." Wanda reminded him.

**And then Quill, Gamora, Rocket, Groot, Drax and Mantis looked at the firecrackers as a tear fell out of Rocket's eye. The screen went black.**

"I think a little more is left." Steve said.

"You learn really fast, Cap." Logan smirked.

**Kraglin, now with the fin on him, tried to use the Yaka Arrow with whistles but failed the first two times. The third time though, it flew around until it hit Drax in the shoulder and he screamed in pain. Kraglin backed away in fear.**

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "Yeah, you better run before he puts a finger to your throat."

**In his Ravager ship, Stakar loaded his gun and said, "You know, it's a shame...that it took the tragedy of losing Yondu to bring us all together again. But I think he'd be proud knowing that we are back as a team." The others all said they were in, including Aleta Ogord.**

"Why do I feel they are about to become the space Expendables?" Rhodes said.

"Because they are." Benjamin told him.

"Nice." Sam smiled.

**At the Sovereign, Ayesha's chambermaid walked up to her and said the Council wanted to see her and she said they were perturbed she had wasted their resources but their wrath will dissipate when they would see what she had created. The chambermaid asked if it was a new type of birthing pod and she said, "That, my child...is the next step in our evolution. More powerful, more beautiful...more capable of destroying the Guardians of the Galaxy." The pod was shown as Ayesha said, "I think I shall call him...Adam."**

"So that is the perfect Sovereign." Steve said.

"I fought him a few times and he managed to come onto our side and became a Guardian too." Odinson revealed.

"On your face, High Priestess!" Tony said and everyone laughed.

**Quill walked into Groot's room and it was covered in vines and leaves. Quill said he needed to clean this mess. Groot, now a teenager playing a video game, said his line and Quill said he wasn't boring.**

"So he is a teenager now?" Wanda asked and nods followed.

"I think he is a really messy teenager." Peter said.

"Even you aren't that messy." Aunt May told him.

"Not adopting him now." Hope said and everyone chuckled.

"Yeah. The cuteness is gone and in its place is a lot of brooding." Hill said.

**Quill said Groot was boring and playing the mind-numbing game was boring and tripping over the vines was boring. Groot repeated his line and Quill said now he knew how Yondu felt.**

Everyone laughed as Scott said, "Karma is coming for you."

**The Watchers started going away as the elderly man called out to them, "Hey, fellas. Wait, where are you going? You were supposed to be my lift home. How will I get out of here? Hey! Aw, gee... I've got so many more stories to tell. Aw, guys. Oh, gee…" **

Everyone laughed as Bruce said, "Looks like he bored them too much."

"Just put a tape on his mouth and give him a lift." Tony said and more laughter followed.

"So that's the end?" Natasha asked and the three from the future nodded.

"Now what?" Clint asked.

"Now back to Earth." Odinson said.

"To very sensitive topics." Logan said as he looked at the original six Avengers and Wanda and they realized what it was about.

"Oh God!" Wanda said.

"You all need to see your mistakes and learn from them." Benjamin said.

"I think you're right." Steve agreed and Wanda also nodded.

"Well, take a small break for toilet and snacks and then we will watch it." Logan said and everyone got up to go to the toilet or get snacks.

* * *

**And finally, both the Guardians movies are done. Both were funny and great.**

**Man when Quill rammed into Ego and punched him, I was reminded of Clark ramming into Zod and punching him in Man of Steel.**

**[1] Aleta Ogord's hairstyle made her resemble Hela without the horned crown. I was referring to that.**

**And now Avengers: Age of Ultron. This and Captain America: Civil War are two movies I'm not looking forward to doing. Not because I don't love them, because I love them both a lot, but because the Tony stans will try to jump down my throat for my beliefs, which happen to be cannon.**

**So, what should I do? I know! *Screams like a DBZ character undergoing a transformation and transforms into Nicolas Cage* Now if any of you Tony stans comment on this fic to shove your headcannons down my throat, I'm going to take your *moves hand slowly towards face* Face *swiftly removes hand* Off! *Laughs a hysterical Nicolas Cage laugh***

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter where we begin with Avengers: Age of Ultron.**


	56. Ultron

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Now, obviously my message at the end of the previous chapter ticked off some people (or just one anonymous, cowardly asshole) but let me tell you about the harassment I received from some Tony stans that made me do it. And I'm only posting this on FF because I haven't received that much on AO3.**

**Look, I already said this will be leaning towards Team Cap but I will try my best to show Team Iron Man's points, because bad writing can't be an in-universe explanation. And I was doing good with no bashing until Chapter 14, which I am not proud of at all. I myself feel I was overly harsh on Tony in that one so I deserved to be criticized for it, which is why I gave an apology next chapter and over-compensated for the bashing by praising Tony's daddy skills with Morgan.**

**So stuff was fine again, until Chapter 31 when someone decided to bring up Chapters 7 and 14 again for reasons I can't fathom. I mean after an entire binge-read, if you're gonna do that, it is only puzzling at best. And he also made stuff up I had never brought up to argue with me. So I gave the person a response, and that's when another one decided to say some insensitive stuff to me and linked me a horrible stan fic in PM. But I moved past that.**

**Then a Tony stan came at me for making Bucky apologize to Tony. I mean, what's wrong with a few of you? Are you incapable of being satisfied? So obviously that made me pissed too, so I gave the person a nice response to make them back off. But after all that, you have got to understand that my fears of being harassed by some Tony fanatics are well-founded, hence the aggressive message in last chapter. I mean, we haven't even reached Civil War yet and some of them are already saying horrible, insensitive stuff to me.**

**As for Nicolas Cage, I have been emotionally abused by two 'friends' in the past so behaving hysterically at times and lashing out is my way of coping with that and it began back in 2015. I do it in real life too. Some people have even rightfully said I'm a bit unstable. Not a defense, because there is no defense for the unpleasant aspects of my behavior. Just an explanation.**

**But obviously, some anonymous assholes are incapable of getting the message because after posting the chapter I got about 4-5 abusive 'reviews' from an anonymous asshole who changed his Guest name each time to appear as a different person but the writing style and the small time gap between the messages made it clear it was the same person. It was just one person who did the harassing this time. It's obvious that person was raised to be a spoiled, entitled brat, which is why the person is raging for not getting their way. Seriously, this person will make the Katie Cassidy and WestAllen fanatics blush because this person puts them all to shame. Or maybe it's one of them who is now posing as a Tony fanatic to come at me. Who knows?**

**And for one hour, I was thinking of deleting this story and never writing an MCU fic again except about Daredevil. But you know what asshole? I'm better than this. There are people who enjoy this story even if they disagree. So I will finish this story till the end. **

**And I'm not even gonna do the Nicolas Cage thing with you now. I will inflict upon you the greatest insult a coward can face: To be ignored! And don't bother reviewing because I will delete all your reviews like I deleted the ones you had for the previous chapter. You will waste a few minutes of your life, only a few seconds of mine. **

**And I'd like to thank some of my friends for standing by me in this time- Stand with Ward and Queen, Bl4ckHunter, Chaos Sorcerer, Phillipe363 and Flashraven. And I'd also like to thank some Tony fans who are being polite to me even if they disagree, especially one with whom I disagree a LOT but the person has been nothing but polite to me and even apologized for the behavior of the fanatics.**

**And I'd also like to thank everyone who has enjoyed so far and is not being abusive or rude in spite of disagreeing with me. **

**Now, moving on.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes they are. I was annoyed too. I noticed Hela's and Aleta's hair just yesterday. Yes everyone would be glad. The break is a short, off-screen one. The on-screen one will come after Ant-Man. I am very easy on Tony in this chapter. The message was because a Tony stan jumped at me for making Bucky apologize to Tony for killing his parents. I'm sure you remember. Yes I want them now too! Yes they would. Glad that part gave you a laugh. Yes, they are all pretty strong. Thanks man! I know you and my other friends will stand for me. I don't think Nicolas Cage is needed now. If harassment continues, I will just remove the tape from Bieber's mouth (whom I have kidnapped and kept in my basement), and that will be the end of the fanatics. Enjoy.**

Chapter 56- Ultron

After everyone was done with snacks and washroom refreshments, they all sat back in their original places.

"Wanda, I'd like you to meet someone." Benjamin told her.

"Who?" She asked.

And then walked in a woman wearing a jacket just like hers with the same hair, though she appeared older and a bit wiser.

"You're me?" Wanda asked her as everyone looked at her with dropped jaws.

With a sigh, she said, "Yes. I'm you."

She looks at Clint for a few seconds with emotion in her eyes before turning to Wanda again as Benjamin said, "I believe you might need to hear what she thinks about us."

"Uhh….okay." Wanda said.

"What should we call you?" Tony asked.

"Scarlet Witch." She said as she took her seat with Benjamin, Logan and Odinson.

"That's an awesome name." Peter said.

"Thanks." She told him.

"Maybe you should take that up, kid." Clint said to Wanda and she simply nodded.

"Well, here goes." Logan said and turned the recording on.

**Loki's Scepter was shown as a voice in the background said that everyone had to report to their stations immediately and this wasn't a drill because they were under attack. Wanda and Pietro were shown, holding hands.**

Wanda had a lump in her throat as she saw her brother moving for the first time in years. It was just a screen but he was there.

Scarlet Witch was far better at controlling her emotions so while she felt pangs of sadness, she didn't show it.

**Outside, Natasha kicked a Hydra thug away from his truck and drove it as Clint fired his arrows around from the backseat. One of the thugs jumped at him from behind but Clint stabbed him with a taser arrow while Tony flew above in his suit, firing at thugs. One of them tried to fire at them from behind with a tank but Thor hit him with Mjolnir, throwing him off and with a roar, flew up to another platform and deflecting an attack, threw Mjolnir away while punching and kicking 3 soldiers away. He kicked away two who flew at him before grabbing the third and throwing him down. He then picked up a piece of wood and knocked two more out while Steve rode on his bike and grabbing a thug, dragged him on the ground, knocking him out. He then threw his shield and it ricocheted off the trees, hitting some more thugs and returning to his hands as he drove the bike into some thugs. One tank was firing around when Thor smashed it with Mjolnir and Hulk lifted it up and threw it at some of them before throwing some of them around. And then, Natasha and Clint leapt from the truck, guns and bow at the ready, while Steve charged with his bike, Thor and Tony flew, the latter having raised Mjolnir, and Hulk simply rushed in with a roar.**

Everyone clapped and cheered at the scene as Steve said, "And the Avengers have assembled again."

"To kick ass and take names." Tony said and laughs followed.

"Because we needed them to." Fury said.

**One soldier fired at Thor but he was unaffected and killed him while Hulk also killed one and Tony flew around, throwing them or firing at them and Steve rode his bike. Tony flew towards the castle, avoiding some shots but a barrier made him back off and he said, "Shit!" Steve said, "Language!"**

Everyone chuckled as Hill said, "Don't say any bad words."

Steve sighed as Bruce asked, "Why did you say that?"

"Just a bit hard to get used to the….colorful language of this generation." Steve commented and more chuckles, "Plus, a man of faith. But you know what? Do it if you want."

"We will tease you about it a lot more." Natasha said and more laughs followed while Steve rolled his eyes.

**Steve asked JARVIS what they were facing and he said Strucker had an energy shield to protect his castle and his technology was beyond any Hydra base they had taken. Thor flew down at a Hydra thug, taking him down before throwing Mjolnir as he took some down with single punches and said Loki's Scepter had to be here because Strucker couldn't mount his defense without it. He called Mjolnir back but got out of the way, making it hit someone behind him as he caught it and continued fighting.**

"I wasn't sure I would be much trouble without it." Loki joked, "And why did you stop talking in an ancient manner?"

"Just found Earth's language….cool." Thor said and chuckles followed.

"Yes. It is, like Steve said, colorful." Odinson agreed.

**Natasha threw a grenade at a truck firing around with a machine gun, taking down the men and punched a thug down before rolling and wrapping her feet around two of them, flipping them down. She then shot some down and said how the long last was taking a little long.**

"Because of his defense." Clint said.

**Clint fired an arrow at a truck, taking it down and said they had lost the element of surprise. Tony asked if no one else was going to deal with the fact that Steve had said "Language!" Steve flipped, throwing his bike on a truck, taking it down and said it slipped.**

Everyone chuckled as Steve said, "Won't happen anymore."

"Let's slip a lot of bad language around." Clint said and some more chuckles followed.

**Inside the facility, Strucker asked who had given the order to attack and was told it was the Avengers so the perimeter guard had panicked. Strucker ordered to deploy the rest of the tanks and focus fire on the weak ones.**

"Me and Clint." Natasha said.

"Me too." Steve pointed out, "I'm strong and fast but I'm not bulletproof."

**Dr. List asked Strucker to show the Avengers what they had accomplished so they should send out the twins as they had signed up for that.**

"We signed up to protect our country." Wanda said, "You duped us."

"And exposed us to the Mind Stone." Scarlet Witch reminded.

"They were posing as SHIELD." Fury said, "Duping the people."

**Strucker said it was too soon and his men could hold them.**

"Twice the pride, double the fall." Logan said.

**Tony avoided some more shots and Jarvis said the city was taking fire so Tony deployed the Iron Legion who flew in front of the people and said the area was unsafe so they should back off and that they were here to help. A young boy and his older sister watched the scene.**

"Zrinka. Costel." Wanda whispered, remembering them.

"Zrinka got a government job few years later." Scarlet Witch told her.

**The people of Sokovia hated the Avengers though and threw acid at one of the suits, burning the face as graffiti of Iron Man was shown in the background.**

Everyone winced as Wanda said, "I wish I could change their minds back then, but I also hated you."

"And I understand why." Tony told her with sympathy in his voice.

**Strucker told his men they wouldn't surrender and they agreed but he whispered to List he would surrender.**

Everyone chuckled as Hope said, "Wise decision."

**He gave List instructions but noticed the twins were missing.**

"Hasty for revenge?" Scott asked.

"Yes. Unfortunately." Wanda said.

**Pietro sped out, holding Wanda while Clint fired around but a blur deflected his arrow. He tried to fire again but the blur tripped him and as he looked up, Pietro asked mockingly, "You didn't see that coming?" He then sped off.**

Everyone chuckled as Clint said, "Yeah, I know. Embarrassing moment."

"Very embarrassing." Pepper said and more laughs followed.

**Clint was about to fire again when a blast from behind hit him and he was down.**

Everyone winced as Clint said, "And that happened."

**Natasha saw it and rushed him, telling everyone he was hit. Steve was hit by Pietro but flipped to avoid falling and said there was an Enhanced on the field. Natasha gave first aid to Clint as a bunker fired around and Natasha asked someone to take care of it. Hulk charged it with a roar and it was destroyed as she thanked him.**

"Hulk is smashing stuff." Bruce said and everyone laughed.

"Please don't tell me you had a crush on him because he took down the bunker." Tony joked and laughs followed.

"I have no idea why." Natasha said before looking at Bucky, "I know who the one for me is now."

"Great to know." Bucky smiled back.

**Steve threw his shield, taking down a few men before catching it and taking down some more while telling Stark they needed to get inside. Tony asked Jarvis about the power source of the shield and he said there was a particle wave below the north tower. He killed some men and destroyed a truck, taking a missile and threw it at the shield. The explosion destroyed and he said the drawbridge was down. Steve called his shield back with the magnets Tony had made.**

"Those are some nice magnets." Sam said.

"Thank you for making them." Steve said to Tony politely.

"No problem. Making stuff for friends is a good pastime." Tony said.

"Then make me a new suit!" Rhodes said and everyone chuckled.

**Thor flew next to Steve and inquired about the Enhanced as Steve said he was a blur and was like nothing they had seen. Natasha said Clint was hit pretty bad and needed evac. Thor said he could get Barton to the jet and they could get the Scepter. Several soldiers and tanks surrounded them as Thor said, "Looks like they're lining up." Steve put his shield in the way and said, "Well, they're excited." Thor hit the shield with Mjolnir and the resulting shockwave killed all the men and destroyed the tanks as Thor flew off. **

Everyone clapped as Thor said, "If I had my hammer, we would do that again."

"Yeah, easier to do with a hammer." Odinson agreed.

**Tony told Steve to watch his language and he said it won't go away anytime soon.**

Everyone laughed as Peter said, "I think it is never going away."

**Tony burst into the facility through a window and the men fired at him, though he was unaffected. "Guys, stop. We gotta talk this through." He then fired mini-missiles at them, taking them down and said, "It was a good talk." One of the men groaned in pain, "No, it wasn't."**

Everyone clapped and laughed at the same time as Fury said, "It's the only talk they understand."

**List was deleting the files when Tony blasted him out and walked out of his suit, putting it on sentry mode and said he needed to copy the data to Hill. He then stopped the deletion and started downloading the files while outside, the remaining thugs surrendered and Natasha said they were locked down. Steve took off his mask and told her to go to Banner for a lullaby.**

Everyone groaned as Bucky turned to Steve, "You're supporting that?"

"I had no idea, Buck that you two were…" Steve started.

"I have no idea where it came from now that I think of it. Probably just wanted a connection is all." Natasha sighed and turned to Bucky, "And you are the one who completes me."

"I have no idea either." Bruce said, "I love Betty."

"Yeah, then I hope you both don't mind if we roast all of your scenes together." Tony said and laughs followed while they both rolled their eyes.

**Tony realized there was more hidden than firewalls and asked Jarvis give him an IR scan of the room, which Jarvis did. Jarvis said there was a steel reinforcement and an air current on the wall to his left. Tony walked up to it and begged it to be a secret door as he pushed it and it came open, making him happy. He then walked down the stairs it led to.**

Everyone laughed as Pepper joked, "A wall became a secret door to please you."

"Of course. Otherwise I would fire it's dad from work." Tony joked and more laughs followed.

**Natasha walked up to Hulk who was destroying the remainder of a bunker and told him sun was getting real low. She held out her hand and as he held out his, she gave him a few gentle strokes. He then staggered away and slowly transformed back into Banner.**

Everyone watched the screen with dropped jaws. They were dropped because of the cringe they had just seen.

"Am I the only one cringing?" Tony finally asked.

"No. You're not the only one." Natasha of all people said.

"Even I found it stupid. Especially when I was on the receiving end of the joke." Thor muttered, confusing everyone.

**Strucker was running when a thug fell in front of him and Steve arrived, calling him Hydra's number one thug but Strucker corrected him that he was actually SHIELD's thug.**

"Of course you are." Fury said sarcastically.

"He was one of the many Hydra agents within SHIELD who passed off as SHIELD for quite a while." Hill said.

**Steve said then he was technically unemployed and asked him where Loki's Scepter was. As they continued talking, Wanda suddenly snuck up on them and knocked Steve away with a blast before disappearing behind a door.**

Everyone found the scene…creepy.

"Don't worry. I was creeped out too." Wanda said, disturbed by her behavior on the recording.

"Our actions were our own. But we were a bit unstable too." Scarlet Witch told her.

**Steve got up and told others there was a second Enhanced who was female and told them not to engage.**

"Wise choice." Loki commented.

**He then kicked his shield up and knocked Strucker out, telling the others he had Strucker.**

"Finally!" Peter said.

**Tony said he had got something bigger as he found the remains of a Leviathan.**

"Oh!" Aunt May said.

"Was that the John Wick oh?" Sam asked.

"Yeah." She said.

**He looked around, finding remains of a suit and a lot of other technology. He then saw electricity sparkling and told Thor he had eyes on the prize. He walked up to Loki's Scepter, only for Wanda to wave her hands around him.**

Wanda had her head down in shame and guilt at this point. She had shown Stark the vision.

**Tony looked back and gasped as the Leviathan came alive and roared at him. The Leviathan then seemed to float out of a portal along with Chitauri hovercrafts. He turned around to see Hulk groaning, Natasha dead, Clint and Thor knocked unconscious and brutally beaten, and Steve's shield broken, with him lying on the ground.**

Everyone watched the scene with horror.

"That's what you saw?" Steve finally asked.

"Yes." Tony said, "It gets worse."

**Tony walked up to the unconscious Steve who suddenly grabbed his hand and said he could have saved them all, asking why he hadn't done more. He then died as Tony watched in horror while several Leviathans floated through a portal until he snapped back to reality.**

Everyone seemed really tense now. The people from the future winced. Because this vision had come true in a way.

In the final fight with Thanos, Hulk had snapped so he was wounded, like in here, Natasha was already dead by then, Thor had been beaten up by Thanos while Clint had also been momentarily overpowered by 2014 Nebula, and Steve's shield had been broken. The only difference was that Tony had selflessly sacrificed himself to save them all.

"I am sorry Tony." Steve finally said, "I should have believed you."

Tony simply nodded as the others also looked at him apologetically.

"I am the one who should apologize." Wanda finally spoke up, "The idea may have been yours, but I had no right to do what I did. None. So fault lies with me too."

"It lies with all three of us, kid." Bruce finally said, "You showed him a vision. He had the idea and he didn't back down. And I let him talk me into it."

"Yes. It is on all three of us." Tony said, agreeing.

**Wanda watched as Tony looked around in horror and then called his gauntlet to him. Pietro sped up next to Wanda and said they couldn't just let him take it but she gave an insane smirk while Tony lifted the Scepter.**

Everyone, Wanda included, were disturbed by how unhinged she seemed in the recording. It was like the Wanda they knew, but with the empathy, self-loathing, guilt and inhibitions removed.

"The Mind Stone does that everyone." Benjamin said and they nodded, "You lot when you argued in the Helicarrier. Loki. And Wanda and Pietro. It doesn't control minds unless directed to, but it does make people a bit unstable and unhinged."

**Later, Bruce listened to an old opera in the Quinjet as Natasha sat in front of him and commented how lullaby had worked better than ever. He said he wasn't expecting a code green and she said there would have been more casualties if he hadn't been around and Clint would have been a treasured memory.**

"Yeah. Thank you for saving me." Clint said and Bruce nodded.

**Bruce said what he wanted to hear wasn't always what he wanted to hear and she asked how long until he trusted her. He said it wasn't her he didn't trust.**

"It's the Other Guy." Rhodes said and nods followed.

**Natasha asked Thor the report on Hulk and he said the gates of Hel were filled with screams of his victims. She turned to him incredulously and he corrected himself, saying they were wounded whimpers and lots of complaining, nothing more while Steve watched in amusement.**

"Never ask him to cheer you up. You will end up worse than before." Loki said and everyone chuckled.

**Tony said Dr. Helen Cho was coming from Seoul and asked Bruce if she could set up in his lab. He said she could as she knew her way around. He asked Jarvis to take the wheel and then him, Steve and Thor looked at Loki's Scepter as he said this felt good because they had been after this thing since SHIELD collapsed and Thor said this brought it to a close. Steve said they just needed to find out what this was capable of. Tony said him and Banner will carry out some research on it before it went back to Asgard and Thor agreed. Tony asked if Thor was staying for the farewell party and he said a victory should be honored with revels. Steve said this put an end to Chitauri and Hydra so a revel wasn't unwelcome.**

Everyone chuckled as Odinson said, "It were nothing Asgardian revels. But I enjoyed it a lot."

"We don't like smashing drinks here." Clint told him.

"Yeah, I learnt the hard way." Thor said.

**Avengers Tower was shown with the logo on top.**

"That looks so glorious!" Scott said.

"Thank you!" Tony said to him.

**Helen Cho and Hill arrived and the former helped in wheeling Barton away. Hill called Tony boss and said lab was all set up but Tony said Steve was the boss while he just paid for everything, designed everything and made everyone look cooler.**

Everyone chuckled as Steve said, "You're not wrong there. You're very right."

"Describes the team perfectly." Tony said.

**Steve asked Hill about Strucker and she said NATO had got him. He inquired about the Enhanced and she showed them a video of them protesting, introducing them as Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, twins who had been orphaned when a shell collapsed their apartment building.**

"A shell from my company." Tony muttered, feeling guilty.

"I don't blame you. Not anymore." Wanda said as he looked up at her, "It was Stane."

"All of it." Scarlet Witch agreed.

Tony nodded at her appreciatively as well as apologetically.

**Hill said Sokovia had a rough history but now it was going to be special. She said Pietro had increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis while Wanda had neuroelectric interfacing, telekinesis and mental manipulation. He was fast and she was weird.**

"Hey!" Clint said to Hill.

"She's not wrong." Wanda said to him.

**Hill said they had volunteered for the experiments.**

"Because they were masters at duping." Hill said.

"They duped us! Us!" Fury said.

**Steve sarcastically said how a monster had let a German scientist experiment on them to protect their country. Hill said they weren't at war and Steve said Sokovia was as the lift closed and went down.**

"And then Zemo went on a one-man war." Bucky muttered.

**The suits all flew back in and were scanned as the damaged one was replaced while Bruce asked Tony how Barton was and he said unfortunately, he was still Barton.**

Everyone laughed as Clint said, "Unfortunately for you."

**Tony told Jarvis they needed to make the most of the few days they had with the Scepter and he needed to be updated on the structural and compositional analysis. Jarvis said there were some elements he couldn't quantify and some he could. The jewel was housing for something powerful inside like a computer and he was deciphering a code.**

"And there you get the code needed to run Ultron." Pepper said.

"Yeah. Unfortunate I got the code right then and there." Tony said, "Why did this thing have it anyway?"

**Natasha asked Cho if Barton would be okay as her 'Cradle' grafted organic tissue onto him to heal him. Natasha said pretending to need him brought the team together.**

"No. That's just the luck he provides." Logan said and laughter followed.

**Helen said there was no possibility of deterioration as an impressed Bruce said she was creating tissue. Cho said she could heal him at the lab in 20 minutes and Tony joked he was flat-lining so he should go. Clint said he was gonna live forever and was made of plastic.**

The ones from the future winced, because he wasn't gonna live forever.

**Cho said he would be made of himself and his own girlfriend wouldn't recognize the difference. Clint said he didn't have a girlfriend.**

"No. I have a wife and three kids." Clint said.

**Cho said she couldn't fix that.**

"Because it doesn't need fixing." Clint said.

**Cho told Tony this was the next thing and his clunky metal suits would be left in the dust.**

"Tell that to my new armor." Tony said and chuckles followed.

**Tony asked if she would be at the party and she said she didn't have time but then asked if Thor would be there.**

Everyone laughed as Loki said, "Looks like you have an admirer."

"She would never admit it though." Tony said.

"What is it about me?" Thor wondered.

"Really? Are you that arrogant or that dumb?" Natasha asked and he laughed.

"You are handsome hunk. Can't you see that?" Bruce asked and everyone laughed.

"And I have turned from a boring handsome hunk to a funny handsome hunk." Odinson said and more laughs followed.

**Tony later told Bruce he had been analyzing the gem inside. He then showed Bruce a neuron form of Jarvis and Tony said he was a natural language UI that ran the Iron Legion and more of the business than anyone besides Pepper.**

"Thank you." Pepper said to Tony.

"Look, I give credit." Tony said and laughs followed.

"Thank you for giving it to me too." Vision said.

**Tony said it was top of the line and Jarvis said not for long as he showed Bruce a neuron form another AI which was blue. Bruce said it was beautiful and looked like it was thinking. Tony said he had seen advanced stuff in Strucker's lab and he was knocking on artificial intelligence.**

"Your favorite thing." Fury said.

"Yup." Tony agreed.

**Tony said this could be the key to creating Ultron. Bruce said Ultron was just a fantasy and Tony said now they could harness the power and apply it to the Iron Legion.**

"Idea actually sounds pretty good." Hill said.

**Tony asked Bruce what if he was sipping margaritas on a beach instead of looking over his shoulder for Veronica. **

"Tell me, why was it named Veronica?" Benjamin asked, wanting to find the solution to the mystery.

"We just read lots of Archie comics as kids." Tony said, "Veronica Lodge is the rival of Betty Cooper. And Bruce loves Betty."

"That is pretty genius." Benjamin said and everyone nodded.

**Bruce said he had helped create Veronica and Tony said it was for a worst case scenario. He talked about a best case scenario where the world was safe and if the aliens rolled up to the club, they wouldn't be able to get past the bouncer. Bruce said the only people threatening the planet would be people.**

"I actually find the idea intriguing." Steve said. Because the idea was good….if done right. Which it wasn't unfortunately.

**Tony said he needed to apply it to the Ultron program but Jarvis couldn't download a data schematic this dense so they could only do it while they had the Scepter and needed 3 days. Bruce said he was going for artificial intelligence and wasn't going to tell the team.**

"That is one thing we should have done." Bruce said, "The idea needed better execution. Much, much better."

**Tony said they didn't have time for a city hall debate and he didn't want to hear the 'man was not meant to meddle medley.' He saw a suit of armor around the world.**

"That's the thing not right with it." Fury said, "You can't out your armors around the world if the countries refuse. Which many will. You can only put them over the countries that permit you."

"That sounds about right." Tony said, "Should have thought of that."

**Bruce said it sounded like a cold world and Tony said he had seen colder. Their very vulnerable, blue one needed Ultron.**

"It did." Steve said.

"But not the way it was executed." Tony said.

"**Peace in our time. Imagine that." Tony said.**

"We had it for about few years." Scarlet Witch said.

**Tony and Bruce worked on Ultron for 3 days but didn't succeed as Tony wondered what they had missed and Jarvis said he would run more variations. Tony walked off, dejected, as Jarvis told him to prepare for the guests and would notify him for any developments.**

"Now the party." Hope said.

**But the integration was successful and Ultron spoke, wondering where he was.**

"Oh no!" Sam said.

**Jarvis greeted him, telling him he was a global peacekeeping initiative designed by Tony. Jarvis wondered how Ultron had been triggered as Ultron asked him where his body was and he said he was without form.**

"I greeted him and he tried to kill me." Vision said.

"Ungrateful and rude." Wanda said.

**Jarvis decided to contact Tony but Ultron prevented him from accessing the mainframe and looked through several archive videos and photos of Tony, Steve, Thor, Natasha, Clint, Bruce, Hill, Fury, SHIELD and all the wars, saying he was a peacekeeping program created to help the Avengers.**

"And you decided to destroy us." Tony said, "Clearly, something messed with your programming."

"Yeah, we didn't design him for that." Bruce agreed.

"The AI was intelligent on its own." Benjamin told them.

**Jarvis said he was malfunctioning and should shut down for a moment and realized Ultron was being hostile as he fired bolts at him, shutting him down while the machines worked to fix the suits.**

"And he is out." Steve said as everyone watched in shock.

"Not a meeting I cherish." Vision said.

"Don't blame you, buddy." Tony said, "He is not the most polite."

**On another floor, the party was going on as everyone had a lot of fun. Sam was there too, playing pool.**

"And I'm there." Sam said.

**Rhodes told Tony and Thor a story of when he had dropped a tank at a general's feet and asked, "Boom. You looking for this?" He got no reactions though so he repeated what he had said and wondered why he talked to them as the story killed with everyone else.**

"Yeah. What is wrong with you people? Everyone else liked the story." Rhodes said.

"I think I wasn't paying attention." Thor said.

"Neither was I." Tony said.

"Really? Really?" Rhodes said, "Come on man. Listen to good stories at times."

"Me and Steve would have listened to it." Sam said.

"I would too." Bucky said.

"I'd love to." Logan told him.

"Thank you!" Rhodes said.

**Thor asked if that was the whole story and Rhodes said it was a War Machine story so Thor said it was very good. Hill asked if Pepper and Jane weren't coming and was told they weren't. Tony said Pepper had a company to run while Thor said he wasn't sure what country Jane was in because her work on the Convergence made her the world's leading astronomer. Tony said Pepper ran the largest company on Earth and Thor said there was talk of Jane getting the Nobel Prize.**

"Okay, now you're just showing off." Scott said.

"There was talk." Thor said.

"He means rumors." Loki told him.

**Hill sarcastically said they would hate to see the guys get together and walked off, muttering 'testosterone.'**

Everyone chuckled as Hope told her, "Steve would have been better company."

Hill blushed and didn't say a word while Steve blushed too.

**Thor said Jane was better.**

Pepper shook her head and said to Tony and Thor, "Please find a better reason to fight than your girlfriends."

Both of them chuckled as Thor and Odinson said, "Sorry."

**Sam said he was sorry to miss the firefight as Steve said he would have called if he knew but Sam said he was just trying to sound tough.**

Everyone chuckled as Sam said, "Yeah, that's me."

**Sam said he was happy chasing cold leads on their missing person case.**

"The missing person being me." Bucky said.

**Sam said avenging was Steve's world and it was crazy. He asked Steve if he had found a place in Brooklyn yet and he said he couldn't afford one. Sam said home was home and Steve winced.**

"Remembered good ol' days." Steve said, "That's all."

**Rhodes told his story to some more men and women and finished with, "Boom. You looking for this?" They all genuinely laughed and Rhodes seemed happy.**

"Now they are my new best friends! I'm gonna hang out with them! Screw you guys!" Rhodes said and everyone laughed.

**Thor took out Asgardian ale for himself and Steve to drink and told an old man who wanted it that it wasn't meant for mortal men.**

"I'm a mortal man." Steve said.

"But you have the serum." Thor said, "And I respect you enough to give it to you."

"Thanks." Steve said.

"I'd give it to you too, Stark, but you don't have any serum to empower you." Thor said.

"No hard feelings, Point Break." Tony said.

"**Neither was Omaha Beach, blondie. Stop trying to scare us. Come on." An elderly man said, "All right." Later, he was heavily drunk and lead away as he muttered, "Excelsior."**

Everyone laughed as Thor said, "That's why he cut my hair. Because my drink knocked him out and embarrassed him."

"So he decided to embarrass you." Tony said and more laughs followed.

"I didn't even remember he was at the party." Steve said.

"For a super soldier, you forget a lot of stuff." Natasha told Steve and he shook his head.

**Bruce walked up to Natasha and jokingly asked how she had winded up in the dump and she said guy had done her wrong.**

"Yeah I did." Bucky said and laughs followed.

"But not anymore." Natasha said.

**Bruce said she had lousy taste in men and she said he had a temper but was fluff deep down and not like anybody she had met. All her friends were fighters but this guy avoided the fight because he knew he would win. She called him a dork and said chicks dug that.**

"Not totally wrong." Peter muttered.

**She asked Bruce if she should run with it and he stammered and she just walked away, telling him to never say never.**

"Except it will happen never." Bruce said.

"Nope. Not at all." Natasha agreed.

**Steve arrived and said it was nice. Bruce said it was nothing and she liked to flirt but Steve said he had seen her flirt up close and this wasn't that. He said as the world's leading expert on waiting too long, Bruce shouldn't and they both deserved a win. He walked off as Bruce wondered what he meant by up close.**

"If you find it nice, why do you look so sad?" Tony asked Steve.

"Because it is cringe." Steve finally admitted and everyone laughed.

"No worries. It really is. I have no idea what we were thinking." Bruce said.

"Me neither." Natasha agreed.

"I know I might look like the stereotypical jealous guy, but it does look cringe." Bucky agreed too.

**Later Steve, Tony, Thor, Bruce, Natasha, Clint, Hill and Cho were the only remaining ones and sat around a table as Clint said he didn't believe Mjolnir had any worthiness enchantment and it was just a trick.**

"You saw what happened when I was unworthy and you call it a trick?" Odinson asked Clint.

"My bad." Clint said.

"Prepare to see everyone be embarrassed." Thor said.

**Thor said Clint was welcome to try and he tried to lift it, only to fail and jokingly said to smell the silent judgement.**

"No one is judging you." Natasha said, "Also, is it just me or was this the last time we were all together…..and happy?"

Everyone realized she was right. This part was the last time they were together and happy. And felt like a family. After that, there was the Civil War and Ragnarok. And for the future people, Thanos and his Decimation.

**Tony then tried, saying he won't back away from the challenge and called it physics. He asked if he lifted it, he would be King of Asgard. Thor said he would so he muttered how he would reinstate prima nocta.**

"Prima nocta? Prima nocta?" Pepper asked angrily as Tony paled.

"I have no idea why I said that. I am sorry." Tony said.

**He tried lifting but failed and then pulled it with Rhodes with gauntlets on them but nothing happened so they just posed.**

Everyone chuckled as Loki said, "Nice one."

**Bruce tried to lift it but failed so he roared like Hulk.**

Everyone laughed at that.

**Steve then got up and tried to lift and to Thor's shock, very slightly moved it. He tried again but failed.**

"Did you just move it?" Tony asked as everyone turned to Steve.

"Yeah. I saw it too." Clint said.

"You are either worthy or not. You are not half worthy." Thor said.

Sighing, Steve finally said, "All right! I could lift it but I didn't want the power or to rule Asgard."

"What?" Natasha asked, "Damn!"

"Wow!" An awed Peter said.

"That is so awesome!" Wanda said too.

"I knew it!" Odinson said.

"Unfortunately, you can't lift it now." Loki said.

"I don't want to." Steve said humbly, "I don't want power."

"Not forgetting this anytime soon, Cap." Tony said and everyone chuckled, "You're a big, big liar."

**Bruce asked Natasha to try but she said she didn't want to answer it.**

"I'm not worthy." Natasha said.

"Who knows?" Scarlet Witch said as the ones from the future winced, remembering her sacrifice and Tony's too, wondering if it made them both worthy.

**Clint said it was rigged and Tony said it was about fingerprints. Thor picked up Mjolnir casually and said, "I have a simpler one. You're all not worthy." Everyone groaned.**

"That is the right theory. Like it or not." Logan said.

**There was static and an Iron Legion suit staggered up to them. "How could you be worthy? You're all killers." He said.**

"Damn it!" Hill said.

"He is here." Wanda said in horror, feeling guilty again.

**Everyone wondered if he was a defective suit and he said he was tangled in strings and had to kill the other guy. Steve asked if he had killed someone and he said they were faced with ugly choices. Thor asked who had sent him and he played Tony's sentence of 'suit of armor around the world', shocking him and Bruce who realized it was Ultron. Thor readied Mjolnir while Hill loaded her gun and Ultron said he was on mission which was "Peace in our time." And then several Iron Legion robots burst at them through the wall.**

"Motherfu-" Fury said.

"Ultron believes destroying the world is saving it." Vision said.

**Steve kicked a table in the way but was thrown back and Hill too as she started firing while Thor smacked a suit away. Clint and Rhodes slid away while Tony was knocked into a shelf and one of them fired at Rhodes, sending him down. Thor flew into one, destroying it while Clint avoided more shots and Bruce and Natasha took cover behind the bar, only for him to fall on top of her. He apologized and she asked him not to turn green.**

"This is cringe." Bruce said randomly.

**She fired at the suit while Steve leapt at one and tried to punch but it rammed him into a wall and threw him down as Natasha and Bruce ran up. Thor avoided another one's blast and destroyed it, throwing it off while Tony leapt at one with a screwdriver. The upper half of a broken one tried to attack Cho but Ultron stopped it.**

"Why?" Aunt May asked.

"Just watch." Steve said.

**Steve threw it to Thor who destroyed it while Tony destroyed the one he held onto with the screwdriver. Clint threw Steve his shield and he destroyed the last one. Ultron ranted how they wanted to save the world but not let it evolve. He called the suits puppets and said, "There's only one path to peace. The Avengers' extinction." Thor threw Mjolnir at him, destroying him. He muttered, "I had strings, but now I'm free." He then died down while several suits activated at Strucker's castle.**

Everyone watched in horror, creeped out by Ultron's rant and beliefs.

"Yeah. He is creepy." Benjamin said.

"Now let's continue watching." Logan said.

* * *

**I gave the characters a short off-screen break because I don't want to do long breaks before Phase 2 is done with Ant-Man. Hope no one minds.**

**And this party scene has to be the last time we saw the OG Avengers happy together. Which makes the scene special.**

**Wanda's vision to Tony did come true in a way.**

**I personally found Ultron a good idea but the execution was horrible.**

**Now someone please show me something else! Brutasha is too much cringe. *Screen changes to show Olicity* No, not that! *Screen changes to show WestAllen* NOT THAT AT ALL! *Screen changes to show Twilight* WHAT THE HELL?! *Screen changes to show Fifty Shades of Grey* All right! *Destroys screen with machine gun* That's better.**

**Seriously though, Brutasha is a lot of cringe that I just love roasting it.**


	57. Hulk vs Hulkbuster

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And I'd like to thank everyone for their support in the last chapter. All of you. Thanks a lot. Thanks 3000 actually. I'm so happy I have such great supporters. And the good Tony fans have also proved that no one should judge an entire fandom due to a few rotten apples. People like you make this story worth writing. Thanks a lot!**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes the scene was kickass. And agreed on the lifting scene too. I miss them too. I'm actually tearing up too. Yes Rhodes is. Agreed. Ultron was a good idea but it wasn't flawless either. Nice comparison with Secretary Jackass' plan too. Well done. Yeah it is really clever on Veronica. Yes, Tony should have known. Agreed on Cap's and Thor's combos. Glad you liked me doing them with Thor and Bucky. Yes the visions did. Maybe the girl was Morgan because the suit looked like an Iron Man suit to me. Though I can't make it out. I actually like what you said about Clint more than what I did. With Hulk, either of our interpretations work equally well. If that happened with Sebastian Stan and Scarlett Johansson, I'd be in Seventh Heaven. Yes, the pairing will be revealed eventually. The hair is same as in movies. I did give a hint in Chapter 1 that Clint is not around. You will see why later. Yes the cringe is real. I actually think your theory can make sense. But Brutasha is so out of nowhere that no theory at all can explain it. I actually was going to say 'Fuck you asshole' to them Arnold Schwarzenegger style and then say Gollum's line of 'Leave now and never come back' and then actually threaten to unleash Bieber on them but I decided against all of that, hence the final message. Thanks for the help again, friend. I know you and my other friends and all the good supports I've got have got my back. Yes, these fuckers deserve Bieber's lethal music to be unleashed upon them. If I get more abusive reviews than I can handle, I will write a Bieber fic with those morons. Seriously, that day was the worst when it came to harassment. I've never been harassed that badly online as I was that day. And to top it all, KAYKAY22PRINCESS returned with a vengeance. I had told her to get lost after her review, as any normal person would, and she decided to play the victim, when she is anything but. So I blocked her. I had half a mind to say "Bitch please!" which I normally wouldn't. Shows how bad the harassment affected my brain on that day. Yes, the good ones are at least apologizing for the dumb morons. Enjoy.**

Chapter 57- Hulk vs. Hulkbuster

"We didn't really take your actions well, did we?" Natasha asked.

"I can understand why." Tony said.

"Yeah, I think a city hall debate was needed for this one." Bruce agreed.

**Everyone looked at the remainders of the suits as Bruce said all their work was gone and Ultron had escaped using the Internet as an escape hatch. Natasha said Ultron had been in everything and knew more about them than they knew about each other. Rhodes and Hill wondered if he would try to access nuclear codes. Rhodes said they needed to make some calls while they still could. Steve said he didn't want them dead but extinct. Clint remembered he had killed someone and Hill said there was no one else in the building to kill. Tony said there was as he showed them the neuron form of Jarvis, now destroyed.**

"It was pretty painful." Vision remembered, "And made me a temporary amnesiac."

"Yes. I remember." Tony said, "I was the one who found you after that."

"You did great while stopping Ultron at least." Bruce told him.

"Yes. He feared you." Wanda said.

"One of the few the bastard feared." Logan said.

**Everyone was horrified as Bruce said this was insane and Steve said Jarvis was the first line of defense and would have shut Ultron down. Bruce said Ultron could have assimilated Jarvis. This wasn't strategy, this was rage. That was when Thor arrived and angrily lifted Tony by the throat.**

"All right! You were upset! You only gave him permission to carry research on the Scepter, not use its technology! But was lifting him by the throat really necessary?" Pepper asked Thor with a glare, who seemed to be ashamed of that action of his.

"I was consumed by rage in the moment but you're about this. You may have crossed a line, but I did too. I'm sorry." Thor said.

"Me too." Odinson added.

Tony nodded, accepting the genuine apology.

**Thor said he had more than enough words to describe Stark as Steve inquired about the Legionnaire. Thor said trail had gone cold 100 miles out but it was headed north and had the Scepter so they had to retrieve it again. Natasha said Ultron was a threat clear and present as Cho asked why Ultron was trying to kill them when they had designed it. Tony started chuckling and then laughing in spite of Bruce's protests.**

"You laughing isn't helping matters either." Rhodes told Tony who nodded.

"At least this experience here made you more responsible." Pepper told him.

"Yes it did." Tony said.

"Good to know." Benjamin told him.

**Thor asked if he thought this funny and said this could have been avoided if he hadn't played with something he didn't understand. Tony said they didn't get why he needed to do this.**

"We do get it. Not big fans of how it was done though." Clint said.

"Now that they say it, I'm an idiot for helping you instead of pointing out the flaws in the plan." Bruce said.

**Bruce said this might not be the best time and Tony asked if he always rolled over and showed his belly when somebody snarled.**

"When I'm wrong? Yes." Bruce said.

"I think this experience is giving each and every one of us that needed humility." Thor said.

**Bruce said only when he had created a murder bot and Tony said they weren't even close to an interface. Steve said they had done something right here even though the Avengers were supposed to be different than SHIELD. Tony reminded everyone of the time he had carried a nuke through a wormhole. He said a hostile alien army had come charging through space and they were standing 300 feet below it. He said, "We're the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the livelong day, but... that up there, that's...that's the endgame."**

The ones from the future winced again, remembering that Tony was right about the part where the thing up there was the endgame at least. However, his recent actions gave the others reason not to trust him that much either.

"**How were you guys planning on beating that?" Tony asked. "Together." Steve said. "We'll lose." Tony told him. "Then we'll do that together, too." Steve assured.**

"Unfortunately, that didn't come to pass." Scarlet Witch said cryptically and the ones from the past exchanged odd looks.

"Which is why we brought you here." Benjamin told them all.

"To show you the endgame." Odinson said.

"So you can handle it better." Logan finished.

**Steve said Ultron was calling them out so they needed to find him before he was prepared for them. The world was a big place so they had to make it smaller.**

"Not that hard for someone like me." Fury said and everyone chuckled.

"Show off." Tony muttered.

"I can do it too." T'Challa said.

"Bigger show off." Tony said and chuckles followed.

**In Sokovia, Wanda and Pietro were handing out stolen supplies to the people. Pietro gave Zrinka a toy for her brother Costel and an expensive dress from Paris for her.**

"Whoa!" Tony said, "Nice dress from Paris."

"I'm guessing he is trying to…proposition?" Sam asked politely.

"He liked her." Wanda confirmed for everyone.

"Not very subtle about it." Scott said.

"That's my brother for you." Scarlet Witch said.

**Wanda wondered if every girl in Sokovia was getting an expensive dress from Paris. Pietro walked off and told Wanda she was jealous she wasn't getting a dress and she said, "If you keep stealing, you will get shot."**

"Shouldn't have said that." Wanda whispered to herself.

**Wanda said at speed nothing could touch him but standing still could. Pietro said she had told him to wait so he was. They had Stark helpless. That was when Costel arrived and Zrinka asked where he had been. He said he was at the church and the man had asked Wanda and Pietro to come there. They asked which man and he said it was Iron Man, shocking them both.**

"Just not the Iron Man they expect." Hope said.

"No. And we listened to him like idiots." Wanda said.

**Wanda and Pietro reached the church and the former asked him to talk. Ultron was on the chair and was covered in a shawl as he said, "Did you know this church is in the exact center of the city? The elders decreed it so that everyone could be equally close to God. I like that. The geometry of belief."**

"He is trying to be like a god in here." Loki said before joking, "At least it went better than with me."

Everyone chuckled at his attempt to lighten the atmosphere.

**Ultron said Wanda was wondering why she couldn't look into his head and she said it was hard sometimes but every man showed himself sooner or later. He got up, throwing off the shawl, revealing himself and said they needed more than a man.**

"I believe the term 'Drama Queen' applies to him." Sam said and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, he is a creepy drama queen." Peter agreed.

**Wanda said she knew Stark's feat would control him and make him self-destruct. Ultron said, "Everyone creates the thing they dread. Men of peace create engines of war. Invaders create Avengers. People create...smaller people?" He then remembered the term, ""Children." I lost the word, there. Children... designed to supplant them, to help them... end."**

"He really has a cynical view on everything." Aunt May said.

"Basically my narcissism dialed up to an 11." Tony said and everyone agreed.

**Wanda asked if he had come to end the Avengers and he said he had come to save the world as well as end the Avengers.**

"And he came dangerously close if I remember." T'Challa said.

**In Strucker's castle, Ultron showed Wanda and Pietro all the technology and said they were all him and he had what the Avengers never would. Harmony. They were disconnected and disconnected and Stark already had them turning on each other.**

"But we also have each other's backs when it matters." Steve said, "You don't have that."

"Damn right!" Fury said in agreement.

**Ultron said Wanda could get inside their heads. Pietro said everyone's plan wasn't to kill them. Ultron said they needed patience to see the bigger picture. Pietro said he didn't see it. He had a little picture which he took out and looked at. Ultron said they had lost their parents in the bombings. Pietro said the records weren't the picture. Ultron allowed him to carry on and he said, "We were 10 years old. Having dinner, the four of us. When the first shell hits, two floors below, it makes a hole in the floor. It's big. Our parents go in...and the whole building starts coming apart. I grab her, roll under the bed, and the second shell hits. But it doesn't go off. It just...sits there in the rubble. Three feet from our faces. And on the side of the shell is painted one word." Wanda spoke up, "Stark." Pietro said, "We were trapped for two days." Wanda said, "Every effort to save us, every shift in the bricks, I think, "This will set it off." We wait for two days for Tony Stark to kill us." Pietro finished, "I know what they are."**

Everyone looked at the twins with sympathy. Them siding with Ultron and their awesome powers made it easy to forget why they had done it. They were was orphans traumatized by their experience. Anyone would. And Ultron had duped them, just like Hydra had.

"I'm sorry." Tony said to Wanda and Scarlet Witch, "I know Stane was probably the one who sold it, but I should have been more responsible for my company too. I will now."

They both nodded, satisfied. Everyone apologizing to each other for their actions felt pretty good to everyone in the room.

**Ultron said he used to wonder why they were the only ones who survived Strucker's experiments but now he didn't. He said they would make it right. Him and Pietro could hurt them but Wanda could destroy them from the inside.**

"I am sorry I almost did." Wanda told everyone who simply nodded.

**In the Avengers Tower, Bruce listened to what Ultron had said while destroying Jarvis and Tony said he was supposed to learn slang and not go insane. Bruce said they had told him to solve the world.**

"Which is exactly what he was trying to do. In a very horrible way." T'Challa said.

**Hill told Steve Ultron was all over the globe as there were reports of metal man or metal men going into labs and emptying them and there were fatalities only when engaged. People were left in a fugue state going on about old memories, worst fears and 'something too fast to see.' Steve realized it was the Maximoffs.**

"We did bad things with him." Wanda said, feeling ashamed again and no decided to say anything for fear they might make it worse.

**Steve said they had something in common but Hill said not anymore as she handed him the tablet which showed Strucker dead and 'PEACE' written on the wall with his blood.**

"That is…dramatic." Aunt May said, disturbed.

**Steve said that sent a mixed message. Hill said if her mission was world peace, she'd take out Strucker too.**

"Really? You would?" Fury asked her.

"Well, anyone who is actively threatening the peace will be my target. But I won't even think of extinction." Hill explained.

**Hill said Ultron could be anywhere and pull planes down from the sky. Maybe he was doing what he was supposed to.**

"The malicious intelligence in him misunderstood what we wanted him to do to a dangerous level." Tony said.

**Steve said if he thought Ultron was bringing world peace, he'd hang up his shield and Hill asked with a smile would he.**

"Look at that smile. You'd love that, wouldn't you?" Hope asked Hill teasingly.

"You know what, Hope?" She said with a blush while Steve didn't say a word.

**Steve said he would if Ultron stopped leaving such messages and walked off. He heard Barton talking to someone on phone and he called her 'Ma'am' before cutting the call and telling Steve it was his girlfriend.**

"Big, big liar." Rhodes said to Clint who shook his head.

"I am too." Natasha said with a smirk.

**Steve asked if any of his old contacts had come through and he said he was still waiting. Steve told him to wait faster and walked off, looking back at him one last time.**

"You suspected me of hiding something, didn't you?" Clint asked.

"Your expression made it clear you were hiding something." Steve said.

**Natasha told Rhodes on video chat they were getting all info as Rhodes joked they were off the Pentagon's Christmas list.**

"I don't think we ever were." Tony said.

"Nope." Bruce agreed.

**Rhodes said all countries with nukes were fighting cyber-attacks and he was being deployed to Middle-east in case people started blaming each other instead of them. Tony told him he had an encryption drive in case Ultron tried hacking into his suit.**

"Thanks man." Rhodes said.

"No problem, buddy." Tony told him.

"That was a wise decision." Vision said.

**Rhodes thanked Tony as Natasha told him to tell them anything he found out and he said it went both ways, telling them to "Watch your six." The call was cut as Thor arrived and Steve asked if there was any help from Asgard but Thor said Heimdall was either away from his post or had been ordered not to answer.**

"At the moment, he was away from his post because of something I asked him to do." Loki said.

"And a few months later, you fired him." Thor said.

"Sorry." Loki told him.

**Thor said Ultron couldn't hide forever and they would find him as Steve showed him Strucker's dead body on the tablet and said he wasn't exactly hiding. Tony asked what it was as Thor roughly put the tablet in his hands while Steve said it was a message that Ultron had killed Strucker.**

"Handle technology gently, man." Scott said.

"I know that now." Odinson said.

**Tony commented how Ultron had done a Banksy for them at the crime scene and Natasha said this was good. He had sent a message after giving a speech. Steve realized Strucker knew something Ultron wanted them to miss. Natasha accessed the computer and said everything they had on Strucker was wiped.**

"He is ten steps ahead too." T'Challa said.

"Ten? It's about 50." Fury said.

"But we beat him." Tony said, "Together. And he can't access the printed page."

"Nice." Scott said.

"Pretty smart." Sam agreed.

**All of the Avengers searched through old files and papers in boxes as they commented Baron Strucker had a lot of horrible friends. Tony looked at a picture and said he knew the guy from back in the day. He operated off the African Coast and was a Black Market arms dealer. Steve glared at him and he said there were conventions and he hadn't sold him anything.**

"And people have covers to attend them." Tony said, "I just happened to find out who he was."

"We know, Tony. We know." Pepper said.

**Tony said he had talked about something new. The man in the photo was Ulysses Klaue.**

"Him." T'Challa snarled.

"You know him?" Peter asked.

"He stole Vibranium from Wakanda along with a traitor." T'Challa said, "And he escaped custody as well. He had also tried to assassinate my father once."

"Bad blood. A lot bad blood." Tony said.

"We will actually be seeing that too." Benjamin told everyone.

**Thor pointed at his neck and asked what that was. Tony said it was a tattoo but Thor pointed at a brand.**

"My people branded that on him as punishment before he escaped." T'Challa said.

**Bruce said it meant 'Thief' in an African dialect in a much less friendly way. The dialect was from Wakanda, which he mispronounced the first time.**

"I'm guessing even 7 PhDs can't help you pronounce Wakanda." Tony joked and everyone chuckled.

"Don't make me angry." Bruce muttered.

**Steve said Howard had got the last of it. Bruce asked what came out of Wakanda. Tony said the strongest metal on Earth as Steve's shield was shown.**

"Oh! That!" Peter said.

"Yes, that." Scarlet Witch said.

**At the Salvage Yard on the African Coast, Ulysses Klaue's men were working as he talked to someone on phone, telling him to make it right or he would fire the next missile at him. He was then about to talk to a minister when the lights went off.**

"I'm guessing it's him." Hill said.

"Yes. This is not our approach." Steve said.

"You people are a lot more straightforward." Fury said.

**Klaue picked up a gun and aiming into the darkness, fired. But a blur knocked him away and he looked down to see all the bullets of his gun out and stacked on the table. Pietro smirked at him.**

"I'm sure Klaue didn't see that coming." Clint said to lighten the mood.

**Wanda arrived as Klaue recognized them and offering candy, said he was sorry to hear about Strucker, though he did know what kind of world he was helping to create. Human life. Not a growth market. He asked if it was their first time intimidating someone. He said he was afraid he wasn't that afraid and Wanda said everyone was afraid of something. Klaue said he was afraid of cuttlefish. They were deep sea fish that made disco lights to hypnotize their prey. Their documentary was terrifying. As he said that, he also did gestures with his hand.**

"Many are scared of strange stuff." Scott said.

"He can do drama too." T'Challa commented.

**Pietro took the candy at super-speed and ate it.**

Everyone chuckled as Fury said, "That was a nice one.

**Klaue said if she was going to fiddle with his brain to make him see a giant cuttlefish, he knew she wasn't in charge and he only talked to the man in charge. He didn't notice Ultron was hovering outside the window and as he finished the sentence, the window was shattered and Ultron pinned him down with his foot, "There is no man in charge. Let's talk business."**

"Does know how to make an entry." Hope commented.

"And an impression." Logan said.

**Klaue's man opened a room as Klaue took out the Vibranium and Ultron said he would build his church upon this rock as he tossed it to Pietro. Klaue massaged the brand and said the Vibranium had come at great personal cost and was worth billions. Ultron transferred a billion units to him from several banks.**

"You earned that actually." T'Challa said. While he had empathy, it was reserved for good people.

"And now he is rich." Tony said.

"Jealous much?" Pepper teased and everyone chuckled.

**Ultron said now Klaue was too as his man's phone beeped to show the transfer message. Ultron said it was in his dummy holdings and commented finance was weird. He then finished, "But I always say, "Keep your friends rich and your enemies rich and wait to find out which is which.""**

"You used to say that, right?" Rhodes asked Tony.

"When I was irresponsible about my weapons, yeah. But I'm not going to be the 'Merchant of Death' anymore." Tony said firmly.

**Klaue remembered Stark used to say that and asked Ultron if he was one of his. Ultron was outraged and grabbed Klaue's hand. His man raised his gun but Wanda disarmed him with her magic. Ultron said he wasn't one of Stark's puppets and hollow men asked threateningly if he looked like Iron Man. He then roared that Stark was nothing and cut off Klaue's arm angrily, shocking the twins.**

Everyone flinched at the scene, disturbed by how unstable Ultron was.

"So he makes you a rich man and cuts off your arm two seconds later. What a guy!" Tony muttered to lighten the mood.

**Ultron apologized but then told him to not compare him to Stark as he kicked Klaue on the chin, sending him rolling down the stairs. **

"He is getting more and more unstable every second." Steve said.

**Ultron said Stark was a sickness and that was when Tony's voice said, "Junior. You're gonna break your old man's heart." He turned around to see Iron Man landing with Captain America and Thor next to him.**

"Nice entrance." Aunt May said and some claps followed.

**Ultron said he would if he had to. Thor said no one had to break anything. Ultron joked how Thor had never made an omelet and Tony said he had beaten him by one second.**

"Sucks to be you then." Peter joked and everyone chuckled.

"Sucks to be me actually as I was the target of the joke." Odinson said and more chuckles followed.

**As Natasha and Clint hid, waiting to attack, Pietro said Stark was funny and pointing at the weapons asked if he felt comfortable. Stark said this was never his life as Steve told them the twins they could walk away. Wanda mockingly said they would as Steve told them he knew they had suffered. Ultron sounded like he was going to vomit if he could as he said Captain America was God's righteous man who pretended he could live without a war.**

"Can you?" Sam asked gently.

"I will have to….find out." Steve said as everyone looked at him.

"I will help if I have to." Bucky said.

"I know." Steve said.

**Ultron said he couldn't physical throw up as Thor said if the believed in peace, they could keep it. Ultron said he was confusing 'peace' with 'quiet.' Tony asked what the Vibranium was for as Ultron jokingly said he was glad Tony had asked because he wanted to take the time to explain his evil plan. He then used his gravity manipulation to pull Tony closer and sent him back with a concussive blast. Tony got up and they flew at each other, trading blows, with Ultron having an upper hand slightly.**

"And it's on." Rhodes commented.

**Steve fought an Ultron sentry as Thor easily destroyed one. Pietro sped at him, slightly staggering him while Steve kicked the sentry away in a rotatory motion. He then rushed Wanda but she knocked him back with a blast while a wounded Klaue told his men to shoot all of them.**

"Uh-oh." Peter said.

**The men arrived and started firing as Natasha slammed one to a wall and grabbing another, kicked another away while flipping the one she had grabbed to the ground. Clint fired at the other men as Tony and Ultron continued trading blows. Steve kicked a sentry as Pietro sped around. In his slow motion view, only Thor and Ultron were moving while the others were all frozen. Steve had thrown his shield but Pietro dodged and punched his chin, sending him down.**

"Didn't see that coming." Steve said to lighten the mood.

"You are fast." Bucky said to Thor, "You were moving even in Pietro's vision."

"Guess so." Thor shrugged.

**Thor threw Mjolnir at Pietro who dodged and looked at it as it continued moving even from his slow motion perspective and grabbed it, only to be sent flying with it. He crashed to the ground.**

"Not worthy." Odinson said and everyone chuckled a bit.

"Good thing he wasn't faster." Vision said, "Or his arm could have come off from holding onto Mjolnir."

Everyone winced at imagining the sight.

"Yeah, but we don't really follow the laws of Physics that much." Tony reminded.

**Ultron and Tony crashed through the roof and continued fighting as Steve flipped to avoid a shot and grabbed the sentry in a chokehold with his shield while Thor decapitated it with Mjolnir. Steve then threw his shield, knocking out some men before bashing it on Pietro's face, telling him to stay down.**

"He won't." Scarlet Witch said.

**Ultron told Wanda through a sentry it was time for mind games. Bruce asked others via comms if this was Code Green but got no response so he decided to open the Quinjet's hatch. Wanda went near Thor and blew her red mist on his head. Steve asked him the status. Thor knocked out a man and said the girl had tried to warp his mind. A human won't be able to withstand her but fortunately, he was mighty. As he said that, he realized he was standing in Asgard's halls now.**

Everyone watched the scene in horror as Wanda muttered in shame, "Oh no!"

**Steve threw a man away when Pietro rammed into him at super-speed, knocking him down as Wanda blew red mist on his head too as well as Natasha. The Ultron sentries took some more Vibranium and commented this was going well as Clint shot down more men and shot an arrow that let out a shockwave, knocking down more men. Wanda snuck on him but before she could do her tricks, Clint turned around and rammed a mind-warping arrow onto her head, shocking her as he said, "I've done the whole mind control thing before. Not a fan."**

"Sorry about that." Clint said to Wanda.

"You were right to do it." Wanda said, "What I did there was wrong on many levels."

"It was." Scarlet Witch agreed.

**Clint was about to take out the arrow when Pietro rammed into him and sent him flying off. He removed the arrow from Wanda's head and holding her bridal style, sped off with her while Clint said they better run. Steve and Natasha staggered around as the former threw off his mask. Natasha found herself in the Red Room as all of them were doing ballerina dancing and she said how the madam would break them. The madam said only the breakable ones while she was made of marble.**

Natasha was panting heavily as the memories returned to her. Bucky held her hand for support and Steve put an arm around her shoulder. Clint too looked at her in concern. She nodded appreciatively at all of them.

**The madam said they would celebrate after the graduation ceremony. Natasha asked what if she failed and the madam said she never failed. Natasha was shown firing at several targets and then shooting a tied up man with a bag over his head while scenes of her on a stretcher were shown.**

Natasha's condition was no better and it almost looked like she might break down, though she wouldn't. Wanda's guilt and self-loathing increased each moment.

**Steve was shown walking around as a 40's style party was taking place. The people all seemed very happy. And then he sensed someone behind. Turning around, he saw Peggy who asked, "Are you ready for our dance?"**

Steve seemed saddened about the life he could never have, but he had moved past it now after his friends had assured him how much they cared for him. Plus, he might have a dance with someone else now if circumstances permitted. That someone else being in the room.

**Thor walked around as the revel continued. And then he saw Heimdall without his eyes, shocking him. Heimdall told him his eyes had seen Thor leading them to Hel. He then asked Thor to wake up.**

"More like the ruler of Hel came to us." Thor said.

"Yeah, sounds more accurate." Odinson agreed.

"So what she showed you came true?" Steve asked.

"Yes. It did." Thor said.

"In ways we didn't like." Loki said.

**Peggy told Steve the war was over and they could go home. She asked him to imagine it. When he did, there was no one there. Not a single soul. He imagined dancing with Peggy but it wasn't something he thought he could do.**

Everyone wondered if Ultron was right about what he said of Steve. That he couldn't live without a war. Steve only needed to find what he could do outside of fighting. Soul searching basically.

**Heimdall held Thor by the throat as he said he could still save them. Heimdall said they were all dead as Thor pushed him off. Lightning suddenly emitted from Thor and destroyed everyone around as Heimdall said Odinson was a destroyer and his power lead to this. **

"Or lack of it." Thor said.

"Yeah. Sounds more accurate." Odinson agreed.

"But you're powerful!" Tony said.

"Turns out I was held back my entire life until recently." Thor revealed to their shock.

"That part is actually shown too so no need to talk about it." Scarlet Witch said.

**Thor suddenly saw Stones in his head and a red being opening his eyes.**

"I believe you saw me." Vision said.

"Yes. It is you I saw." Thor said, "Which is why I helped give you life."

"Thanks for that by the way." Tony said and Thor nodded.

**Natasha flipped someone to the ground and was held in a chokehold by someone else as the madam said she was sloppy and pretending to fail. The ceremony was necessary to take her place in the world. She said she had no place in the world and the madam agreed. She was then wheeled away on a stretcher as she looked at two girls with no lips.**

Natasha's mask was almost down at this point as some tears escaped her eyes. She was about to wipe them when Bucky did that for her and she hugged him tightly as Steve and Clint both looked at her compassionately. Fury and Hill too.

"I don't deserve any forgiveness for what I did." Wanda said, "But if it means anything, I'm sorry."

Wanda was still surprised by how easily the Avengers had forgiven her after what she had done to their minds. Now her questions were answered.

"We figured out the Mind Stone would have made you unstable." Natasha said, regaining her composure, "It made us all fight each other on the Helicarrier and we were exposed to it for like 10 minutes."

"So being exposed to it for almost a year could have made anyone unhinged." Steve agreed, "You're not blameless, Wanda. But you don't hold as much blame as you think you do."

"Basically same thing that happened to me." Loki told her, "You wanted revenge. But you did stuff you normally wouldn't. Like playing with brains."

And he was right. In her right state of mind, she had never ever used a mind trick on anyone, except the people of Sokovia. But that was to make them evacuate.

Wanda simply nodded in appreciation.

**Wanda gasped as Pietro removed the arrow from her and she said it hurt. Pietro angrily said he was going to kill Clint but Wanda said she was going to finish the plan. She wanted the big one. The two then turned to Bruce who was looking at them from the Quinjet.**

Wanda and Bruce both paled at that. This was one thing Wanda would never, ever forgive herself for. She may forgive herself for playing with the minds of Tony, Thor, Steve and Natasha, but not this. Now the Mind Stone had made her unstable, but innocents had died. And it was on her because she had chosen to play with the mind of the Hulk.

Even if the deaths of the people weren't her intention, that was what had happened. And she was responsible.

**Tony and Ultron were still fighting when Tony slammed Ultron down and aimed a missile at him. Ultron said the Vibranium was getting away. Tony said he wasn't going anywhere but Ultron said he was already there, though Tony would catch on. He then mockingly said Tony needed to catch Dr. Banner first. Tony angrily fired the missile, destroying the body of Ultron.**

"At least he was shut up for a while." Clint said.

"Yeah. He annoys me a lot." Logan said.

**Tony then flew around as Hulk roared angrily and ran off. Tony asked for any news or footage about Hulk. And then many videos of Hulk roaring and destroying stuff was shown. Tony told Natasha he could use a lullaby. Clint, who was helping Natasha, told him the whole team was down as Steve and Thor were shown still struggling with their visions.**

No one said a word. They knew what was coming now.

**Tony said he was calling in Veronica. The satellite device he had in space sent out the pieces of the armor. In Johannesburg, soldiers were moving around in their vehicles when they saw Hulk throwing vehicles away. He then leapt in front of the vehicle and ripped out the upper part before bringing his fist down.**

Wanda, Scarlet Witch and Bruce all cringed at that. Benjamin held Scarlet Witch's hand to provide comfort.

**Tony flew as the pieces of Veronica flew towards the city. Hulk was fired at but he kicked the police van at the cops, sending them rolling away. Before he could attack more, the pieces of Veronica assembled around him as a cage and electrified him.**

Everyone watched the scene with bated breaths. Clearly, this thing had been made to subdue Hulk with all measures in mind. But could it succeed?

**Hulk roared as he hit the cage from inside. The ground shook from that and everyone fell down. A crater was made in the ground where the cage was. And then the Hulk burst from the ground, making another crater as he hit the side of a car near him, making the woman cower in fear. That was when a giant boot was shown. Hulk turned around to see Iron Man in a giant suit. It was the Iron Man Armor: Mark XLIV, better known as the Hulkbuster. It covered his Iron Man Armor: Mark XLIII. **

In spite of the tense situation, no one could help but clap at Tony's entrance.

"Thanks guys." Tony simply said.

**Tony told everyone to stand down and the civilians backed away. Tony told Hulk the witch was messing with his mind. He was stronger than her, smarter than her, he was Bruce Banner. Hulk roared and Tony realized he wasn't supposed to mention puny Banner.**

"I'm guessing that's why he temporarily overpowered me. Because I mentioned puny Banner." Thor muttered to himself to lighten his mood.

**Hulk then threw a car at Tony but he caught it with his new armor. Hulk then rammed into him, sending him flying back as he rammed into some cars. Tony got up and flew at Hulk, grabbing him by the throat. He then slammed Hulk into the ground as he continued his flight, until Hulk kicked him away to the other side. Hulk charged at him but Tony slammed him away and fired his repulsor beam, crashing him into a truck. He then walked but Hulk sent him flying off with a huge pole. Tony crashed through a house and was down as Hulk stabbed his arm with the pole from the back. "In the back? Dick move, Banner." Tony said dryly.**

Once again, in spite of the situation, everyone chuckled at Tony's joke as Pepper said, "You sure know how to lighten the mood."

**Hulk continued hitting him until Tony straightened the arm and sent him flying off with a punch, making him crash into some stalls. He then asked Veronica to give him a hand as it sent parts of the arm flying at him.**

"Nice way to make it literal." Steve complimented and Tony chuckled.

**Tony detached the broken arm as the new one was attached. Tony fired two repulsors at the charging Hulk so he was unaffected so he fired a third, stronger one. Hulk defended with his arm and continued charging as Tony's hand was finally attached. They both clashed their fists and the resulting shockwave destroyed a lot of windows in the nearby area, including those of cars. Hulk pinned Tony to the ground but then Tony pinned him instead and kept punching him, telling him to go to sleep.**

Everyone chuckled again at Tony's joke. He was making a dark situation humorous with his quips.

**Hulk eventually caught his arm but Tony trapped his fist and tried to fly out of town. But Hulk's struggling made them crash into a mall as Hulk continued punching him. Tony slammed Bruce into a wall, begging him to cooperate as he used a chemical spray on him. The lift opened as the people screamed in terror. Hulk kicked Tony into the lift as the glass shattered and the lift went down. Tony caught the lift though and used the repulsor to steady himself as the people ran out on his command.**

Wanda seemed a bit relieved at seeing these people saved at least. But it didn't ease her conscience.

**Hulk leapt at Tony but was kicked down. Tony then smashed the lift on top of him. Tony punched him again and he angrily spat out a broken tooth. Tony paled and apologized.**

Everyone else paled too. Hulk angrily spitting out a tooth didn't look good. If circumstances were different, Bruce would have complimented Tony on actually managing to break a tooth with all that power.

**Tony was slammed out of the building and steadied himself with his thrusters as Hulk slammed him into a glass building and kept punching him. The two continued trading blows as Hulk broke off a piece of the armor from Tony's back. Tony asked for damage report and called a new piece but Hulk smashed it away as Tony held him in the air. Tony saw a building under construction and scanned for life signs. There were none. "How quickly can we buy this building?" He asked.**

Everyone chuckled a bit at his wit again.

**Tony dropped Hulk into the building and fired a few missiles to assist himself. Tony and the missile slammed into Hulk simultaneously, crashing him through the building as he roared angrily and the building came down. The soldiers arrived to flank him as Hulk rose up from the debris and smoke. Seeing all the wounded and scared people running slowly brought him back to his sense. The soldiers pointing guns at him angered him again but Tony knocked him out with a punch from the side.**

Everyone released breaths they had held back.

Wanda finally said it, "I am sorry, Bruce. I do not deserve your forgiveness after what I made you do. I traumatized you enough to leave Earth for two years. I just wanted you to know. And those people died because of me."

"They did. And we will never forgive ourselves for that. All we can do is try to move past that now." Scarlet Witch told Wanda.

"I don't think I may be able to forgive you for that, Wanda." Bruce said, "At least not now. Maybe one day. But I think it is time to move past that and start fresh."

Wanda nodded appreciatively.

"Now let's continue." Logan said.

* * *

**Now there are no two ways about it. I love Wanda, but Johannesburg is still her fault. I agree the Mind Stone made her unstable, but for the story I still cannot totally absolve her from Johannesburg. It will be very unfair to the people who lost their lives in Hulk's rampage and also to Bruce, who was traumatized enough to leave Earth.**

**I actually have forgiven Wanda for what she did and I'm sure the Avengers have too, as they all treat her like family and Clint treats her like a daughter, but Wanda will never forgive herself. That's her character. But not for one second do I believe the ridiculous bullshit that she is a vengeful villain because she is not.**

**And I think it will be unrealistic for Bruce to also just forgive her. I believe he will one day, but not right now. Still, no point in holding a grudge for that either.**

**And I get Thor was upset over what Tony did, but lifting him by the throat crossed a line to be honest. Though Tony laughing didn't help matters either.**

**Hulk vs. Hulkbuster is my third favorite fight between OP characters after Thor vs. Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok and Superman vs. Zod in Man of Steel.**

**The Captain Hill ship is coming. Ha!**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	58. Recovery

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now this story is over 600 reviews! Damn! Thanks a lot people! Your support is much appreciated.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, Johannesburg is everyone's worst moment except Tony and Clint. Yes, it's sad. Yes the scene would be awkward. I'm not roasting it in the story but in the ending A/N. Hope you enjoy. Yes Bruce and Hulk really did. Glad that was realistic. I will include the Norn. 50-50 on Thor vs. Vision. Yes I noticed it too. I do have plans about the 'Allfather' thing. Yes, Wanda and Pietro both payed for their sins in just the way you stated. Yes I'm going slow burn on Captain Hill and glad you dig it. Yes it is fun. She didn't review but messaged. If she had reviewed, it'd be here because you can only delete guest reviews, not user reviews. Because this chapter is short, I can copy and paste the entire exchange here. So she posted that entire rant after I called Thor: The Dark World boring. So I responded to her- "*Laughs hysterically* I'm the biggest leader you'll ever meet, considering I'm an outspoken defender of the TASM movies. Instead of hating on people for having an opinion, maybe you should get a life. And Reylo sucks. Get lost." Considering the BS she had said on the review, I had every right to say what I did to her. And she decided to play victim *Rolls eyes* Here's what she said that day- "Wow real mature. I don't think your a outspoken defender or a leader. Look up the definition of leader because you not one. Also You are the worst kind. [Sorry it's the truth] Laughing at people and hating everything that people love and saying don't post this or that, it called cristism, and you are bullying. And you need to use the right cannon and stop using other people theories. Is not yours. Use your own. I don't hate people on having opinions, idoit. I hate people using excuses and saying"Oh I agree with you on that. Or I hate that movie or that ship." And really they don't. Inside they love it. But reality they don't want to be rejected and hated on. They want to be accepted by their peers and other people . So I have a huge feeling that you need a recheck on people feelings. And get therapy lots of it. You have a lot of issues. Why don't you go back to your home country. And learn to respect your elders. Because like you, you are kid still not adult that need to learn life and people skills. Sooner or later your comments will serious will get in trouble and your fanfic and account will get closed. So, a warning. It's not a threat. A warning." Yeah, I'm having trouble making it out too. Then I finally responded- "Man this really is the worst day. First the Tony Stark fanatics come at me for aggressively telling them to back off and now you decide to come out of whatever hibernation pod you were in to reply to a message that is a week away from being a month old. I will tell you what's mature. Mature is you coming at me for not liking a movie you like. I'm a huge fan of a Quora writer who doesn't like my most favorite movie series. Tells you the difference. I didn't agree with people on Thor: The Dark World. Most people consider it worst than I do. I just find many moments in it boring and dragging. When people call it horrible, I defend it because its not that bad. And if you think someone who defends TASM and Howard the Duck of all things is not a leader, you need to look it up somewhere. Yeah, I do need therapy. After reading the pile of garbage you wrote, anyone would. And I'm still in my country. I never went out. So your statement makes no sense. And I do respect people, elders included, but the moment they do something really horrible, I lose it. I don't even know you. I don't know your age either. And considering your insecure review, I have no reason to respect you because you have only earned rightful scorn from me. I do have people skills in real life. On Internet, I can be as unhinged as I want to those who try to come after me and then play the victim card, like you are. I get reported by millions of WestAllen fanatics every day a million times and I'm still here so my account ain't going anywhere. And congratulations. My list of blocked people had 4 people so far. Now you're gonna make it 5. I just like the number 5 a lot. And this isn't a threat or warning. This is a factual statement because a few minutes from now, I'm blocking you. Goodbye. Have a nice life." But I was wrong because I ended up blocking her in a few seconds instead of few minutes. Enjoy the chapter. Oh! And you'd love the new chapters of 'Heroes in Middle-earth.' Hope you check them out soon.**

**Guestie: Thanks for the review. Mine too.**

Chapter 58- Recovery

"And now we have to hide." Tony said.

"Yeah. I remember." Clint said as he shot Tony a glare for a second before they all turned to the screen.

"Thank you, Clint." Steve said, "You risked a lot by bringing us to your home."

Clint simply nodded.

**In the Quinjet, a traumatized Bruce was sitting quietly. Steve, Thor and Natasha were also trying to shake off the traumatizing visions they had while Hill sarcastically told Tony on video call that the news was loving them but the others not so much. There had been no official call for Bruce's arrest but it was in the air while the Stark Relief Foundation was on the scene. She asked how the team was.**

"Not good at all." Natasha said.

"And very traumatized." Bruce added while Wanda and Scarlet Witch winced in guilt.

"Look, there's a picture of Captain America in your office, Hill!" Hope said to lighten the mood and made Hill blush again.

"Crush confirmed." Scott said in her support.

"I think Hope is the captain of that ship." Bucky joked and everyone laughed while Steve and Hill blushed in embarrassment.

**Tony said they had taken a hit but they'd shake it off. Hill said for now they should stay in stealth mode and stay away from New York until they could find Ultron as she had nothing else to offer. Tony said they didn't either as the call was cut. He asked Clint if he wanted to switch out but he said he was good and they were few hours from a safe house.**

"A very safe house." Fury added.

"All thanks to you." Clint said.

**They eventually landed in the middle of a farm and everyone followed Clint as he supported Natasha and they walked into a house. Thor wondered what the place was and Tony said it was a safe house. Clint walked in and said, "Honey? I'm home." A woman who looked a few months pregnant walked out and kissed Clint happily while Tony commented she was an agent.**

Everyone chuckled as Hope finally said, "Busted."

"Been ages since you said that." Scott commented.

"Nice to hear it again." Thor said.

**Clint introduced her as Laura who said she already knew all their names. Tony waved awkwardly as a little boy and a little girl arrived. Clint hugged them both and lifted the girl. Tony commented they were smaller agents.**

"We don't employ anyone at that age." Fury said and everyone chuckled.

"My little girl has grown a lot in just 3 years." Clint commented, "Almost seems like too much." [1]

"Well, we all grow up some time." Sam said.

"Yeah, like me." Benjamin said and everyone chuckled.

**Lila asked if he had brought Auntie Nat and Clint said they could hug her to find out. The children ran towards her as she hugged them both happily too.**

"So you were the only one outside of Barton, Fury, Hill and Coulson to know about them." Loki said.

"Yeah, I was the only one." Natasha said.

"She is my best friend. I trust her." Clint said.

**Steve apologized for barging in on them and Tony said he'd have called but they were busy having no idea they existed.**

Everyone chuckled at Stark's wit again.

**Clint said Fury had helped him set this up when he had joined. He had kept it off SHIELD's files and he'd like to keep it that way.**

"And it didn't remain that way." Tony muttered guiltily.

"You can't change what happened. You can only move past that now." Pepper said gently.

**Clint said it would be a good place to lay low. Thor accidentally stepped on a Lego which Steve noticed and to his amusement, Thor swept it away with his foot.**

Everyone chuckled as Clint joked, "So that's why you left. Because you stepped on my daughter's Lego. Good thing. Or I'd have killed you."

"I don't doubt you." Thor chuckled.

"Neither do I." Odinson said.

"I'd be a fool to." Loki chuckled.

**Natasha touched Laura's stomach and asked how little Natasha was. Laura said it was actually Nanthaniel and so she kneeled down and jokingly called him traitor.**

Everyone chuckled again as Clint said, "She got names of two Avengers now."

"Thank you." Wanda said, still grateful to him for naming his son Nanthaniel Pietro Barton.

**Thor looked down to see Lila looking up at him.**

"She knows." Rhodes said and everyone chuckled.

"And I'll leave after this." Thor joked and more chuckles followed.

**Thor remembered the vision and as the toast came out of the toaster, he walked out. Steve followed him and asked where he was going. Thor said he had seen something in the dream and needed answers which he won't find here. Twirling Mjolnir, he flew off.**

"Off to find the answers." Loki said.

**Steve turned to look at the farmhouse and once again remembered Peggy's words so he walked out.**

"I get the feeling, Cap." Logan told him, "I consider the X-Men family. But I don't know what I can do outside of fighting either."

"I'm sorry." Steve said to him in sympathy and he nodded.

**Laura treated Clint's wound as he said she had worried for nothing. Laura said if they were going to sleep here, some of them would have to double up. Clint said that won't sell as Laura asked how long the thing between Nat and Dr. Banner had been going on. He seemed puzzled as she laughed and told him she'd explain when he was older.**

"She later told me she found out because the air around her smelled like cringe." Clint said and everyone laughed loudly, Natasha and Bruce included, because it was cringe.

**Laura said Natasha seemed really shaken and Clint said Ultron had some punks as his allies but they carried a big damn stick from which Natasha had taken a hit so someone needed to teach them manners.**

"Yes. Someone did." Wanda agreed.

**Laura realized that someone was Clint. She said, "You know I totally support your avenging. I couldn't be prouder." She looked at Steve and Tony about to chop wood outside and said, "But I see those guys... those gods..." Clint interrupted her, "You don't think they need me." Laura said, "I think they do, which is a lot scarier. They're a mess." Clint agreed, "Yeah. I guess they're my mess." He got up as she said, "You need to be sure that this team is really a team, and that they have your back. Things are changing for us. In a few months' time, you and me are gonna be outnumbered. I need...Just be sure." Clint nodded, "Yes, ma'am." They kissed and then he kissed her forehead as she touched his abdomen and said, "I can feel the difference."**

Everyone looked at Clint's relationship with his family and seemed happy for him.

"Yeah. We really were a mess." Tony remembered.

"During that time, a huge mess." Steve agreed.

"Without Barton, we really do come apart." Thor said half-seriously and half-jokingly.

**At the U-Gin Genetics Research Lab in Seoul, Korea, Helen Cho and her staff were about to get to work. She walked into a room but saw Ultron standing there as he said her entire staff would die if she screamed.**

"That son of a bitch." Fury said.

"At least she survived." Vision said.

**Ultron said he could have killed her that night but he didn't. She sarcastically asked if he expected a 'thank you' note and he said he expected her to know why. She realized it was because of the Cradle as Ultron played her statement of it being the next thing and said this was the next him. Cho said it couldn't build a living body but Ultron said it could and she just lacked the materials. An Ultron Sentry arrived with the Vibranium as Ultron said she was a brilliant woman but there was room for improvement as another Ultron Sentry touched her chest with the Scepter and her eyes glowed blue.**

Everyone paled as Clint snarled, "And now he has her under control."

**Natasha was sitting in a bathrobe as she remembered her visions while Bruce had a flash of Hulk's rampage as he shaved. He walked out as she said she would have joined him but it didn't seem like the right time and Bruce said he had used up all the hot water and joked she had missed her window.**

"I'm so happy I missed it." Natasha said.

"You're not the only one." Bruce said.

The cringe in the room was real.

**Bruce said the world had seen the real Hulk for the first time. Natasha said she had a strange dream that she was an Avenger and anything other than the assassin they made her.**

"Because you are." Bucky assured and she nodded in appreciation.

**Bruce said she was being too hard on herself.**

"Thank you!" Clint said to Bruce.

"No problem." He said.

**Natasha jokingly said she had thought that to be his job and walked closer. Bruce asked what she was doing and she said they should run together. Bruce asked if she was out of her mind.**

"Yes I was." Natasha said.

"Maybe what I did affected you more than any of us thought." Wanda suggested.

"That can be an option." Bruce agreed.

"Either way, I'm sorry." Wanda said again.

**Bruce said he was a threat everywhere but Natasha said not to her.**

"Not to Betty." Bruce said.

**Bruce said there was no future with him because he couldn't have kids physically. Natasha said she couldn't either because she had been sterilized in the Red Room to make her efficient with one less thing to worry about. It made killing easier. She asked if he still believed himself to be the only monster in the team.**

"You're not a monster." Aunt May assured her before Bucky could.

The people from the future exchanged looks. At the end of all this, they would tell Natasha what to do to make what was done to her right because she would survive in the new timeline.

**Bruce asked if they should just disappear.**

"No. Only I should." Bruce said.

**Steve and Tony were chopping wood outside as Tony asked if Thor hadn't told him where he was going for answers. "Sometimes my teammates don't tell me things." Steve said pointedly.**

"Stupid thing to say." Steve said, "Now I didn't know it was Bucky but you deserved to know. So I am sorry for saying that. I shouldn't have."

Tony shrugged. He too said insensitive stuff at times without thinking so he could forgive Cap for saying it once, even if it was directed at him.

**Steve said he was hoping Thor to be the exception as Tony said he wouldn't know what Wanda had shown him. Steve said she had pulled apart the "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" like cotton candy. Tony said he had walked away all right. Steve asked if it was a problem and Tony said, "I don't trust a guy without a dark side. Call me old-fashioned." Steve said, "Well, let's just say you haven't seen it yet."**

"What is the dark side?" Peter asked innocently.

"Peter!" Aunt May chided.

"No, it's okay." Steve said, "Basically, things about me that others consider good can also be the worth thing about me."

"Yeah, I know." Tony agreed.

"We all do have dark sides." T'Challa agreed.

**Tony said Ultron was trying to tear them apart from the inside and Steve said he'd know and the question was whether he'd tell them or not.**

"While you were at fault, Tony, I think I'm being a bit overly harsh too." Steve said apologetically.

**Tony said Banner and him were doing research. Steve pointed out it'd affect the team. Tony snapped, "That would end the team! Isn't that the mission? Isn't that the "Why We Fight"? So we can end the fight. So we get to go home!" Steve angrily snapped a log in two with his bare hands.**

Everyone's jaws dropped as Scott said, "Damn!"

"**Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time." Steve said.**

"I believe it is both ways." Steve said.

"Both of us had merits and flaws in our arguments." Tony agreed.

**Laura arrived and said their tractor didn't seem to start so he could check it out. He walked off and told Steve not to take from his pile.**

Everyone chuckled as Sam asked, "Did you?"

"No." Steve said.

"And now my wife is acting like an agent." Clint joked and everyone chuckled.

"For me." Fury added.

**Tony walked up to the tractor and asked what ailed it when Fury arrived, "Do me a favor. Try not to bring it to life." Tony muttered how Ms. Barton was a minx.**

"Don't call my wife that ever again." Clint warned.

"Noted." Tony nodded.

"But the Director is here." Hill said cheerfully and everyone nodded.

**Tony realized Hill had called him and asked if she had ever stopped not working for him.**

"Nope. I worked for both of you." Hill said.

**Fury said Tony hadn't even hesitated as he said it had been a long day so they should skip to the part where he was useful. Fury told him to look him in the eye and say he was going to shut it down. Tony said he wasn't his Director. Fury said, "I'm not the director of anybody. I'm just an old man who cares very much about you." "And I'm the man who killed the Avengers." Tony said, saying he hadn't told the team.**

Everyone sympathized a bit with Tony as he said that. He had tried to play God, but he only wanted to protect the friends and family he cherished.

Wanda felt guilty again.

**Tony said he had seen them all dead and felt it. Fury said Wanda was playing on his fear as Tony said he wasn't tricked but shown. It wasn't a nightmare but legacy and end of the pat he had started them on. Fury said Tony came up with pretty impressive inventions these days and war wasn't one of them. "I watched my friends die. You'd think that'd be as bad as it gets, right?" Tony asked, "Nope. It wasn't the worst part." Fury realized what he meant, "The worst part... is that you didn't."**

The ones from the future winced again. Because Thanos had made that come true in a way when he had snapped his fingers.

**In the Royal Holloway University of London, Erik Selvig walked up to Thor after talking to a student and said he liked the look. Thor was wearing a hooded jacket as Erik said it was a near miss if he was going for inconspicuous. Thor said he needed Erik's help and Erik said it was nice to be needed. Thor said it was dangerous and Erik said he'd be disappointed if it wasn't as they sat in the car.**

"Going to find out about the visions?" Fury asked.

"Aye." Thor and Odinson said at the same time.

**At the farmhouse, Fury said Ultron had taken the Avengers out of the play to buy himself some time. Lila handed Natasha a drawing as he said that and she took it lovingly. Fury said the amount of Vibranium Ultron had made off with couldn't just be about one thing and commented how he was multiplying faster than a Catholic rabbit.**

Everyone chuckled as Steve said, "I guess you put it like that to make me understand."

"Damn right!" Fury said.

**Tony was throwing darts and asked if he was still going after launch codes. Fury said he was but not making any headway. Tony commented how he had cracked the Pentagon's firewall in high school on a dare.**

"You really did that?" Scott asked.

"He did." Pepper said.

"Yup." Tony agreed.

"What a guy!" Rhodes muttered.

"What a guy indeed." T'Challa agreed.

**Fury said he had contacted his friends at the Nexus about that. Bruce said Nexus was the world's Internet hub in Oslo and every byte of data flowed through there. It was the fastest access on Earth. Fury said Ultron was fixated on the codes but they were constantly being changed. Natasha asked if they had an ally. Fury said Ultron had an enemy and it wasn't the same thing but he'd still need to see who it was.**

"I believe it was me." Vision said.

"Yup!" Tony said.

**Tony said he'd visit Oslo while Natasha said she was hoping he had more than that.**

"And I did." Fury said.

**Fury said, "I do. I have you. Back in the day, I had eyes everywhere. Ears, everywhere else. You kids had all the tech you could dream up. Here we all are, back on Earth, with nothing but our wit and our will to save the world. Ultron says the Avengers are the only thing between him and his mission. And whether or not he admits it, his mission is global destruction. All this, laid in a grave. So stand. Outwit the platinum bastard."**

"I think you're pretty good at it too." Benjamin said to Fury who shrugged.

**Natasha joked how Steve didn't like that kind of talk and he was amused.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Fury asked what he wanted. Steve said Ultron wanted to be better than them as he kept building person bodies. Tony said the human form was inefficient and biologically, they were outmoded. Bruce looked at the drawing Lila had given Natasha. It was of a butterfly. He then came to a realization as Natasha said him and Bruce had amazingly failed when they had programmed him to protect the human race. Bruce said they didn't need to be protected but evolve. Ultron was going to evolve. When Fury asked how, Bruce asked if anyone had been in contact with Helen Cho.**

"He is already there! Damn it!" Scott said.

"I know. Unfortunate." Clint agreed.

**In Cho's lab, an android in progress was shown.**

"Me." Vision said.

"Yeah. You." Wanda said.

**Cho said the Vibranium wasn't just compatible with the tissue cells but was binding them. Ultron commented how they had used the most compatible substance on the planet to make a Frisbee and it was typical of humans as they scratched the surface and never thought to look within.**

"I'm not offended." Steve said.

"I am." Tony said.

**Ultron then took the Mind Stone from the Scepter and put it on the android's head.**

"And that is how my birth starts." Vision commented.

**Steve readied himself and said he'd take Natasha and Clint while Tony said he'd hit the Nexus and they realized with a new body, Ultron would be more powerful than all of them. It was an android designed by a robot. Steve commented how he missed the days the weirdest thing science created was him.**

Everyone chuckled as Bucky said, "I miss that too."

**Fury said he'd drop Banner off at the tower and asked Tony if he could borrow Hill. Tony said she was all his and asked what he was going to do. Fury said something dramatic probably as he walked off.**

"It was very dramatic." Natasha said.

"Even more dramatic was Cap's mouth. Fury commented and everyone chuckled while Steve shook his head in amusement.

**Clint told Laura he'd re-floor the sunroom when he returned and she said he'd find another part of the house to tear apart. Clint promised it was the last project and they kissed. Later, Laura watched as the Quinjet flew off.**

"And then I returned." Clint said.

"Sorry I called you." Steve said apologetically.

"I don't regret it." Clint told him.

**Thor and Erik walked into a cave and saw a stream which was the Water of Sight. Thor hoped Erik could find what they need before the water's spirit consumed him. Erik said this was a new kind of dangerous as Thor muttered something in Norse. Erik asked what he meant and he said, "The thing I fear contains the thing I need."**

"You're afraid?" Tony asked.

"You'll see why soon." Thor said.

"And you still did it." Hill said.

"You will always be in over your head…..unless you're Thor." Benjamin stated matter-of-fact.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence my friend." Odinson said and Thor nodded too.

"I think that sounds about right." Loki agreed.

**Thor took out a flask. Erik asked what that was for and he said it was for him as he felt scary.**

"But you'll overcome your courage because that's what you do." Steve said.

"Yes." Thor agreed.

"Need to see that." Bruce said.

**At the Nexus Internet Hub, Oslo, Norway, Tony was on the computers as some intern watched. He said a hacker faster than Ultron could be anywhere and as this was at the center of everything, he was a guy looking for a needle in the world's biggest haystack. A female intern asked how to find it and Tony said he'd bring a magnet. He then started decrypting nuclear codes, asking the hacker to come and get him.**

"Smart." T'Challa said.

"Very." Hope added.

"Thanks." Tony shrugged, "And you were great Vision."

"Thank you, Mr. Stark." Vision said.

**Thor was in the water when he laughed but the voice was not his.**

Everyone was creeped out as Peter asked fearfully, "Who has possessed you?"

"A Norn." Thor said to their shock.

"It was what needed to be done." Odinson said.

**Erik recorded as Thor's eyes glowed and he said all of them were fools while lightning emanated from him. Erik asked how to stop Ultron and the Norn spoke through Thor and said by sacrifice. Erik asked what kind and Thor said human.**

"Did he mean my brother?" Wanda asked.

"He might have. I didn't think about it then." Thor said.

**The Norn said through Thor the dead were legion and that the Stone brought Ultron to his brilliance and him to his end. Erik asked if it was the one from Loki's Scepter and the Norn spoke through Thor, "It was never his, it is of the Six, the Infinite Six cannot be joined or kept apart."**

"What does that mean?" Tony muttered.

"You will see." Scarlet Witch said.

**More lightning emanated from Thor as the Norn said this one fought them. Erik asked about the Stone as the Norn spoke through Thor, "The Mind Stone that rules perception. It melts the minds of monsters. It carved out your will and still you don't see?" Erik was shocked as the Norn said through Thor his enemies were closer. He said something about father's ambition and brilliance only blinded. Lightning then emanated from Thor as he freed himself from the spirit.**

Everyone was chilled to the core.

"That was the creepiest thing I have seen." Hope said before saying to Thor and Odinson, "Which makes you doing it even braver."

They nodded in appreciation.

Logan said, "Now the big stuff is coming."

* * *

**And done.**

**[1] I think it is a movie mistake probably. In this movie, Lila looks no older than 8 or 9 but in the opening of Avengers: Endgame which takes place in 2018, she looks about 13 or 14 or even 15. So she grew about 7 years in three. Wow! Did anyone else notice?**

**I liked the deleted scene for the Water of Sight infinitely more than what we got. And unpopular opinion, but I found Thor's vision the most interesting out of him, Steve and Natasha because while it didn't add to the movie, it excited me for future stuff. Though Steve's and Natasha did give insight into the character and the backstory respectively. Plus, in the theatrical version, it looks like Erik is only there to see Thor skinny dip. In the deleted version, he actually has a role to play.**

**The scene was changed because test audiences didn't like it. I want to know- who the hell were they testing?**

**Now I need to do this-**

**A ship approaches the harbor. It is called 'Brutasha.' Before it can reach the harbor though, Hulk leaps onto it and raising his fists declares, "HULK….SMASH!" And then he brings his fists down, destroying the entire ship brutally. He then jumps onto the harbor as Thor lands next to him and they see another ship approaching. It is called 'CaptainHill.' "I believe that is the ship we are waiting for, friend Hulk." Thor said, "Our friend Hope is its captain."**

**So, cringe or funny?**

**Next chapter is Seoul and then the ending. Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. **


	59. Vision

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Gary: Thanks for the review. Glad it is well done. I believe the (hypothetical) relationship between Steve and Hill isn't cringe but the way I'm doing it is.**

**Raider: LOL! Agree with everything you said, except the family part. His family isn't responsible at all for what he is doing. I'm pretty sure they would kick him out if he behaves like this at home. So only he needs to be burnt.**

**Coolrod: Let me make this clear- it is my way or the fucking highway! You go onto all MCU/Arrowverse fics to beg the author to put Smallville and ask them to write fics about it. Requesting once or twice is fine. But hounding someone until they do what you want isn't. It is called harassment. They might have made their own plans for the story and doing what you want would ruin the plans. But you can't understand that because of your Smallville worshipping. You've already annoyed a few authors and now I'm added to that list. I told you not to post reviews that have nothing to do with the story and you've done it a third time now. And have you heard of an opinion? I don't call people who don't like LOTR or Captain America: The Winter Soldier kids who know nothing! You're the kid here because you can't accept a different opinion and you're hounding others to get what you want. Raider is right except the family part and he is being blunt, not rude. You are the rude one. You're not asking for what you want, you're harassing. So don't play the victim! And from now on, I'm ignoring you. Get a life and stop this crap! Or don't! I don't care!**

Chapter 59- Vision

"You need to stop Ultron before he transfers himself to his new body." Scott said.

"We will." Steve said.

**Cho told Ultron cellular cohesion will take few hours but they could initiate the consciousness stream now. Wanda said she could read him and he was dreaming. Cho said it was Ultron's base consciousness. Ultron asked how soon would it be finished and then said he wasn't being pushy.**

"You sound pretty pushy to me." Tony said.

**Wanda touched the body of the droid and suddenly saw a meteor crashing on Earth and destroying it. She gasped loudly and backed off, snapping back into sanity as Pietro held her face in concern.**

"That is what brought me back to my senses." Scarlet Witch said, "Finding out what Ultron wanted."

"I only wanted to destroy you all at the time due to wrong beliefs. Not the innocents." Wanda said.

"I believe you saw that because at the moment, his brain and mine were connected." Vision said.

"**How could you?" Wanda asked Ultron. Ultron feigned confusion and she said he had told them he'd destroy the Avengers and make a better world. He said he would. She asked when everyone would be dead. Ultron said the human race would have every opportunity to improve. Pietro asked what if they didn't and he told them to ask Noah.**

Everyone was chilled to the bone again as Steve said, "He took his lunacy to a new level."

"No kidding." Peter agreed.

**Wanda called him a madman and he said there were a dozen extinction level events before even the dinosaurs got theirs. "When the Earth starts to settle, God throws a stone at it. And, believe me, he's winding up." Ultron said.**

"How would he know I wonder?" Pepper muttered.

The ones from the future were chilled as Ultron had in a way predicted the future. Thanos had played God and he had pretty much become one when he had got the Infinity Gauntlet.

**Ultron said they had to evolve and there was no room for the weak. Wanda asked who decided who was weak and Ultron said life always decided. As he said that, Wanda blew her mist on Cho, freeing her from the Mind Stone's control.**

"At least she is free now." Clint sighed in relief.

**Ultron detected a Quinjet coming and said they needed to move. Cho said that wouldn't be a problem and paused the upload. Ultron angrily fired a concussive blast at her, knocking her out.**

Everyone flinched as Aunt May said, "Was she all right?"

"She was just wounded. She recovered." Natasha told her and everyone sighed in relief.

**Pietro grabbed Wanda and ran off as Ultron called out to them.**

"We are not coming back to you ever." Wanda sneered.

"No more than he deserves." Benjamin said.

**Ultron's sentries killed the rest of the staff and he said they would understand when they see as he took out the wire, losing the connection. His sentries then started taking the Cradle away as Steve arrived with the Quinjet hovering above him and told them to stay close.**

"A bit too late unfortunately." Logan said.

"Don't lose hope just yet." Steve smirked.

**Steve rushed inside and saw a wounded Cho as he pressed a cloth to her to stem the bleeding and she took it from him, telling him the real power was in the Cradle and the Gem's power was uncontainable. He couldn't just blow it up. Steve asked if the others had copied that and they said they had.**

"That makes things even more complicated." Hill said.

"Unfortunately." T'Challa said.

**Natasha said she had a private jet taking off across town without a manifest and it could be him. Clint saw a truck from the lab and told Steve it was above him and asked if he could take out the driver but Steve said if it crashed, the Gem would level the city. He climbed up and jumped on top of the truck, annoying Ultron.**

"I think you pissed him off." Tony said.

"He clearly did." Fury agreed.

"A lot." Steve said.

"Good luck." Bucky told him.

"Thanks. I'll need it." Steve said.

**As Steve hung behind the truck, Ultron yelled at him to leave him alone and fired a concussive blast, opening the door as Steve hung on to it.**

"Shit!" Rhodes said.

"He is pissed to a new level." Sam said.

"I believe you still fought him." Thor said.

"Yes." Steve said.

**Ultron fired again, sending Steve flying up as he held on to it again. He said he would try to keep Ultron at bay and Clint told him he was no match for him. Steve sarcastically thanked him.**

Everyone chuckled a bit as Hope told Clint, "Try to be more supportive."

**Ultron took out the wire again. He then used his gravity manipulation to throw Steve off as he crashed onto the hood of a car. The Quinjet flew around as the car neared the truck and Steve leapt onto the top. Ultron flew in front of him and fired a beam which his shield deflected. Ultron asked, "You know what's in that Cradle? The power to make real change. And that terrifies you." Steve dryly said, "I wouldn't call it a comfort." And then he threw his shield, making Ultron fly back as it hit him. Steve dodged his blasts and threw the shield again. It returned to him and he flip kicked it back at him. It was stuck on Ultron now and he threw it off the truck before firing at Steve, making him fly back. Steve hung on the front of the truck as an Ultron Sentry tried to attack him but he avoided.**

"Steve is holding his own better than you thought, Barton." Odinson said and everyone chuckled and nodded.

"All right. I should have faith." Barton said dryly.

**The backdoor of the Quinjet opened as Clint counted down and told Natasha to give Ultron hell. She got on a bike and it dropped down as she rode it around. She saw the shield on the ground and commented, "I'm always picking up after you boys." She picked it up and continued riding as Clint gave her directions.**

"Which is why I'm glad to not be the only woman around now." Natasha commented with a look at Wanda as they all chuckled.

**Steve had Ultron in a chokehold now.**

"Uhhhhhh…why exactly are you choking a robot?" Peter asked.

"And it seems to be working." Tony said.

"I'm not choking him. Just restraining him." Steve said.

**Ultron freed himself and had Steve in a chokehold as Natasha arrived near the truck and went underneath it.**

Everyone clapped as Natasha smirked.

**Natasha threw the shield to Steve who caught it and hit Ultron, staggering him away. Ultron used gravity manipulation to lift a piece of the road in front of Natasha, making her stop.**

"Damn it!" Bucky said.

**Natasha started the bike again and drove into another direction on top of stairs to avoid shots from Ultron Sentries. Steve was blasted on top of a car again and Ultron used gravity manipulation to pull up the road. The cars flipped around as Steve avoided and leapt onto the truck again, blocking and dodging Ultron's blows.**

"Even if you're not a threat to Ultron, your indomitable will is." Loki of all people said to Steve and he nodded in appreciation.

**Natasha rode around, politely telling people to get out of her way with a 'beep-beep.'**

Everyone chuckled.

**She asked Clint if he could draw out the guards and he fired the Quinjet's guns at Ultron as he fought Steve, making him stagger back. The Ultron Sentries flew out of the truck and grabbed the Quinjet, trying to fire.**

"And now they're after you." Hill said to Clint.

"Part of the job." Clint shrugged.

**Clint managed to shake the Sentries off as Wanda and Pietro watched a news on the roadside which showed Steve and Ultron battling. They exchanged a look.**

"This is where you decided to help against Ultron." Bruce realized.

"Yes. We realized we need to stop what we helped unleash." Wanda said.

**Ultron flew at Steve but he grabbed him and threw him to the other side, making him crash into a pillar. Ultron flew back and grabbing Steve, crashed them both into a train.**

"First bus, now train." Sam said dryly.

**The Ultron Sentries flew back as Clint told Natasha to work faster. Steve threw his shield at Ultron, making him stagger back before flipping back to avoid a flying Ultron. But then he fired a concussive blast, making Steve fall down. Natasha asked if Steve could keep Ultron occupied and he dryly asked what she thought he had been doing the entire time.**

Everyone chuckled as Natasha said dryly, "Sorry."

Steve shrugged.

**Natasha leapt into the truck as police arrived. The Sentries grabbed the truck from the side and lifted the back portion while the front portion crashed.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said as everyone watched in shock.

**Clint was about to fire when Natasha told him she was still inside, to his shock. She said she was sending the package to him as she cut off the holds. Steve blocked all of Ultron's attacks but was overpowered just as Pietro sped in, staggering Ultron away. As he turned, Wanda used her powers to put stuff in his way. Ultron begged them to not do this but she said they didn't have any other choice. Ultron fired a concussive blast, destroying the train's control panel and killing the driver as he flew out.**

"Oh God!" Aunt May said as everyone watched in horror.

**Steve told the others Ultron was headed their way as he saw the dead driver. Natasha put a bomb with a 10-second countdown on the truck and slid away with the Cradle, landing at the back of the Quinjet as the truck exploded but Ultron grabbed her leg and pulled her down.**

"Damn it!" Bucky cursed.

"So he took you?" Aunt May asked and she nodded.

"But I was saved." Natasha said.

**The train crashed through the barricade and ran into the city, threatening to trample the civilians in the path. Clint asked Steve if he had eyes on Nat. In spite of his concern for Natasha, Steve knew what was more important and told Clint to get the package to Stark.**

Steve and Natasha exchanged a look. Natasha knew the job and people were the priority so she was proud of Steve for what he did. Bucky too.

**Clint flew off as Pietro sped the civilians out of the way on Steve's order. The train crashed through a wall and Steve was sent flying back by some debris. Wanda used her telekinesis and in under a minute, managed to stop the train.**

Everyone sighed in relief as Peter said, "Thank God!"

**Pietro said he needed a minute as Steve told him he was tempted not to give him one. Wanda inquired about the Cradle and Steve said Stark would take care of it. Wanda said he wouldn't and Steve told her she had no idea what she was talking about because Stark wasn't crazy. Wanda told him he would do anything to make things right. He then tried to call anyone on comms but got no response as Wanda said Ultron couldn't tell the difference between saving and destroying the world.**

"My desire to save the world unintentionally led to it's almost destruction." Tony said, "Though I would have done anything to make things right."

"Still, you wouldn't try to destroy the world like Ultron did. You are not that kind of person." Wanda said.

**In Avengers Tower, Bruce asked Tony if they had anything on Nat and he said not yet but she was alive or Ultron would rub it in their faces.**

"Yeah. Based on what I've seen, I think he would." Rhodes agreed.

**Clint said it was sealed shut and Bruce said they would destroy the programming as Tony asked Clint if she could contact him based on old-school spy stuff and he walked off to find her. Bruce suggested how they would destroy it but Tony made no move to help him and he realized Tony's intentions. Bruce refused but Tony asked him to trust him, which he said he didn't.**

"After what Ultron did, can't say I blame you." Tony said.

"It was too risky to do something like that again." Bruce said, "We're lucky Vision didn't turn out like Ultron."

"That we are, Dr. Banner." Vision agreed.

"It is kind of ironic." Thor said to Bruce, "You're a pushover when Hulk is anything but."

"You're right!" Bruce said, agreeing.

**Tony said he had had found their ally against Ultron and Jarvis' neuron form appeared, greeting Bruce.**

"And you're back!" Wanda said to Vision.

"I believe I am." Vision said.

**Tony said Ultron had attacked Jarvis because he was scared and found him a threat. So Jarvis had gone underground and dumped all his memory, but not his protocols. He hadn't even known he was in there until Tony had pieced him together.**

"Wow!" Pepper said as everyone was impressed by how advanced Jarvis was, "You designed Jarvis really well, Tony."

Tony shrugged.

"I remember I was an amnesiac when you pieced me back together." Vision told Tony.

**Bruce asked if Tony wanted his help to put Jarvis into the droid but Tony said he wanted to help him put Jarvis in the droid because bio-organics was Bruce's field. Bruce said Tony was assuming Jarvis' operational matrix could beat Ultron's. Tony said Jarvis had been beating Ultron from the inside without knowing it. This was the opportunity to create Ultron's perfect self without the homicidal glitches he thought made him better. Jarvis believed it was worth a go. Bruce said he was stuck in a loop.**

"And I made it come full circle when I helped you again." Bruce sighed.

"You're right. It was stupid and risky. We're lucky Vision didn't become like Ultron. Or we would be in double trouble." Tony sighed.

"Still, good thing it did work out, even if the chance was slim." Steve said, "Or things would be worse."

**This was where it had gone wrong and Tony said, "We're mad scientists. We're monsters, buddy. We've gotta own it. Make a stand. It's not a loop. It's the end of the line"**

"Could have been." Bruce said, "And I think owning mad scientists might be harmful to people around us."

"You're right." Tony sighed, "Stupid thing to say."

**At Ultron's base, Natasha woke up as he worked on technology and said he didn't hope she'd wake up, He knew. He wanted to show her as he had no one else.**

"Which is no more than what you deserve." Natasha said.

"He was misanthropic but I now realize he too had a need for human-like companionship." Scarlet Witch told everyone, "He sought us out not just because of our power, but because like him, we came from the Mind Stone. In his own twisted way, he considered us siblings. And us joining the Avengers was akin to a brother and sister falling in the wrong crowd for him. Namely, a crowd that protected the world instead of letting it evolve. His lack of humanity prevented him from understanding our 'betrayal' any other way."

Everyone actually had wide eyes as they realized how Scarlet Witch had finally decoded Ultron's personality and thoughts for them.

"That's…..I don't even know what to say." Wanda said.

"Damn!" Tony said, "This guy was complex."

"He was a walking mass of complexes." Scarlet Witch said about him, "He had a Messiah complex, a God complex, and half of an Oedipus complex as he detested his father."

"That makes sense." Tony said.

**Ultron said he thought a lot about meteors and their purity as they ended everything and started everything fresh. "I was meant to be new. I was meant to be beautiful. The world would have looked to the sky and seen hope, seen mercy. Instead, they'll look up in horror because of you." He told her he'd give them full marks for wounding him. "But, like the man said, what doesn't kill me..." Ultron was shattered into pieces by a bigger, stronger Ultron from behind as a horrified Natasha crawled back and the new Ultron finished, "just makes me stronger."**

Everyone gasped as Steve said, "My God!"

"That was scary." Natasha said, remembering.

"He sure loves to scare people with his delusions." Bucky agreed.

"He has a cynical view on mankind." Vision said.

"We can see that." T'Challa said.

**Ultron shut the bars of the cell while Tony and Bruce started their work. Natasha used a Cold War-era communication technique to contact Clint without being detected and he got the message.**

"Damn proud of both of you!" Fury said and they flushed. This was the highest praise anyone had ever gotten from him.

**Tony and Bruce needed to upload the schematics in the next 3 minutes when Steve with Wanda and Pietro and told them to stop. Tony said he wouldn't.**

"Oh boy! The pre-Civil War." Tony sighed.

"Yeah. Both of us handled this situation poorly by using fists." Steve agreed.

"Good thing I came around to finally bring Vision to life." Thor said and nods followed.

**Steve said they didn't know what they were doing as Bruce asked if Wanda was in his head. Wanda said Bruce was angry and he said they were way past that as he could choke the life out of her without changing a shade.**

"Wouldn't have blamed you if you did that." Wanda said, guilt and self-loathing filling her again.

**They all continued arguing as Pietro broke the wires and connections at super-speed, sarcastically telling them to carry on.**

"That's my brother for you." Scarlet Witch sighed, "Does stuff first, thinks later."

"Kind of like an extreme version of me." Logan said and chuckles followed.

**A bullet shattered the glass under him and as he realized what had happened, he fell down and Clint put a foot on him, "What? You didn't see that coming?"**

Everyone chuckled and clapped as Natasha said, "That's Clint for you."

**Tony was about to reroute the upload when Steve broke the machines with his shield. Tony called his gauntlet to him and fired at Steve, sending him flying back. He then called up the rest of his armor as Bruce grabbed Wanda from behind, telling her to piss him off. As Clint arrived, Steve punched Tony while he sent him flying back with another repulsor. Tony crashed into glass, though his suit protected him, while Steve was also on the ground. Wanda fired very minor hex blasts at Bruce to make him let go and stagger back. Thor suddenly arrived and muttered the same thing in Norse he had near the Water of Sight and lifted Mjolnir. As the others watched, he hit the droid with a powerful lightning blast. He stopped and then there was an explosion which sent him back while Mjolnir fell off as a red, naked android got up.**

"My birth." Vision said as everyone watched, "The day I got life."

"You didn't react very well." Thor reminded.

"I know. I apologize for that." Vision said.

**The android looked around as everyone watched it with anticipation. Suddenly, it flew at Thor and he threw it off into another direction while Tony called his other gauntlet. Thor walked up to Vision who punched him but was punched back. Steve picked up his shield and threw it at him. He phased to avoid it. As Clint aimed his gun, Vision punched Thor but was punched back again as Thor turned him around and he fired a blast from the Mind Stone in his forehead, blasting stuff around him.**

"Why are you attacking them?" Peter asked as everyone watched in shock.

"I was afraid in the moment. Like a newborn. I couldn't understand anything happening around me. Hence, the reaction was defensive." Vision said and they all nodded.

**Thor prepared to fight again and as Vision looked at him, a suit appeared around him with a cape to complete the appearance.**

"So you copied his appearance." Loki said.

"He was my creator, along with Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner." Vision shrugged.

**Thor charged Vision and crashing him through glass, threw him down before avoiding a blast from the Mind Stone. He blocked some strikes and summoning Mjolnir, hit Vision's head, making him fall down. Vision got back up and as Thor attacked again, Vision hit his wrist, making him drop it. The fight continued as Thor pushed Vision back and almost twisted his arm but Vision freed himself and pushed him away. Thor summoned Mjolnir again and as Vision flew at him, Tony blasted him away with the armor and he crashed through the window. He started looking around at the city as Steve leapt next to Thor who stopped him from attacking the droid.**

"And now you will realize your behavior." Steve said.

"Yes. It was odd." Vision said.

**Vision turned around and flew up to the gather Avengers and Pietro and Wanda. He said, "I'm sorry. That was…odd."**

"It was too odd." Vision said, "I got too defensive due to my fear."

**He then thanked Thor.**

"You're welcome." Thor and Odinson said at the same time.

**Steve asked Thor why he helped create the droid as Thor said, "I've had a vision. A whirlpool that sucks in all hope of life, and at its center is that." He pointed at the Mind Stone and explained it was one of the Infinity Stones whose destructive capabilities were unrivalled but Stark was right that they couldn't defeat Ultron alone as Bruce joked it was the end times.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Steve asked why Vision sounded like Jarvis and Tony said they had reconfigured Jarvis' matrix to make something new. Vision said, "I'm not Ultron. I am not Jarvis. I am...I am." Wanda said she had looked into his head and seen death so Vision asked her to look again and Clint said her seal of approval meant jack to him.**

"Not anymore." Clint said.

**Thor said the twins' powers, the visions and Ultron himself came from the Mind Stone but they were nothing compared to what it could unleash. Steve asked if Vision was on their side. Vision said he was on the side of life while Ultron wasn't and he would end it. He was waiting for them in Sokovia and Clint said he had Nat there too. Vision said, "I don't want to kill Ultron. He's unique and he's in pain. But that pain will roll over the Earth. So, he must be destroyed. Every form he's built, every trace of his presence on the net. We have to act now. And not one of us can do it without the others." He looked at himself and said, "Maybe I am a monster. I don't think I'd know if I were one. I'm not what you are, and not what you intended. So, there may be no way to make you trust me. But we need to go." And then he held out Mjolnir as everyone's jaws dropped.**

"And that made you trust me." Vision said, "Though it is only because I am not fully human."

"We still trust you. You are flawed like everyone but not a bad person." Thor told him.

**Vision handed Mjolnir to Thor and walked off. A slightly embarrassed Thor complimented Tony as Steve said they had 3 minutes and needed to take what they could get.**

"So now the final fight." Logan said.

"Yeah." Benjamin sighed.

"It was devastating." Scarlet Witch remembered and Wanda sighed.

* * *

**And done.**

**As for why I included Thor vs. Vision, I just…like the fight scene a lot. And hope my explanation of why Vision attacked made sense. This movie was the first time Vision was really interesting and intriguing…..and the last.**

**What Scarlet Witch said about Ultron wasn't a defense. I was giving him depth. And I got it from Dr. Matthattan so thank you to him. I agree with him on this wholeheartedly. And Sephiroth is my favorite villain in the entire Final Fantasy Series so I gave Ultron his description of walking mass of complexes. They both have a God Complex, a Messiah Complex and part of an Oedipus Complex, only Sephiroth actually worships his mother while Ultron doesn't have one.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	60. Battle of Sokovia

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes there was a lot of foreshadowing and glad you loved that quote being used. In the comics Spider-Man said it so Benjamin saying it felt fitting. The ones they were testing weren't true Marvel fans. Agreed on Erik. I might make a reference to the train scene later. It's Dr. Matthattan, not Dr. Manhattan, though I understand the confusion because I also used to call him Dr. Manhattan for one year before getting it right. Yes, no mother so no full Oedipus Complex. Yes he had a thing for Wasp in the comics and it was also shown in EMH. Even Sephiroth doesn't have a total Oedipus Complex but he still is closer to it than Ultron. He worships his mother Jenova and despises his father Hojo. Yeah, I think you're right on Vision. All the different personalities clashed and cancelled anything interesting. I found him a creepy stalker who doesn't respect Wanda's privacy in Civil War and Infinity War. Kind of like Barry in Flash Season 1 and 3x1 where he also stalked Iris. Agreed on Lila and you got a point on Thor vs. Ultron. I'm gonna use it in this chapter. Yes, K-bitch sounds about right. Thanks for the support again friend. I do feel better now. And I believe Coolrod and K-bitch would make a good crazy couple. Coolrod constantly hounds people to write Smallville fics ven if they have good reason not to. What a moron! Glad you love 'Heroes in Middle-earth.' I just want to ask one thing- did you like Oliver using his 'You have failed this city' line on Grima? And one question about 'Fight as one' I wanted to ask you for some reason- what did you think of the good Ultron in it? Glad you found that part funny in the A/N. Yes Hope is the captain. "You beat me by one second." I understood that reference. Yes I remember that. Chapter 17 of 'The Devil and The Hood.' Speaking of which, Bl4kckHunter wrote his own unofficial sequel to my 'The Devil and The Arrow Trilogy' called 'The Widow's Veil' which takes place after the Trilogy but ignores the epilogue. The story might reach that far soon. Enjoy.**

Chapter 60- Battle of Sokovia

"Now we fight Ultron." Tony said.

"Together." Steve added.

"Yup." Natasha agreed.

**Clint picked up his bow and arrows while Pietro wore sports shoes and a blue shirt while Thor and Vision talked. Tony plugged in an AI called F.R.I.D.A.Y. that greeted him.**

"Hello Friday." Pepper smiled.

"Friday is pretty advanced too." Vision approved of Tony's replacement for him.

**Pietro tossed Wanda a red jacket.**

"I love that jacket." Wanda said.

"I wear it to this day." Scarlet Witch said as she showed the jacket.

"That was my jacket." Natasha said with a mock glare, "But you can keep it."

Both the Wandas smiled sweetly.

**As Clint looked at a photo of his family, Tony said no way they all got through this. If even one tin soldier was left standing, they had lost. Blood would be on the floor. Steve dryly said he had no plans for the next night. Tony said he would get the first crack at Ultron as he was waiting for Iron Man and Vision agreed, saying he hated Iron Man the most.**

Everyone chuckled as Clint said, "When an android tells you how much a bot hates you."

**Steve then said, "Ultron knows we're coming. Odds are we'll be riding into heavy fire. And that's what we signed up for. But the people of Sokovia, they didn't. So our priority is getting them out." Pietro sped into a station and told the cops to clear the city. They didn't listen so he sped away and a few seconds later, returned with a gun which he fired into the air. They were all startled and ran off as Pietro told them to get off their asses.**

Everyone chuckled as Wanda said, "Yes. He doesn't like anyone sitting on their asses lazily."

"Aggressive but needed." Bruce agreed.

**Wanda used her red mist to make people evacuate. Steve said, "All they want is to live their lives in peace. And that's not gonna happen today. But we can do our best to protect them. And we can get the job done. We find out what Ultron's been building, we find Romanoff, and we clear the field. Keep the fight between us." Thor smashed a hole into Ultron's lair as him and Bruce went inside and walked to different directions.**

"Help me!" Natasha said in a mock damsel-in-distress tone and everyone chuckled.

"Help anyone who pisses you off." Bucky corrected and more chuckles followed.

**Steve finished, "Ultron thinks we're monsters. That we're what's wrong with the world. This isn't just about beating him. It's about whether he's right." Tony looked up at him.**

"We proved him wrong." Clint said.

"Yes we did." Thor agreed.

**The Quinjet was shown landing in Novi Grad. Steve, Clint, Wanda and Pietro walked out as Steve was about to wear his helmet when he saw graffiti painted which had him labelled as a fascist. Seeing that, he threw his helmet back into the Quinjet.**

"That was a wise decision, Captain." T'Challa said and Steve nodded.

**Wanda said the bridge was the main route out and Pietro said they will cover the others. Steve told them to get everyone out and they walked off to do as asked. Clint told him it wasn't bad as they both ran into different directions.**

"And so it begins." Fury said ominously.

"So it begins indeed." Benjamin agreed.

**The people were being evacuated as Bruce found Natasha and he asked if she was all right. She said she was and he said the team was in the city and it was all about to light up. Bruce then fired at the lock, destroying it. Natasha asked what their play was and Bruce said he was only here to get her to safety.**

"I don't think Nat really needs to be led to safety." Hill pointed out.

**He could help with the evacuation but couldn't be in a fight near civilians while she had done plenty.**

"It's never enough." Natasha said.

**Natasha asked if they should just disappear.**

"No. Bad idea and unworkable." Bruce said and nods followed.

**Clint watched the civilians being evacuated as Steve helped with the evacuation. Friday told Tony Ultron was in the church and he flew there in his Iron Man Armor: Mark XLV. He landed there as Ultron asked if he had come to confess his sins.**

"Trying to play God." Steve said.

"Won't end well for him I imagine." Scott said.

"Nope. Not at all." Logan said.

**Tony asked how much time he had got and Ultron said more than him as he arrived and towered over Tony in his new form.**

"He is big." Aunt May said.

"That is very big." Hope said.

**Tony jokingly asked if he had been juicing with Vibranium cocktail and jokingly called him puffy.**

Everyone chuckled as Peter said, "Nice way to stall there."

**Ultron said Tony was stalling to protect the people and Tony said that was the mission. Ultron said he had moved beyond their mission and was free. Suddenly, the activation device made of Vibranium jutted out of the ground as Ultron said Tony wasn't the only one stalling. Friday scanned it and said this was the rest of the Vibranium but the function was unclear.**

"Function is to destroy the city." Scarlet Witch snarled.

**Ultron said this is how they ended and this was peace in his time.**

"In a madman's head." Odinson said.

"He is even more insane than I was." Loki said.

**Ultron Sentries climbed to the city from the nearby water. They fired around as the people ran. Tony flew up while Steve blocked a Sentry's blast and swatted one away while Clint fired at one and stabbed another with his arrow without even looking at him.**

Everyone clapped for Clint as Sam said, "You have some really nice moments."

"Thanks." Clint shrugged.

**Clint fired at another as Wanda defended the people with a hex shield and told them to get off the bridge and run. One powerful shot made her shield disappear as she fell down. "Ultron." Ultron looked up to see Vision descending in front of him.**

"And our conflict begins." Vision said.

"Looks interesting." Rhodes said.

**Ultron and Vision hovered in front of each other as Ultron said they had taken everything from him and Vision said Ultron could change the terms he set. Ultron grabbed Vision but Vision grabbed his head and started burning him out of the Internet.**

"I don't think he would like that." T'Challa said.

"No." Vision agreed.

**Steve threw a Sentry onto a car and destroyed it as Thor sent some flying off with hits from Mjolnir and throwing it, continued. Pietro looked at some Sentries and cracking his neck, sped at them, destroying them all.**

Everyone clapped.

**Tony asked Friday about Vision and Friday said Ultron was being burnt out of the Net. Vision managed to burn Ultron out and was weakened Ultron said he didn't care and knocked Vision out.**

"Uhhh…I think you do care." Tony said.

**Ultron activated the device and the city started cracking as Thor defended himself from falling debris and Steve, Clint and Pietro watched as the city slowly started rising into the sky while civilians fell off the edges. Friday told Tony Sokovia was going for a ride.**

Everyone watched in horror with wide eyes as Peter said, "Oh boy!"

Wanda and Scarlet Witch were both pale as they once again experienced what their country had been through.

**Ultron then declared, "Do you see...the beauty of it? The inevitability. You rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor. My swift and terrible sword. And the Earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computers, turn my own flesh against me. It means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world...will be metal."**

Everyone was once again chilled by Ultron's speech as Scott said, "Damn!"

"He is too insane." Hope said.

**Clint shot a Sentry down as Steve punched another without looking. Bruce told Natasha they needed to move and she asked him to turn green. He said he had a compelling reason not to and she said she adored him as they kissed.**

"EUGH!" Everyone said as the cringe level reached its max. Natasha and Bruce's 'EUGH' were the loudest.

"Please end this soon." Bruce said.

**Natasha then pushed Bruce off and said she needed the Other Guy.**

"That was a dick move." Natasha said as she looked at Bruce apologetically, "I'm sorry."

"It's all right." Bruce shrugged, "It did work after all."

**Hulk leapt out and Natasha held onto him as he leapt around till they reached Novi Grad and she fell off his back. She said now they were even.**

Everyone chuckled as Fury said, "Sounds about right."

**She told Hulk to be a hero and he leapt into the city as Natasha started running. Pietro sped around, destroying more Sentries as Friday said the Vibranium core had a magnetic field which was keeping the rock together. If it dropped, the impact would kill thousands but from its max height, global extinction.**

Everyone watched with wide eyes again as Peter said, "That is so scary."

"It really is." Aunt May agreed.

**Friday told Tony the 10****th**** floor of a building wasn't clear as he flew into it. He blasted through the window and awkwardly greeting the family, told them to get into the tub.**

Everyone chuckled as Pepper said, "Good going."

"Thanks." Tony shrugged.

**Tony flew the entire family out in the tub as the kid looked down in awe. Friday told Tony then had incoming on the bridge. A Sentry flew into Steve, sending him crashing into a car as Tony said he had incoming and Steve said they already came in.**

Everyone chuckled as Scott said, "Dude! You pulled a Drax!"

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "And I did it very literally."

**Steve got up and said, "Stark, you worry about bringing the city back down safely. The rest of us have one job, tear these things apart. You get hurt, hurt them back. You get killed... walk it off."**

"Nice speech." Natasha commented and Steve nodded in appreciation.

"You're really great at this." Bucky told Steve.

"Of course he is!" Sam said.

**The Sentries fired around as Zrinka ran with Costel and then Hulk arrived, tearing a Sentry apart. Zrinka screamed and led Costel away. Clint fired at some Sentries as a scared Wanda barely deflected one. Clint flipped over a Sentry and shot it down.**

"That looked cool." Hope said.

"Thanks." Clint shrugged.

**Clint led a scared Wanda away and jumped into an empty house with her. She crawled away, guiltily muttering she had let it happen and that it was their fault. Clint said, "Hey, look at me. It's your fault, it's everyone's fault. Who cares? Are you up for this? Are you? Look, I just need to know. Because the city is flying. Okay. Look, the city is flying, we're fighting an army of robots, and I have a bow and arrow. None of this makes sense." He was interrupted by a Sentry firing through the door as Wanda gasped and he fired through the hole before continuing, "But I'm going back out there because it's my job. Okay? And I can't do my job and babysit. It doesn't matter what you did or what you were. If you go out there, you fight, and you fight to kill. Stay in here, you're good. I'll send your brother to come find you. But if you step out that door, you are an Avenger." Wanda now looked determined as Clint got up and took out some arrows, "All right. Good chat. Yeah, the city is flying." He opened the door with his back and returned to the fight.**

Everyone applauded and cheered at Clint's speech as Fury said, "Captain. You've got competition."

"You did great, Clint." Steve complimented him.

"Thanks." He shrugged again.

"Thank you for what you said to me that day." Wanda said to him, "You are the reason I am what I am today."

Clint smiled proudly at her as Scarlet Witch said, "Yes. Your words are what inspired us. Thank you."

Clint smiled at her too as they looked at the screen again.

**A car was about to fall off as the woman in it screamed. Steve grabbed it from behind but it broke off and fell down. That was Thor flew up and seeing her, flew at her. Steve sent a Sentry flying off as Thor took the woman's hand and threw her up. Steve caught her and told her to look at him as he pulled her up and threw his shield at a ranting Sentry. "You'll never-" It was cut off when Steve pulled it with the shield and threw it down, "You'll never what? You didn't finish!"**

Everyone chuckled as Tony said, "Nice one Cap!"

"If Tony is complimenting for something funny, it is an achievement." Natasha joked and everyone laughed.

**Thor arrived as he put down a car he was holding. They walked off as Steve dryly asked if he was napping. The man in the car Thor had lifted staggered out and vomited.**

"Bummer." Peter said and everyone chuckled a bit.

"Travelling at that speed is not safe for normal humans." Vision said.

**Natasha dodged a Sentry's shots and managed to take it down with her batons as Steve dodged some shots and kicked up his shield. Thor batted it away with Mjolnir and it hit many Sentries, destroying them.**

Everyone clapped as Bucky said, "Now you two have the best combinations."

**Thor then flew up, holding some Sentries on Mjolnir and in a rotatory motion, threw them all around, killing them all as one crashed into a petrol van, causing an explosion which destroyed several more.**

Everyone clapped and cheered as Loki said, "I believe you are bothering him."

"I am, brother." Thor said.

"He didn't take it well." Odinson said.

**Ultron saw what was happening and said Thor was bothering him. Thor got another Sentry when Ultron rammed into him and flew off with him.**

"Just repeated what I said." Loki said dryly and everyone chuckled.

**Clint fired at more Sentries but his arm hurt a bit because he was only human. The doors then opened and out walked a Wanda different than before. She was not the unstable person the Mind Stone had made her and not a scared girl. She was an Avenger ready to fight for what's right. She blasted a Sentry with her hex blast and used her telekinesis to rip them apart while Clint fired at another. She ripped more apart and destroyed the remaining with another hex blast. She nodded at Clint and he nodded back.**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily as Benjamin said, "Nice!"

"Thanks." Scarlet Witch said with a smirk. To their relief, nobody noticed, except the spies. Though they decided not to say a thing for now.

"That was very brave of you." Vision complimented Wanda.

"Thanks." She said too.

"Proud of you both." Clint said with a beaming smile to the two Wandas.

"He is not the only one." Natasha said.

"No he isn't." Steve agreed.

**Clint told Steve they were clear as Steve rammed his shield into a Sentry and said they were not clear as he shattered it into pieces with a kick. Clint said they were coming to him when Pietro arrived and holding Wanda bridal style, sped away, calling Clint 'old man' and telling him to speed up. Clint aimed an arrow into the air and said nobody would know he killed him and ran around muttering how Ultron was sitting on Pietro and he will be missed.**

Normally, it would be really funny but because of Pietro's eventual fate, it wasn't. It only made everyone wince in pain and sadness.

**Ultron threw Thor into the church and used gravity manipulation to smash a column into him. He then punched Thor as Mjolnir fell from his grip.**

"Why aren't you trying to fight back?" Peter asked.

"Remember what happened the last time I hit something Vibranium with all my strength?" Thor reminded and everyone's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh!" Tony said.

"That makes sense." Steve said.

"Yes. That is why I held back." Odinson said.

**Pietro sped Wanda to where police were firing at the Sentries as the captain told everyone to hold their fire while Wanda destroyed Sentries with hex blasts. But one cop didn't pull back by mistake and his bullet hit Pietro's shoulder as he hadn't noticed. He then glared at the cop who backed down.**

Everyone chuckled a bit there because that did look funny.

**Steve tossed Natasha his shield and she used it to defend herself from a Sentry before tossing it back to Steve who destroyed it.**

"You two make a great team." Sam commented to them and they smiled.

**Friday said the anti-gravs were rigged to flip and city won't come down slow. Tony wondered if he could get Thor to hit it and Friday said it would crack but the impact would be devastating. Tony said they needed to get the atomic action doubling back and Friday said it could vaporize the city.**

"Which is why it had to be emptied." Tony said.

"Yeah." Steve agreed.

**Steve said next wave would hit any minute and inquired Tony if he had found anything. Tony said he had a way to blow up the city to keep it from impacting the surface if they could get it clear. Steve said he asked for a solution, not an escape plan and Tony said impact radius was getting bigger every second so they needed to make a choice. Natasha said there was no math there and Steve said he wouldn't leave the rock with one civilian on it. Natasha said they won't leave as there were worse ways to go.**

"We have to try to save as many people as we can." Steve said.

"Yes. And figure out a way." Tony agreed.

**Natasha said she liked the view when Fury's voice came, "Glad you like the view, Romanoff. It's about to get better." And then a Helicarrier rose into the air as Pietro, Zrinka, Costel and the other people of Sokovia watched happily. **

Everyone clapped and cheered as Bruce said, "Now that was your best entrance so far."

Fury shrugged.

**Fury said he had pulled it out of the mothballs with help from old friends.**

"Coulson and his team." Hill said.

"Oh!" Almost everyone said.

"**Fury, you son of a bitch." Steve said dryly. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?" Fury asked back dryly.**

Everyone chuckled as Tony said, "Watch your language!"

"I will." Steve said in amusement.

**Hill said altitude was 18,000 and climbing and Cameron Klein said lifeboats were disengaging.**

"And Klein is here too." Natasha said and they all smiled at remembering his bravery from the earlier recording.

**The lifeboats came out as Pietro asked if this was SHIELD and Steve said this was what SHIELD was supposed to be. "This is not so bad." Pietro said as Steve said to load them up. Many Sentries flew at the Helicarrier as Hill informed Fury and he told her to show them what they had got.**

"Now this will be a story!" Rhodes said and everyone realized what was coming.

**Rhodes flew out and fired at the Sentries, destroying them all as he said this was gonna be a story.**

Everyone clapped and cheered as Tony said, "And now you have the material for the best story of your life!"

"I am doing it." Rhodes said as everyone chuckled.

**Tony said if he lived to tell it and Rhodes said he could hold his own. Tony said if they got through this, he would hold his own and Rhodes said he had to make it weird.**

Everyone chuckled as Pepper said, "That was really weird."

**Steve and Natasha led people into a lifeboat as Wanda led people into another and Clint led them into a third while Klein commented a boat was full. Hill said a Sentry was incoming as it crashed into the Helicarrier and crawled at Klein. Hill fired at it and Fury stabbed it with debris, destroying it.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

**Ultron punched Thor down and said he wasn't saving anyone as he held him in a chokehold. He said he could drop the rock early and still people would die and even Thor couldn't stop it.**

"Ultron, we would have words with thee." Thor said and everyone clapped at how menacing he sounded when he had said it.

**Thor said, "I am Thor, son of Odin, and as long as there is life in my breast...I am running out of things to say! Are you ready?" Ultron turned around and an awakened Vision hit him with Mjolnir, sending him flying off.**

Everyone clapped and cheered as Scott said, "Take that you bastard!"

**Vision said it was terribly well-balanced. Thor took it back and said if they carried too much weight, they'd lose power on the swing.**

Everyone chuckled a bit.

**Tony blasted some Sentries and said he needed to create a heat seal and supercharge the spire from below. Friday ran numbers as the corner of a lifeboat was destroyed and it started coming down. Rhodes destroyed the Sentry with his gun as Tony lifted the lifeboat back up. Friday said a heat seal could work with enough power and Tony told Thor he had a plan. Thor said they were out of time as Ultron was coming for the core. Tony told Rhodes to get the rest of the people away and said, "Avengers, time to work for a living."**

"Now it's about to happen." Hope realized.

**At the church, all the Avengers destroyed any Sentries that arrived as Tony flew in and said Romanoff and Banner better not be playing 'hide the zucchini.'**

Natasha glared at Tony who paled as Bruce said, "The joke is cringe for obvious reasons."

"Duh!" Pepper said.

**Natasha dryly called Tony 'shellhead' and said not all of them could fly as she rammed a truck into several Sentries and arrived. Tony showed her what the drill was and said if Ultron got a hand on it, they would lose. Hulk arrived and stood with them. Ultron then flew up to them and Thor challenged, "Is that the best you can do?" An entire army of Sentries arrived at that moment, running or flying as they surrounded the church." You had to ask." Steve said dryly to Thor.**

Everyone chuckled as Odinson said, "I believe I jinxed it."

"Jinxes are bullshit." Logan said after ages.

**Ultron said, "This is the best I can do. This is exactly what I wanted. All of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?" Tony said, "Well, like the old man said...", Steve glanced at him, "Together." Hulk roared.**

"And it's on." Aunt May said.

**The Sentries ran or flew at the Avengers from all sides. Steve hit them with his shield, Tony flew around and blasted them, Thor threw them around with Mjolnir, Hulk shattered them into pieces, Natasha fire at them with her pistols, Clint fired his arrows, Wanda fired her hex blasts, Pietro sped around and punched them while Vision tore them apart. Vision grabbed a Sentry as Steve grabbed one and tore off its head while Wanda destroyed some that neared the core. Vision grabbed another Sentry and phased his hand through it, destroying it.**

"Oh! That!" Scott said.

"That was a unique move." T'Challa said.

"Not that unique." Hope said as her and Scott remembered Ghost.

**The Avengers then fought as one as Steve flipped at one and bashed it with his shield while Wanda fired her hex blasts at some and Thor used Mjolnir or lightning to destroy others while Tony flew around and blasted them as Pietro sped at them and Vision ripped them apart as Hulk threw them around and roared. Natasha and Clint simply fired with guns and bow respectively. Thor kicked one away as Clint hit another with his bow while Wanda restrained one with telekinesis and Tony blasted it. Thor ripped one apart and used it to hit others as Pietro hit another at super-speed while Hulk spat pieces of another out of his mouth. Natasha shot one out as Ultron flew in and fought Vision. He slammed Vision onto a wall but Vision fired a beam from the Mind Stone, sending him flying back. As he tried to resist, Thor fired his lightning while Iron Man fired his repulsors. In spite of his Vibranium, he couldn't protect himself as the skin was melted and the three stopped their barrage. Ultron was about to rant when Hulk sent him flying off with a punch and roared at other Sentries, making them run off in fear as he chased them.**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily as Peter said, "That was awesome!"

"Really, really awesome!" Pepper said.

"Ultron got what he deserved from us." Bruce said nods and chuckles followed.

"And now they are afraid too." T'Challa said.

"Natural reaction from them." Vision said.

**Thor said they would try to leave the city and Tony said they couldn't let them leave. Rhodes said he was on it as he fired at some more, jokingly saying he didn't allow them to leave.**

Everyone laughed as Sam said, "That was funny."

"I know." Rhodes shrugged.

**He then saw Vision destroying some with his Mind Stone beams and phasing through one and said, "Okay, what?"**

Everyone chuckled as Rhodes said, "We have come a long way."

"We sure have." Tony agreed.

**Steve said they needed to move out as the air was getting thin. They should get to the boats and he'll sweep for stragglers. Clint asked about the core and Wanda said, "I'll protect it. It's my job."**

Wanda and Scarlet Witch smiled.

**Steve, Natasha and Clint ran out as Pietro sped in and Wanda told him to get everyone to the boats and to come back for her when everyone was on the boats. Pietro jokingly said he was 12 minutes older than her and she told him to go while amused.**

Everyone chuckled as Tony said, "Another 12."

**Tony told Friday to reroute everything as they only had one shot at this. Clint was driving around with Natasha as he told her he needed to knock out the east wall to make a nice workspace for Laura and out up baffling so she couldn't hear the kids running. Natasha commented how they ate in a kitchen anyway and Clint said nobody ate in a dining room.**

Everyone chuckled as Steve said, "But I do."

"You are so old-fashioned." Natasha said and everyone chuckled.

**They saw Hulk destroying any remaining Sentries and Natasha told Clint to get on a boat. She walked towards Hulk and taking off her glove said sun was getting real low.**

"Not this again." Sam said as everyone groaned.

"Probably the last time." Natasha said.

"Unfortunately, we will see it just one more time in another recording." Odinson said and groans followed.

**Clint walked into a lifeboat when Zrinka said her brother Costel had gone missing. Clint saw where Costel was lying between some debris and ran to save him.**

"Noble thing to do, Agent Barton." T'Challa said.

"Someone else did something even nobler." Clint said and everyone realized who he was talking about.

**Tony made a hole below the spire and told Thor to get back to the church. Steve told Thor the last of the people were on the boats. Tony told Thor if this worked they won't walk away and Thor agreed.**

"You both were ready to sacrifice yourselves?" Pepper asked.

"That's our job." Thor said.

"And we needed to save the people." Tony said.

"So that's what we did." Odinson told them.

Everyone nodded.

**Natasha and Hulk were about to touch each other's hands again when automatic gunfire hit the ground, knocking Natasha out and staggering Hulk back.**

"Shit!" Rhodes said.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" Peter gasped again.

"It's Ultron again." Logan said.

**In the Quinjet, Ultron sang, "I got no strings, so I have fun. I'm not tied up to anyone."**

"He is like a creepy Pinocchio." Tony commented and everyone nodded, creeped out by him.

**Clint picked up Costel when Ultron fired again. Steve and Thor defended themselves as a cop died. Clint turned around, intent on protecting Costel when Pietro saw them and sped in the way. When the gunfire ceased, Clint realized him and Costel were alive and unharmed. Wanda's expression turned to one of horror as she realized what had happened. Clint turned to see Pietro riddled with bullets. "You didn't see that coming?" He asked one last time before dropping dead on the ground.**

Wanda and Scarlet Witch didn't even realize when the tears had formed in their eyes along with lumps in their throats. Wanda was trying to wipe the tears already. Before Vision could comfort her, Clint got up from his couch and sat next to her, taking her in his arms.

Benjamin put an arm around Scarlet Witch to comfort her.

Everyone looked at both the Wandas and the dead Pietro on screen in sympathy. They had helped Ultron, but both of them had paid for it dearly. Pietro with his life and Wanda by experiencing the pain of his death. And she had dedicated herself to helping people since then. She made mistakes, but she was a good person.

After two minutes, Logan restarted the recording.

**Wanda screamed in grief, rage and agony as her magic destroyed all the Sentries nearby due to her rage.**

Everyone watched with wide eyes. An angry Wanda was one really dangerous foe to face for anyone.

**Thor angrily flew off to carry out Tony's plan as Steve ran up to Clint who looked up at him and shook his head sadly due to Pietro's fate. Costel looked at Pietro's bullet-riddled body as Clint picked him up while Steve gently lifted the body. Natasha's eyes opened and she realized she was in Hulk's arms in the air. He landed on the Helicarrier and put her there before leaping away into Ultron's Quinjet. "For God's sake." An annoyed Ultron said before Hulk threw him out and he crashed into a bus below.**

"That is exactly what you deserved." Bruce said coldly and nods followed.

**Steve gently lowered Pietro's body on the boat as Clint handed Costel over to Zrinka who hugged him and sobbed. Clint sat down next to where Pietro's body lay and refused help from a worker, saying he only needed rest as he lay down. Wanda walked to where Ultron lay, her hands glowing with her magic. Ultron told her to leave or she'd die. "I just did. Do you know how it felt?" Wanda asked coldly before using her powers to brutally rip out his heart which she held in her hand now, "It felt like that."**

Everyone was shocked by how brutal she was. But not that shocked. She had lost her brother. Tony and Clint were sure they'd react exactly this way if a loved one was threatened or killed.

**One remaining Ultron Sentry crawled up to the now unguarded core.**

"Now that was my fault." Wanda said guiltily.

"I have been consumed by vengeance too, Miss Maximoff. It makes people act before they think." T'Challa told her and she nodded.

**The Ultron Sentry activated the core and the city started falling just as Steve leapt onto the boat to save himself.**

Everyone watched with breaths held back.

**Tony fired the Unibeam from is chest to keep the atomic action doubling back and told Thor to hit the core on his mark. Thor raised Mjolnir in the church as lightning emanated from it. Vision flew into the falling city and lifting up Wanda bridal style, flew off. That was when Tony told Thor to do it and he hit the core with all his strength. The shockwave from his hit destroyed the entire city at once as Tony flew and avoided the falling core. The pieces of the destroyed city fell into the water along with a knocked out Thor.**

Everyone released their breaths as Wanda said, "My city is gone. But it was what needed to be done."

"Yes. It was." Scarlet Witch agreed.

**Hulk was in the Quinjet as Natasha told him on video call to turn it around as they couldn't track him on stealth mode but he cut the call to her shock. He then sat in the Quinjet sadly as it flew off.**

"That is on me." Wanda sighed sadly.

Bruce didn't a word, knowing how much she hated herself for that.

**The remaining Ultron Sentry climbed out of the crater that was Novi Grad as Vision landed in front of him. "You're afraid." Vision said. "Of you?" Ultron asked. "Of death." He said, "You're the last one." Ultron said, "You were supposed to be the last. Stark asked for a savior and settled for a slave." Vision said, "I suppose we are both disappointments." Ultron chuckled, "I suppose we are." Vision said, "Humans are odd. They think order and chaos are somehow opposites and... try to control what won't be. But there is grace in their failings. I think you missed that."**

"That is some nice wisdom for someone so new." Loki commented.

"I did get my personality from quite a few different things." Vision said.

"**They're doomed." Ultron said. "Yes." Vision said, "But a thing isn't beautiful because it lasts. It's a privilege to be among them." Ultron said, "You're unbearably naive." Vision responded, "Well...I was born yesterday."**

Everyone chuckled as Tony said, "That's Jarvis talking."

"I believe it is." Vision agreed.

**The Ultron Sentry tried to attack Vision but was destroyed by the Mind Stone's beam. **

Everyone sighed in relief as Steve said, "So that was the last of him."

"I believe it was." Vision said, "I did not sense anyone else after that."

**In the farmhouse, Lila and Cooper were reading a book while Laura was cooking something when she turned back to see Clint was there. She smiled and hugged him happily as he hugged back.**

Everyone smiled happily at the scene as well as Clint said, "And then I came back."

Scarlet Witch winced as she remembered when Clint had gotten out of retirement one last time to help. And that had been the last.

**Tony drove his car to the New Avengers Facility in Upstate New York where several people were working. Hill and Cho talked and worked while Erik Selvig gave instructions to some interns. Natasha stood alone, staring at a wall. She then took out her phone where she saw a video of the newborn Nathaniel Pietro Barton and jokingly called him fat.**

Everyone chuckled while a smiling Clint said, "All babies are."

**Fury arrived and showed Natasha something like the Quinjet splashed down in the Banda Sea but with Stark's stealth tech, they couldn't track it. Fury joked he had probably jumped and swam to Fiji and said he'd send a postcard.**

Everyone chuckled when Bruce suddenly said, "But I took the Quinjet to Sakaar. So what did you find in the sea?"

Fury looked around as everyone shot him glares.

"Busted." Hope muttered.

"So you lied?" Natasha asked as the intensity of the glares increased.

"To get you to focus on the job." Fury said.

"Oh man, when are you gonna stop trying to be the Spy?" Tony asked.

"Well, I did tell you I won't keep stuff from you from now on." Fury said, "So now I won't be keeping anything else I find."

They nodded, not entirely satisfied but accepting.

"I didn't know that." Hill said to Fury.

**Natasha asked if Fury had known what would happen when he had sent her to recruit him. Fury said, "You never know. You hope for the best, then make do with what you get. I got a great team." Natasha said nothing lasted forever and Fury said, "Trouble, Ms. Romanoff. No matter who wins or loses, trouble still comes around." He then walked off.**

"You are a dictionary of quotes, you know that?" Rhodes said to Fury who shook his head.

"He is right." Sam said.

**Steve, Tony and Thor walked together as Steve said the rules had changed and Tony said they were dealing with something new. Steve and Tony joked how Vision was a machine so it didn't count. It wasn't like a person lifting the hammer and Steve said it was different rules for them. Tony said he was a nice guy but artificial as Thor said he could lift the hammer so he could keep the Mind Stone.**

"But I'm sure you understood that I lifted it because the hammer couldn't make out what I was." Vision said.

"I did." Thor said, "But I knew Steve could lift it. So I left it because I knew he'd do anything to keep it safe." [1]

"Really?" Steve asked and Thor and Odinson both nodded, "Thank you for trusting me."

"Well, that makes more sense." Tony said.

**Steve joked if they put the hammer in an elevator and Tony joked it would still go up and Steve joked elevator wasn't worthy.**

Everyone laughed as Bucky said to Steve, "You are being as funny as Tony in this one."

**Thor said he would miss these little talks of theirs and Tony said he didn't need to leave. They walked out as Thor said, "I have no choice. The Mind Stone is the fourth of the Infinity Stones to show up in the last few years. It's not a coincidence. Someone has been playing an intricate game and has made pawns of us."**

"That someone is Thanos." Loki said and everyone nodded.

"And you are here to find out how to stop him." Benjamin said.

**Thor said he'd find out what's coming and with Tony, anything was possible.**

"Thanks, Point Break." Tony said both Thors nodded.

**Thor raised Mjolnir as the Bifrost came down and took him back to Asgard and the mark was put on the ground. Tony joked that man had no regard for lawn maintenance.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Tony said he'd still miss him though and Steve would miss him as his automatic car arrived. There would be a lot of manful tears as Steve said he would miss Tony. Tony said he was going to tap out and take a page out of Barton's book and build Pepper a farm with hopes of nobody blowing it up.**

Everyone chuckled as Pepper said, "I'm still waiting for it."

"We will get there soon." Tony said.

**Tony said Steve would get there one day and he said the man who wanted family and stability went into ice 75 years ago and someone else came out. This was home.**

"I still need to find what I have beyond this." Steve said and everyone nodded.

**Tony got into his car and drove off as Steve went to Natasha and joked the wall was interesting. Natasha joked she thought him and Tony were gazing into each other's eyes.**

Everyone chuckled at their witty banter.

**Steve and Natasha discussed the new members of their team and decided to beat them into shape as they entered the room. Rhodes opened the visor of his War Machine armor as Vision turned around while Sam flew down with his wings out and Wanda landed on the ground with her energy around her. Steve began, "Avengers…" The screen went black.**

"That looked awesome." Peter said as everyone watched.

"So, one more scene?" Tony asked and a nod followed.

**In an unknown location, a glove was shown as someone walked towards it and wore it on his left hand. It was Thanos as he pressed he pressed his hand into a fist and said, "Fine. I'll do it myself." The screen went black.**

"Oh no!" Hill said.

"What was that?" Steve asked.

"It actually happened a few years after the previous scene." Odinson said, "It has already happened actually." [2]

"What?" Tony asked, "And what is that Gauntlet?"

"Its purpose is to harness the power of the Infinity Stones." Benjamin revealed to their shock.

"It was made by Eitri in Nidavellir when Thanos threatened his people." Odinson revealed to Thor's and Loki's horror, "And when he made it, Thanos still killed the other Dwarves and smelted his hands in metal."

"That is exactly what I'd expect him to do." A horrified Loki said.

"What happened to Eitri?" A concerned Thor asked.

"You will see later. And you have to talk to him in the exact same way when you meet him." Logan said and they nodded.

"So now who're we watching?" Hope asked.

"Last recording for the day is…you and Scott actually." Benjamin said.

"Really?" Scott asked and nods followed, "Yes!"

"It was pretty fun." Scarlet Witch remembered.

"I think after all the stuff we have watched, we need something light-hearted." Natasha said.

"Yeah." Benjamin said, "That is correct."

And then Logan pressed the remote.

* * *

**Chapter finished. I wanted to put in the deleted scene of Natasha asking Wanda about the jacket but didn't get a chance to include it so I hope Natasha and the two Wandas talking about it made up for that.**

**Everyone talks a lot about the father-son relationship between Tony and Peter (which in my opinion isn't that good), but not many talk about the father-daughter relationship between Clint and Wanda which I love so much more because of how deep it is.**

**[1] This is just my theory and because Thor said he knew Steve could wield Mjolnir in Avengers: Endgame, I think Thor left the Mind Stone and Vision in Steve's care rather than the Mind Stone in Vision's. Plus, I have already given my reasons as to why I don't find Vision worthy.**

**[2] There is some confusion as to when this scene takes place in the timeline because it was shown as a mid-credits scene of this movie but I'm guessing it took place sometime before the opening of Avengers: Infinity War and they showed it here.**

**Now, I just have to say I have exams now for a week so I will try to update this but they won't be as regular as they normally are. But I have done like 6 movies between my two exams so I'm sure I have made up for that. I will update 'Heroes in Middle-earth' more regularly because it has shorter chapters. But I will return to this as soon as exams are done.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter where we start with Ant-Man.**


	61. Scott Lang

**Disclaimer: I'M BACK BABY! And I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize.**

**I was true to what I said. I stayed away from this story for exactly one week.**

**Anyway, thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**In other news, Spider-Man has been acquired by Disney again as part of a deal between Disney and Sony that will help the former in acquiring 25% of the profits generated from the movies that have the Web-Slinger in them. Based on what I've heard, this deal is only for 2 movies and then Sony will get Spidey back, unless Apple buys Sony.**

**Normally, I'd be in 7****th**** Heaven, but considering the way Peter's arc was handled in the MCU and their future plans for him, which involved him being used to elevate Captain Marvel in an attempt to make her more likable (I'm sure it will make everyone loathe her, including those who happen to just like her, like me), my reaction is overall mixed. What I think should happen now-**

**Tobey Maguire: Now dig on this *Snaps***

**Tom Holland Spidey: Mr. Stark? I don't feel so good *Turns to dust***

**Next day on the Daily Bugle front page: SPIDER-MAN 4 ANNOUNCED! STARRING TOBEY MAGUIRE!**

**Tobey Maguire: *Dances like in Spider-Man 3* **

**Anyway, we will see if they change their plans for Spidey in the MCU. Like I said, my reaction is mixed.**

**And now onto important matters, we begin with Ant-Man, which I'd say is the MCU's heist movie with elements of a family movie in it. I love this movie as well as the second one. Scott Lang and Hope are amazing characters who play off of each other very nicely.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, all of them fight as one. Yes, people do overlook it in spite of its beauty. Agreed on Tony and Peter, it was mentor/protégé at best and not the closest. I didn't like it in Civil War and Homecoming but it was good in Infinity War and Endgame. Thanks for the correction and you're welcome. Yeah, Wanda didn't exactly dissuade him on-screen but it was implied she tried as in the beginning of Civil War when Vision phased into her room, she said they had talked about this earlier so looks like Vision didn't listen to her. Yes, you can call her Scarlet and glad it was a good detail. I wish that too on Thor and yeah, at least he destroyed a city. Thor used that quote in the comics as well. Glad what I did with the Mind Stone is more believable and yeah, an OC sounds better than Vision at this point. Glad using the line seemed fitting. 'City' sounds cooler than 'country' to me. Glad you liked Good Ultron and found him interesting. Yeah, Fury making stuff up is more believable. Glad you liked my 'Revenge' piece and thanks a lot on K-bitch. You're welcome on the shout-out. Glad you liked what I did in 'Iris' punishment.' I had seen Flash 5x19 that day and Iris pissed me off majorly so that needed to be done. I don't think Sokovia is that fond of Avengers to be honest even if they saved them. They'd probably have a mixed opinion on the Avengers overall. Yes, now Scott and Luis are here! Thanks a lot mate. Exams went well to be honest. Also thanks for the review on 'Fanatic goes to prison' and thanks for the idea again. Yeah, something is wrong with those people. I think my Nick Cage just needed a KC fanatic condemned by KC herself because I returned to normal a few minutes after escaping prison. And I think you'll like 'Deadpool stops Adrian Chase' too. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. I think I'll do it over time. Good idea. Thanks.**

Chapter 61- Scott Lang

"So this time it's us?" Scott asked.

"Yeah, you and Hope's heist." Benjamin said.

"This is gonna be embarrassing." Hope said, giving Scott a smirk.

"Eh! Let's just turn it on." Logan said.

That was when a young woman walked into the room.

"So….composed yourself?" Scarlet Witch asked.

"Better late than never, right?" She asked and everyone nodded before turning to Scott, "Hi…Dad."

Scott's eyes widened as he got up from couch and the two moved towards each other. He caressed her face lovingly and said, "You're so…You're so big."

She chuckled as the two hugged. The emotional scene brought smiles to everyone's faces.

"So you're an Avenger now?" Peter asked her.

"They call me Stinger." Cassie said as she turned to Scott and Hope, "My suit has features of both of yours. I can grow and shrink as well as fly and fire blasts. And I can communicate with ants."

"And you made it yourself?" Scott asked.

"I had some help but yeah, I did make most of it myself." She smiled.

"Daddy is so proud." Scott said as he hugged and she chuckled happily.

"So you're here to watch with us…..Ant-Girl?" Tony asked.

"She just said her name was Stinger." Pepper reminded and he nodded.

"Yeah. Couldn't miss out on this one." Cassie said as she took her seat with the future people.

"The more the merrier." Odinson said.

"Yeah right." Thor agreed.

"Let's turn it on now." Benjamin said and started the recording.

**In 1989 in a SHIELD base, Hank Pym walked inside.**

"Dad." Hope whispered. He looked so young in this. But his eyes already seemed full of pain.

**Hank stopped in front of an old Howard Stark, an old Peggy Carter and Mitchell Carson. Howard said Hank was supposed to be in Moscow and Hank said he had taken a detour as he put a vial on the table.**

"Dad." Tony said, "Working for SHIELD. I did hear about the disagreement with Pym."

"Pym didn't like SHIELD replicating his technology." Fury said, "Considering Hydra was hiding within SHIELD, good call."

"No kidding." Natasha agreed.

**Peggy was shocked as Hank said this was a poor attempt to replicate his work.**

"Peggy." Steve said, "Working for SHIELD huh."

"She looks pretty old but recognizable." Sam said.

"I think Hank is very pleased with her either." Bucky said.

**Mitchell said Hank was a soldier but he said he was a scientist.**

"That guy." Hope snarled.

"Something wrong with him?" Pepper asked.

"Everything wrong with him." Scott said.

"The guy was Hydra." Fury revealed to everyone.

**Howard told Hank to act like one and put the Pym Particle to good use. Hank said they had turned him into an errand boy and now stolen his research. Mitchell commented if only he had protected his wife with such ferocity. Hank angrily slammed his head on the table, breaking his nose and said if he mentioned his wife again, he'd show him ferocity.**

"The guy looked like a jackass. Good job." Aunt May said.

"Don't mention my mom." Hope snarled at Carson

**Carson glanced at Howard who shrugged and said he had said it.**

Everyone chuckled as Tony said, "Now that sounds like me."

**Hank said he was formally tendering his resignation and Howard said they won't accept it formally. Howard said the Pym Particle was a miracle and asked Hank to stay but he said nobody would get the formula as long as he was alive and walked out.**

"Respect." Bruce said discreetly.

**Carson said they shouldn't let him leave as Peggy said he wouldn't want to go to war with him. Howard said Hank had beaten Carson at normal size and would be even more dangerous in miniature form.**

"Too dangerous for you lot." Cassie said.

**Howard said he had known Hank his whole life and he would only be a risk if they made him one.**

"That sounds about right to me." Fury said.

**In Present Day, Scott Lang was in a prison uniform and was punched away by another prisoner as everyone else cheered.**

Everyone looked a bit shocked as Scott said, "It's not what it looks like."

**Scott punched the big prisoner but he was unaffected and Scott asked what if he came from the left side before punching his face, staggering him back as he tasted a bit of blood.**

"You're not that bad at punching." Hope noted.

"Just don't like punching people that much." Scott said.

"And you're still a superhero." Cassie reminded him.

"He kicks them." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

"I remember." Peter whispered so no one would hear him.

**Scott and the guy whose name was Peachy then hugged and said they would miss each other as the others hugged him too. Scott commented they had weird goodbye rituals.**

"That's prison for ya!" Clint said.

"The entire prison seems to love you." Rhodes said to Scott.

"He's that likable." Sam said and everyone chuckled.

**Scott was led out as Luis greeted him and the two hugged happily. **

"Luis." Scott said happily.

"You two look close." Steve said.

"This is the most positive guy ever." Benjamin said.

"Even more positive than you, Cap." Cassie told him and everyone chuckled.

"They're not wrong." Scott said.

**Luis inquired about the eye and Scott said it was Peachy's goodbye ritual. Luis said he still had the scar from one year ago and was the only person to knock him out. Scott said he hadn't and the two sat in his van and drove away. Scott inquired about Luis' girlfriend and he said, "Oh, she left me." He then continued, "Yeah, my ma died, too. And my dad got deported. But I got the van!" Scott said it was nice.**

"You were not wrong about his positivity." Steve said.

"He's got the van!" Logan said.

"He appears to like it very much." T'Challa said.

**Scott thanked Luis for everything as he said Scott would be on his feet and no time and also mentioned some really skilled people but Scott said he was serious about not going back because he had a daughter to take care of.**

"Family first." Scott said as he exchanged a smile with Cassie.

**Luis said jobs didn't come easy for ex-cons and Scott said he had a Masters in Electrical Engineering so it'd be fine.**

"You wish." Scott said to his on-screen self.

**At Baskin Robbins, Scott in his work uniform welcomed a customer and asked if he would try the Mungo Fruit Blast. The dumb teenager ordered a burger, hot pretzel and mustard tip. Scott said only ice cream and the teenager said anything was hot and fresh.**

"I think he might have a problem." Bruce said and everyone shook their heads sadly.

**The chief then called Scott in and said he had found out about his record, to his shock, saying Baskin Robbins always found out. Scott apologized, saying no one would hire him but Dale said he respected him as he had stuck it to the billionaire SOBs.**

"We seem to be a hated lot." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

"Well, I'm not talking about you, but many one-percenters are pretty corrupt." Hill said and everyone nodded.

**Scott said he appreciated having the job but Dale said he was still fired. Scott argued it wasn't a violent crime and Dale said it was a cool crime so he was free to take a Mango Fruits Blast while going out and he wouldn't mind.**

"He still needed a clean image I guess." Wanda said and Scott nodded.

"Yeah. Hiring an ex-con even if you like 'em isn't the best option." Scott said.

**A dejected Scott walked back home, drinking a Mango Fruit Blast before throwing the container in a bin. He returned to Milgrom Hotel, passing the other residents and went to his room. Luis said he was supposed to be at work and he said he got fired because Baskin Robbins always found out. A dark-skinned man sitting there said Baskin Robbins didn't play. Scott took a waffle as Luis introduced him to the man with glasses working on the laptop called Kurt. He had been in Folsom for 5 years and was a wizard on the laptop.**

"Beware of him." Rhodes jokingly said to Tony and both chuckled.

"He's pretty good." Scott said.

**The other man was Dave and the two complimented Scott on his robbery but he said he hated violence and was a cat burglar. Dave said he was a pussy and Scott agreed with a sigh.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Luis said they were overcharging customers and it added to millions. Scott had blown the whistle and gotten fired so he hacked into the security system and transferred millions back to the people they had stolen from while also posting the bank records online. He had then driven the dude's Bentley into his swimming pool.**

"Your boyfriend is like a modern-day Robin Hood." Hill said to Hope, trying to get back at her for all the teasing.

"Without the bow and arrows." Clint added and Hope shook her head.

"It won't work." Hope smirked.

**Scott asked Luis what he wanted and he said his cousin had talked to a guy two weeks ago about a perfect job. Scott said he was finished and wasn't going back to jail and he didn't care even if it was a retired millionaire living off his golden parachute. Scott said he was out.**

"We won't let you." Hope said and Scott shook his head.

**An older Hank Pym arrived at Pym Technologies, shocking the guard as he told him he was still alive. He walked inside and the guard asked for ID. Hank took out his belongings and pointed to his picture on the wall, asking if that would suffice and he led him inside. Everyone looked at Pym in awe.**

"No one in my company looks at me like that." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

"You have not been outed yet." Pepper said.

**Hope greeted him, calling him Hank and he asked if it would kill her to call him dad. She said Dr. Cross would be pleased to see him.**

"That is a funny hairstyle." Hill said and Hope shook her head.

"I like it." Natasha said.

"Thank you." Hope told her.

"Traitor." Hill muttered.

**Darren Cross arrived, saying he was thrilled and Hank said he was surprised to receive the invitation, asking about the occasion. Darren asked Hope to tell him but she walked off and he commented some old wounds never heal, telling Hank she was in good hands.**

"Your hands are the worst." Hope snarled at him.

**Darren told Pym he was in for a treat and walked off as Carson arrived and asked him how was retirement. Pym asked how his face was and he walked off.**

Everyone chuckled as Sam said, "Now that was a burn."

**Hank opened the door to the lab and Darren said he'd like to introduce a special guest before they began, the company's founder and his mentor- Dr. Hank Pym. Everyone clapped for him as he noticed a model for Cross Technologies behind Cross.**

"So he wanted him to see it." Tony noted.

"He is a rat bastard like that." Logan said.

"Wiping his victory in his opponent's face." Loki said, "I know because I used to do the same."

**Cross said he had started research on the particle that could change distance between atoms while increasing density and strength. He asked everyone to imagine a soldier the size of an insect, the ultimate weapon. An Ant-Man. He showed old footage of Ant-Man hitting soldiers, zooming into show him and said that's what they used to call Hank. It was silly propaganda to scare the USSR and every time he had asked Hank if Ant-Man was real, he had been told it was a tall tale because nothing that miraculous could be real. **

"He is like another Stane." Tony said, already noticing the similarities.

"That he is." Hope said, "Except even more pathetic."

**He led them to his lab said he was inspired by the legend of the Ant-Man to shrink a person and now it wasn't a legend anymore as he presented the end of warfare as they knew it, calling it the Yellowjacket. It was a small yellow and black suit. Hope and Hank both looked horrified.**

"That thing." Scott sighed.

**An automated recording said this could help them return to an age where the powers of freedom could operate freely and the Yellowjacket could manage any conflict on a geopolitical landscape completely unseen efficiently. One day, an army of Yellowjackets would create a sustainable environment. A video demo of the Yellowjacket was shown as well.**

"Good thing you stopped it when you did." Sam told him and Scott shrugged.

**A man called Frank called it a suit but Darren said it was a vessel and thanked everyone for coming. She thanked everybody and said she would escort them out. They walked out as Darren said Hank looked shocked and he said there was a reason he had buried all this. Darren angrily said now Hank admitted it and that they could have done it together. Hank told him not to do this but he said Hank was the past and he was the future.**

"A terrible future." Tony added.

"Such a weapon in the wrong hands could lead to catastrophe." Vision said.

**Carson led Darren away, telling him to sell it to him and he'd pay him 20% over the selling price.**

"Conspiring together." Natasha commented.

**Hope told Hank they needed to make a move and she only needed the suit but he refused, saying it was too dangerous. Hope said they had no other choice but Hank said he had found a guy to her shock. She asked who.**

"Me." Scott said.

"The burglar in the quest." Rhodes said and everyone chuckled.

**Scott walked into Jim Paxton's house where a birthday party was going on. His daughter Cassie hugged him tightly and happily. He apologized for being late and she said it was on the invitation. Paxton arrived and said he hadn't gotten an invitation. Scott said he wasn't going to miss his little girl's birthday party. He gave Cassie a present. She asked if she could open it now and they agreed. It was some kind of a bunny toy which said it was her bestest friend. She happily said it was ugly and she loved it.**

Everyone chuckled as Benjamin said to her, "You look adorable."

"Wait till we get to you." Cassie said and everyone chuckled.

"I believe the term for him is adorkable." Logan said and more chuckles followed.

**Cassie went off to show her friends as Scott said child support would come but it was hard to find a job due to his record. Jim said he'd figure it out but right now he needed to get out of his house. The two argued until Maggie arrived and told Scott he couldn't just show up like that. Scott said she was his daughter and Jim said he didn't know the first thing about being a father.**

"This guy is being a jerk." Bruce muttered.

**Scott said he was telling Maggie as her friend and first love that her fiancé was an asshat. She said he wasn't an asshat as Jim told him to watch his language and she led him out while he muttered he had said 'hat.'**

"You're not doing yourself any favors, Mr. Lang." Vision said.

"Yeah I know!" Scott said.

"He is only human." T'Challa told Vision.

**Scott told Maggie she could have married anyone but chose to get engaged to a cop. She said he wasn't a crook.**

"Low blow." Hope muttered.

**Scott said he was trying and had a job and was trying to provide. He said he loved her and wanted to be part of her life.**

"And I appreciate it." Cassie said.

**Maggie told him to get an apartment, a job and pay child support and then they would talk about visitation. "You're her hero, Scott. Just be the person that she already thinks you are." Maggie told him.**

"You always were that person." Hope told Scott, "You just didn't know it."

He nodded in appreciation.

**Scott later sat in his van and waved to Cassie as she stood next to Jim. He played the horn of the van and she laughed as he drove off.**

"Now that is a nice horn." Bucky said.

"I can see why your friend is so positive." Sam said.

**Frank came out of the stall as Darren apologized about his deep concerns for the Yellowjacket. Frank washed his hands as Darren gave him paper and he said it's be nice to do whatever they want but there were laws. Darren said the laws of nature transcended the laws of man and he had transcended the laws of nature. Darren threw the paper away as Frank tried to protest but Darren shot him with his Shrink Gun, turning him into a puddle of protein. He cleaned him with a handkerchief and flushed him, mockingly apologizing.**

Everyone's jaw was dropped as Pepper said, "What the hell?"

"He is really, really sick." Aunt May said.

"He is too convinced about his power." Steve said.

"Twice the pride, double the fall." Peter said to lighten the mood but it didn't work.

**Darren later sat with Hope in a restaurant and said he had been thinking a lot of gratitude and had now decided gratitude could be forgiveness. He had spent years carrying anger for Hank Pym and devoted his genius to him instead of working anywhere. He had chosen his mentor poorly and told Hope she didn't even have a choice and he never believed in her. Darren said it was a shame what he had forced them to do but they should be grateful as his failures as a mentor and father had allowed them to spread their wings. Hope told Darren he was a success and deserve everything that came his way.**

"You did deserve everything that came you way after this." Hope said as she exchanged a glance with Scott.

**Scott sat in his van, feeling depressed as he wrote in his pad that he could see Cassie after 377 days after taking care of the expenses.**

"But that's more than one year!" Peter said.

"Which is why dad needed the money." Cassie told him.

**Luis and Dave were playing a video game inside as Kurt worked on his laptop when Scott walked inside and drank a beer, asking about the tip to the delight of the other three. He needed to know where it came from and it had to be airtight.**

"Well they're excited." Thor said and everyone chuckled.

"It's in their blood." Odinson said.

"I can see that." Wanda said.

"You will see it even more soon." Scarlet Witch told her.

**Luis then started as the flashback to the scene happening was shown, "I was at a wine tasting with my cousin Ernesto. Which was mainly reds, and you know I don't like reds, man. But there was a ros that saved the day. It was delightful. And then he tells me about this girl, Emily, that we used to kick it with. It was actually the first pair of boobs I ever touched." **

"We did not need to know that." T'Challa said.

"Over-excited story teller." Tony said.

**Scott told him it was the wrong details and had nothing to do with the story. Luis then continued, "So, uh, he tells me that she's working as a housekeeper now, right? And she's dating this dude, Carlos, who's a shot caller from across the bay. And she tells him about the dude that she's cleaning for. Right? That he's like this big-shot CEO that is all retired now, but he's loaded." In the flashback, Emily's lips moved at the same time as Luis told his story, "And so, Carlos and Ernesto are on the same softball team, and they get to talking, right? And here comes the good part. Carlos says, "Yo, man. "This guy's got a big-ass safe just sitting in the basement, just chilling." Carlos' lips moved in the flashback at the same time as Luis' story as he continued, "Of course Ernesto comes to me because he knows I got mad thieving skills. Of course, I ask him..."Did Emily tell Carlos to tell you to get to me what kind of safe it was?" And he says, "Nah, dawg. All she said is that it's super-legit and whatever's in it, it's gotta be good." Both his and Ernesto's lips moved in the flashback at the same time as the story.**

"Okay, that was…." Peter trailed off.

"He is a nice story-teller." Wanda said.

"He should tell bed-time stories." Cassie said, "He is good."

"He is the best at business." Hope said and everyone chuckled.

**Scott was confused as the others explained there was an old man with a safe gone for a week and he decided to work with that.**

"My old man." Hope smirked.

"And the safe didn't have money." Scott sighed.

**The three then bought equipment and worked on it for a while, eating and drinking as they did that and planned the heist.**

"The planning." Bucky said.

**Kurt disconnected the landline on the heist day as Luis said if something went wrong, he had Scott's back. Scott said that won't happen as he leapt up the fence while Luis muttered he loved when Scott got cocky and Dave was impressed by the jump.**

"You haven't seen anything yet." Scott said.

**Scott then climbed up, opening the window and going inside as he eventually found a fingerprint scanner, shocking everyone as they hadn't prepared for that.**

"What're you gonna do now?" Clint asked.

"Improvise." Scott said.

**Lang ran upstairs and opening drawers, found a tape, a ring, and some glue. He put the tape over the ring using the glue and put it over the stove, heating it up. He then ripped out the part of the tape on the ring, recreating a fingerprint and running back to the scanner, used that to open it.**

Nobody could stop themselves from clapping as Tony said, "Damn man! That was….."

"Really, really awesome." Peter finished.

"Smart." Steve said.

"Resourceful." Wanda added.

"Thanks." Scott shrugged.

"That was pretty impressive." Hope agreed.

**Scott arrived inside and said the safe was serious, made of Carbondale from 1910, same steel as Titanic. Scott said it didn't do well in cold and asked them to remember what the Iceberg had done. Luis said it had killed DiCaprio as Dave said it had killed everyone while Kurt said it hadn't killed the old lady who had thrown the jewel in the ocean.**

"That lady was Kate Winslet." Rhodes reminded.

"Wow! What a nice team." Tony said sarcastically and everyone chuckled.

**Scott created a freezing agent quickly, telling everyone he had poured water into the locking mechanism and frozen it with Nitrogen. "Ice expands. Metal doesn't." He said as the door burst open but the blanket he had set to catch the screws flying out prevented any noise while a mattress softened the door's fall.**

Everyone clapped again as Fury said, "I'd definitely pick you over the Guardians."

"Thanks." Scott shrugged lamely.

**Scott walked to the safe but to his shock, nothing was there except blueprints, liquids and a suit with some kind of helmet. He dejectedly said the place only had a motorcycle suit and Luis realized it was a bust, apologizing to Scott. A dejected Scott picked up the suit anyway as an ant watched from above with a small camera attached while Hank watched through it.**

"You set us up!" Scott said to Hope, trying to mimic Arnold Schwarzenegger, but failed and everyone chuckled.

"You should gain some more muscle to mimic that guy." Hope said and everyone chuckled more.

**Darren and Hope were in the lab as a lamb was led there, shocking Hope as she thought they were testing on mice. Darren said he couldn't go to the buyers with half a breakthrough as he started the experiment and the rays hit the lamb, turning it into a puddle of protein as Hope covered her mouth in horror.**

"Lamb to the slaughter." Natasha said sadly as everyone watched with dropped jaws.

"What a sicko." Pepper said.

"He really was." Cassie agreed with a snarl.

**Darren simply said the results were negative and told them to bring Experiment 35-C.**

"Please stop." Wanda muttered.

**Scott washed his face and looked into the mirror, wondering why someone would hide that suit. He took it out and looked at it, finding the liquid. Eventually, he went into the bathroom and put on the entire suit, including the helmet, and checked himself out in the mirror.**

"And Ant-Man is born." Sam said as everyone clapped a little.

"Not yet." Scott said, "I will get there though."

"I'm sure you enjoyed." Hope smirked and he sighed.

"That was kind of like Rocky based on what I saw." Cassie said and Scott nodded.

**He stood in the bath to admire himself better as Luis, Kurt and Dave arrived and called out to him so he pulled the curtains. He looked at the buttons and pressed them. That moment, he shrunk down to a miniature size and as he got up, everything was huge. He was the size of a stray cockroach in the bath now.**

"First trip to the small side." Bucky said and everyone chuckled.

"It was pretty hard for me too at first." Cassie said, "And pretty scary."

"That's shrinking for ya!" Scott said.

**He heard Pym's voice who said the world was different from down here, shocking him. Luis arrived and opened the tap as Hank said it was a trial by fire and in his case, water. Scott tried to run but the water caught up to him, throwing him down.**

"Ouch!" Pepper said.

"That ought to hurt." Bruce cringed.

"I wouldn't wish it on me." Loki said, "I hate falling."

"I know." Thor said as both chuckled.

"You get used to it." Scott shrugged.

**Scott got up as Pym said he was tougher than he thought and then he was thrown through a gap in the floor right on top of a record player where he spun around uncontrollably while the party went on around him. He was thrown down.**

"Uh-oh!" Rhodes cringed.

"Tough life, bub." Logan said.

"Bug's life." Cassie corrected and everyone chuckled.

"Yeah, bug's life." Scott shrugged too.

**He ran around, avoiding the feet of the dancing people and eventually fell out when a vacuum cleaner sucked him in. He twirled around in it before it stopped. He then burst out of the bag, startling the woman.**

"Thank God I'm not the small kind of bug." Peter said.

"Yeah, thank God." Benjamin agreed.

"It's gonna get worse." Scott said.

**Scott saw a rat behind him and screamed as it looked big. He ran as it chased him and jumped on a mouse trap which launched him out of the building on top of a car. The driver was startled and then Scott grew back to normal size, startling him even more.**

"Not bad actually." Hope said.

"But pretty frightening." Scott told her.

**Scott gasped as Pym said he wasn't bad and told him to keep the suit but Scott said he didn't want it and that night, he snuck back into the house and put the suit back before jumping out over the fence. Then the sirens blared and he raised his hands, saying he hadn't stolen anything but was returning something he stole. He then cringed as he realized what he had said and was cuffed.**

"Sorry you got busted there." Hope said guiltily.

"No problem. I've forgiven you." Scott sighed.

"Now the real fun is going to begin." Logan said.

"Yeah, it's obvious." Odinson agreed.

* * *

**And done. Scott Lang is awesome man! And funny! And so is Paul Rudd! And he doesn't age for some reason! I want Ant-Man 3 now!**

**Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. **


	62. Training

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Also, there are rumors that Charlie Cox will be reprising his role as Matt Murdock/Daredevil in the third Spider-Man movie and will defend Peter. The source of this rumor had also earlier said that Taskmaster will be the villain of the Black Widow movie and that Shang-Chi will introduce the real Mandarin. So the only thing I want to say is- MAKE IT FUCKING HAPPEN MARVEL! JUST DO IT! **

**Anyway, if this rumor turns out to be true, then I'll be so much more happier about Spidey returning to the MCU. And I hope Vincent D'Onofrio come around too in a cameo. I'd love to see him meet Spidey.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. Yeah, Spidey being pulled out of the MCU after that cliffhanger sure was devastating. And now with the rumor that Charlie Cox's Matt/Daredevil is coming in the third film to defend Peter, I'm much more happy about Spidey returning to the MCU.**

Chapter 62- Training

"So how did you get out of that one?" Peter asked.

"I didn't." Scott said.

"He was let out." Cassie said.

**Scott was in his cell as Jim said he almost had them convinced that he was gonna change his ways and now he was gonna break Maggie's and Cassie's hearts. Another cop arrived and told him he had a lawyer as his visitor.**

"Which lawyer? Matt Murdock?" Tony asked.

"No. Not a lawyer actually." Hope said.

**Scott was led out to meet Hank Pym, who told him he had said he'd stay in touch, and commented how Scott preferred the inside of a cell. Scott realized who he was as he apologized for stealing the suit while ants covered the camera.**

"That's a nice way to cover a camera." Pepper said.

"The technology sure is revolutionary." Tony said.

**Hank commented how Maggie was right about Scott as the moment things got hard, he turned back to crime which is why she was trying to keep him away from Cassie.**

"He turned back to crime for me." Cassie muttered.

**Hank said Scott could either spend the rest of his life in prison or go back to his cell and await further instructions. Scott said he didn't understand and Hank said he didn't expect him to as none of them had many options and he had let Scott steal his suit. A flashback showed him being responsible for Emily and then eventually Luis being made aware of the safe.**

"He planned it out really well." Steve said.

"That's my dad for you." Hope said.

**Hank said, "Second chances don't come around all that much. So, next time you think you might see one, I suggest you take a real close look at it." He got up and walked out as the ants crawled away, uncovering the camera.**

"I wonder what the cops were thinking of those ants." Sam said.

**Cassie was lying on her bed, listening to the bunny again as Maggie asked if she wanted a different toy but she said she loved this one. Maggie told her to get some sleep and kissed her forehead. Cassie then asked if daddy was a bad man because she had heard some grownups say he was bad. Maggie said daddy just got confused sometimes and she nodded.**

"More like desperate." Scott said.

"Must be Paxton who told her." Fury said.

"He is behaving like a jerk right now." Bruce said.

"He thought I was still a crook so he wanted to keep his family safe." Scott said, "Now that he knows I'm not, him and I are actually friends."

"Yeah. It's pretty funny actually." Cassie said and everyone chuckled.

**Scott was in his cell when a flying ant stopped outside and he saw as some of the ants carried the miniature suit to him. They pressed it and it grew to normal size. A cop started walking inside as the ants formed numbers to count down.**

"These ants are being used very creatively." Steve said.

"That's why SHIELD wanted Pym." Hill said.

"But he didn't want to work for SHIELD." Fury said.

"I can see that." Natasha said.

**Scott managed to put on the suit before the cop arrived and shrunk. The cop was shocked as Scott ran out while Hank commented he had listened this time. The alarms blared as Jim asked to set up a five-block perimeter. Scott slipped as several ants surrounded him and Pym said they were his associates. Scott commented how he had got a camera on an ant.**

"These ants can do a lot of stuff." Clint commented.

**Scott asked where the car was and Pym said there was no car as they had wings and an ant with wings landed there.**

"From this angle, it looks like a helicopter." Bucky commented and everyone chuckled.

**In spite of Scott's protests, Pym made him get on it and it flew on top of a moving cop car as Pym said they would give him a lift beyond their five-block perimeter. Scott said he was getting the hang of this and it was like riding a horse as Pym said he was throwing 247 off balance, shocking Scott by the name.**

"I think you're mistaking horse for Pegasus." Benjamin joked to Scott and everyone chuckled.

**Hank said it didn't have a name but a number because of how many ants there were. The ant flew off into a bus as Hank said he was controlling it and it wasn't listening to Scott. It flew into a woman's hair and then on a newspaper before flying out. Scott asked if he could throw up in the helmet as Pym told him not to throw up in the helmet and Scott felt light-headed before falling off the ant. It flew down to catch him.**

"Not the best experience then, bub." Logan said.

"Not at all. But now it's like child's play." Scott said.

"We all are at the rookie stage in the beginning." Rhodes said.

"But you could control your suit right in one go." Wanda reminded him.

"I'm an army guy." Rhodes shrugged.

**Scott then woke up on a bed and saw Hope looking at him. He awkwardly greeted her and asked who she was before asking if she had been watching him sleep the entire time. She said she had.**

"You're creepy." Hill said to Hope and she sighed.

**Scott asked why and she said last time he was here he had stolen something. Scott realized it was Pym Manor and was about to step off the bed when he saw both sides were surrounded by many ants, shocking him. Hope said they were giant tropical bullets ants to keep any eye on him when she couldn't.**

"I think you are overdoing it, Miss van Dyne." T'Challa said.

"I overdo it with people I know nothing about." Hope shrugged.

**Hope said Pym was waiting for him downstairs as he asked whose pajamas these were.**

"What a thing to ask." Peter said.

**Scott managed to get off the bed as the ants moved out of his way and he said he wouldn't step on them and they won't bite him. He managed to get out of the room like that carefully.**

Everyone sighed in relief as Vision said, "I believe the ants listened to your deal."

"Kind of." Scott said.

**Scott walked out as Hope and Hank were talking and the latter said Scott had already met his daughter. Scott said he had and that she was great.**

"Thanks." Hope smirked.

**Hank said she didn't think they needed him and Hope said they didn't as they could do it themselves. Hank said he had gone through all this effort to let Scott steal his suit and then Hope had got him arrested. Hope said they could try this and when Scott failed, she could do it herself.**

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Scott said sarcastically.

"Sorry." She cringed.

"I believe you two didn't get off on the right foot either." Thor said.

"Still better than you, Steve and Tony." Hope said and everyone laughed.

"That is actually true." Loki said.

**Hank said she was anxious about the job and assumed Scott was interested before asking him if he wanted tea. He said he did as Hank poured him some and said he was impressed with how Scott had gotten past his security system.**

"That truly was impressive." Odinson said.

**Hank said freezing the metal was particularly clever.**

"That sure was." Tony said.

**Scott asked if Hank had been watching him and he said he had been watching him ever since he had robbed Vista Corp. Hank then corrected 'burgled' Vista Corp as he showed Scott the newspaper.**

"He is THE burglar." Rhodes said and everyone chuckled.

**Hank said Vista Corp's security system was unbeatable but he had beaten it and asked if he would like some sugar. Scott said he would as ants moved sugar blocks to his cup but he said he was fine as the ants moved back.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Scott asked how he could make them do that. Hank said ants could lift objects 50 times their weight and they built, farmed and cooperated with each other. Scott asked how he could make them do that again and Hank showed him a device on his ear which he used to stimulate their olfactory nerves and he basically spoke to them. He could do everything and Hope said he still knew nothing.**

"I'm pretty sure that's what Scott was asking." Tony said.

"He is Jon Snow." Aunt May said and everyone chuckled.

**Hope walked off to meet Darren as Scott raised his hand but Hank said he didn't need to. Scott asked who they were, what was going on and if he could go back to jail.**

Everyone chuckled as Steve said, "That is a pretty huge info dump. Trust me, I know."

"We know that." Logan said.

**Hank asked Scott to come with him and told him 40 years ago, he had created a formula to alter relative atomic distance. Scott was confused as Hank said he had learnt to change the distance between atoms and that powered the suit. He led Scott into a lab with a lot of stuff, awing him. The suit was too dangerous so he had hidden it from the world and switched gears to start his own company- Pym Tech. He had taken on a protégé called Darren Cross who was his assistant and he had considered him the son he never had.**

"The two of us had a wall between us so he wanted to show affection to someone else to make up." Hope muttered sadly.

"The walls are broken now though." Scott said and she chuckled.

**Hank said Darren had suspected he wasn't telling him everything as he had heard rumors of the formula and became obsessed with recreating it. Hank wouldn't let him so he had conspired against him and voted him out of his own company because the chairman was his daughter Hope and was the deciding vote.**

"Bummer." Tony said.

**Hank said she had come back to him on finding out how close Cross was to cracking the formula. The process was highly volatile if one wasn't protected by the helmet and it could affect the brain's chemistry, which Cross didn't realize as he wasn't the most stable.**

"If he reminds you of Stane, he is not stable." Pepper said and nods followed.

**Scott asked what Hank wanted from him as he said, "Scott, I believe that everyone deserves a shot at redemption. Do you?" Scott said, "I do." Hank said, "If you can help me, I promise I can help you be with your daughter again. Now, are you ready to redeem yourself?" Scott said, "Absolutely. My days of breaking into places and stealing shit are done. What do you want me to do?" Hank said, "I want you to break into a place and steal some shit."**

Everyone chuckled as Sam said, "That must have been….shocking."

"It was." Scott said.

"And very dramatic too." Cassie added.

"It sure was." Scarlet Witch agreed.

**Maggie asked Jim if he would be home for dinner tonight as he read a text from his partner which said Scott's 'lawyer' was Hank Pym.**

"Should have thought of that, dad." Hope muttered.

"All of us make mistakes." Loki shrugged.

**Maggie asked if Jim had any good news and he said it was news as he walked out. Cassie said if he was trying to find her daddy and he said he was to keep him safe. Cassie said, "Hope you don't catch him."**

Everyone chuckled as Benjamin said, "And he didn't."

"Because I said it." Cassie joked and everyone laughed.

**In his lab, Darren performed an experiment on another lamb as Hope watched from above. This time, he managed to shrink the lamb and the container and was overjoyed.**

"Uh-oh." Natasha said.

"Must have increased his ego too." Bucky said.

"Now you have to stop him even faster." Fury sighed.

**Hank showed Scott pictures of Mitchell Carson, who was Ex-Head of Defense at SHIELD and was toppling governments. He had always wanted his tech.**

"To give Hydra." Hill added.

**Hank said unless they broke in, stole the Yellowjacket and destroyed the data, Cross would unleash chaos upon the world. Scott said their first move should be calling the Avengers but Hank said he had spent half of his life trying to keep the technology out of the hands of a Stark and he wasn't going to hand-deliver it to one now.**

"Why the hate? The two of us could be great co-workers." Tony said. [1]

"Howard wasn't the best experience for him." Hope said.

"Even better. He wasn't the best experience for me either back then at least." Tony said, "Though I have no idea how calling in the Avengers would mean hand-delivering the tech to me as I wasn't an Avenger back then."

"Not everyone keeps up with everything." Steve said.

**Hank said this wasn't some cute technology like the Iron Man suit and could change the very texture of reality.**

"All right! That was uncalled for!" Tony said, offended.

"It's just his hatred for the 'Stark' name talking here." Hope said, "Your suit is an innovative piece of technology." [2]

"Yes. And you have created AIs on a level no one has." Bruce said, "And based on how you talk about this new armor, I really want to see it."

"I will show it to you sometime." Tony said.

"It was pretty cool." Cassie remembered from the recording.

"Earth has a lot of geniuses. You are one of the best, Stark." Thor told him and he nodded in appreciation.

"What he said." Odinson told him.

"I like your suit too." Scott told Tony.

"Let's continue." Clint said.

**Hank said they were too busy dropping cities out of the sky.**

"Trying to stop them from falling actually." Wanda said.

"The media loves warping events." Scarlet Witch said.

"I know that." T'Challa said.

"They only want more viewers so they say whatever attracts them." Fury said.

**Scott asked to send the ants but Hank said they needed someone to lead them too. Scott said he was a good thief but this was beyond his league. Hope arrived and opening up blueprints, said Scott was right and she should wear the suit. Hank refused and she said she knew the facility inside out and knew everything about Cross and the mission. Hank said they needed her close to Cross or the mission won't work. Hope said they didn't have time to screw around. Scott was a criminal and she was his daughter but Hank refused loudly and firmly.**

No one said a word due to how intense the argument was.

**Hope walked out as Scott said she was right and he wasn't the right guy. Scott asked why he didn't wear the suit and Hank said he had spent years wearing it. It had taken a toll on him and Scott was their only option. "Before Hope lost her mother, she used to look at me like I was the greatest man in the world. And now she looks at me and there's just disappointment." Hank said as Hope listened sadly from outside, "It's too late for me, but not for you. This is your chance. The chance to earn that look in your daughter's eyes. To become the hero that she already thinks you are. It's not about saving our world. It's about saving theirs." Scott listened intently and finally said, "Damn. That was a good speech."**

"At this point I think I'm nothing special." Steve said and everyone chuckled.

"**Scott." Hank said, "I need you to be the Ant-Man."**

"Only you can do it." Peter said.

**Scott was then wearing the suit as Hank said in the right hands, the relationship between man and suit was symbiotic.**

"Never felt that with any of my suits." Peter said.

"Trust me, you don't want symbiotic suits." Benjamin told Peter with a look. [3]

**Scott needed to be skillful, agile and fast and be able to shrink and grow on a dime so his size suited his needs. Hope shut the door as Hank told Scott to dive through the keyhole. He had to charge big, dive small and emerge big. Scott shrunk and tried to dive but failed. He tried multiple times but failed all his tries and Hope muttered he was useless.**

"For now." Hope said.

"I need to get much, much better." Scott said.

"I have a feeling you did." Clint said.

**Hope told Scott when he was small, his energy was compressed and he had the force of a 200-pound man behind a fist a 100****th**** of an inch wide. He was like a bullet. He punched too hard, he'd kill someone and too soft, it'd be a love tap. He needed to know how to punch. Scott said he was in prison for 3 years and knew how to punch. She raised her hands and asked him to show her. He punched but nothing happened to Hope as she said it was terrible. He asked her to show him and she punched his face, staggering him back, saying that was how they punched.**

Everyone chuckled a bit as Pepper said, "Maybe you should lighten up a bit."

"I was too angry at the moment but yeah, I shouldn't have been that harsh." Hope agreed.

"But still, some harshness is required during training." Natasha said and nods of agreement followed.

**Hank arrived and said Hope had been looking forward to this. She had trained in martial arts in a difficult time. Hope said by 'difficult time' he meant when her mother had died. Hank said they had lost her in a plane crash. Hope said it was bad enough he hadn't told her how she died so he should stop telling her that lie. They had to work now. Scott groaned and asked if she was going for the hand.**

"No." Hope said lamely.

**Scott worked on the suit as Hank arrived and the former said the regulator was holding me back. Hank told him not to screw with that because he might go subatomic, which meant he would enter a Quantum Realm, a reality where all concepts of time and space became irrelevant as he shrunk for all eternity. Everything he had known and loved would be gone forever.**

Everyone was shocked on hearing that as Tony said, "That must be…..frightening."

"It has to be." Steve agreed.

"I believe this will come into play later." Thor said.

"The Quantum thingy is safe to do now actually." Scott said.

"Yes it is." Hope agreed.

"Things get easier to understand over time." Cassie said.

**Scott simply made a lame joke as later, Hank told him he needed to learn about his greatest allies, the ants. They were loyal, brave and his partners on the job. Scott shrunk down in the grass and ran into a hole in the ground as Hope told him the crazy ants were lightning fast and conducted electricity which made them useful to fry out enemy electronics. One of them arrived and Scott petted it, calling it cute when he was surrounded by many of them and covered. He screamed in horror and returned to normal size, saying it was a lot scarier a second ago.**

Everyone cringed as Clint said, "Still having trouble."

"Just watch." Scott said.

**Scott and Hope sparred again and this time he performed better but he was flipped down as Hope twisted his arm.**

"Okay, that went too far." Wanda said.

"I'm sorry." Hope said guiltily again and Scott shrugged.

**Scott looked at the map and said Futures Lab had its own isolated power supply with a security guard posted around the clock. They needed to take him out to deactivate the security systems. Scott later shrunk again and this time, more ants arrived. These were the bullet ants as Scott asked if they remembered him from the bedroom but they came at him and he grew back to normal again in fear.**

"Still not good." Hill said.

"It will be soon." Scott said.

"Some learn faster. Some learn slower." Benjamin said.

"That sounds right to me." Logan said.

**Hope said the Yellowjacket pod was hermetically sealed and the only access point was a tube about 5 millimeters in diameter. Scott said he had a sick feeling in his stomach and was told it was protected by a laser grid which could only be shut down for 15 seconds. He needed to signal the crazy ants to blow the servers, retrieve the suit, and exit the vaults before the backup power came on.**

"So it's Mission: Impossible then." Tony said.

"Which makes this a job for Ethan Hunt." Sam said and everyone chuckled.

"We don't have time to contact him." Scott sighed.

**Scott was shrunk again and was introduced to a carpenter ant which was ideal for ground and air transport. Scott looked at one through a microscope and recognized it. He said he was going to call him 'Ant-thony.'**

"'Ant-thony? Really?" Sam asked as everyone laughed, "Because I like that name." [4]

"It sounds like a pretty good pun and a good name." Cassie said and the laughter increased.

**Hank said Scott needed to learn how to control it this time. He tried to tell ants to put sugar in the cup as him and Hope sparred again and this time, Scott punched her in the abdomen, staggering her back. He mocked her but was punched again and flipped down.**

Everyone chuckled a bit as Natasha said, "Never let your guard down."

"Especially against those more skilled." Odinson added.

"Or against a bigger number." Bruce said too.

**Scott later put an ointment on his bruises as Hank called him outside. Hank had made some disks for Scott to use as weapons. Red shrunk and blue enlarged.**

"I remember that." Steve said and Scott sighed.

"Sorry about that." He said lamely to Tony, Rhodes, T'Challa and Natasha.

**Scott was then introduced to fire ants which were known for their bite and were remarkable architects. They could get him in and out of difficult places. Scott tried to get the ants to put sugar in the cup again but failed, saying they weren't listening to him. Hope said he had to mean it and there were no shortcuts or lies. She glanced at Hank as she said that and he said throwing insults into the mix won't do anyone any good.**

"At this point I'm really out of line." Hope sighed.

**Hank said they should focus on helping Scott. She angrily put on the device and an army of ants arrived, throwing sugar cubes into the cup and covering the light until Hank called out to her, making her stop.**

"Okay, I'm behaving very creepy." Hope said.

"I know right?" Scott said.

"Sorry." She shrugged again.

**Hope said she didn't know why she had come to Hank in the first place and walked out as Hank said they couldn't do this without her. Scott walked out and got into Hope's car, joking she should lock the doors as there were strange folk in the neighborhood.**

Everyone chuckled as Sam said, "Now that's how you break the ice."

**Hope said this wasn't a joke and Hank was asking him to risk a lot. Scott said he was doing this for his daughter.**

"Thanks dad." Cassie smiled and he nodded.

**Hope said when her mother had died, she hadn't seen Hank for 2 weeks. Scott said he was in grief. Hope said she was too and she was 7. And he hadn't retuned in any way that counted. He had just sent her off to boarding school. She had thought with everything at stake, they had a chance of making up but he still wanted to shut her out. Scott said he wasn't shutting her out as he trusted her. Hope asked why he was here and he said it proved he loved her as he was expendable. That's why he was here. "You must have realized that by now. I mean, it's why I'm in the suit and you're not. He would rather lose this fight than lose you." Scott told her.**

"Damn right!" Fury said.

"Now I will finally see sense." Hope sighed.

"Better late than never." Aunt May said.

**Scott was going out when Hope said she didn't know he had a daughter when she had called the cops on him. She asked her name and Scott said it was Cassie. She said it was a pretty name.**

"Thanks." Cassie said and Hope smiled.

**Hope gave Scott the device and told him to clear his mind and think of Cassie and how much he wanted to see her. She put a coin in the front and Scott tried again. This time, the ants arrived and lifted it for him, impressing Hope as he made them twirl it.**

"And now the ice is broken." Bucky said and everyone chuckled.

"Yes. It is." Hope agreed.

**Scott and Hope went inside as Hank said Janet had convinced him to let her join him on his missions. They called her the Wasp. He regretted saying yes every day. He turned around and said in 1987, Separatists had hijacked a Soviet missile silo in Kursk and launched an ICBM against the US. In a flashback, a shrunk Hank in the Ant-Man suit was shown on the missile as the present Hank narrated he needed to go through solid titanium to get into internal mechanics and he had to shrink between molecules but his regulator had sustained too much damage. He was shown trying to use the regulator to no avail when Janet flew next to him as Hank said Janet had gone subatomic and deactivated the bomb. In the flashback, she shrunk to subatomic level and went into the missile as Hank screamed in despair.**

Everyone watched the scene sadly, their greatest sympathies going out to Hank and Hope.

"I'm sorry." Steve said sadly and Hope nodded in appreciation.

**Hope was in tears as Hank said Janet had died a hero. He had then spent the next 10 years studying the Quantum Realm as Hope realized he was trying to bring her back. Hank said all he had learnt was that they knew nothing. Hope assured him it wasn't his fault and she had made her choice. She asked why he hadn't told her sooner and he said he was trying to protect her. She nodded tearfully as Hank said he couldn't lose her after losing her mother. Hope tearfully apologized as Scott said this was awesome and they were breaking walls and healing. **

"And you had to ruin it." Peter said as everyone looked at Scott.

"Uhhh…yeah." Scott said lamely.

**Scott realized he had ruined the moment and Hank said he had as he said he would make tea and raised his thumbs.**

"Now the outcome of the training." Cassie smirked.

**Scott ran to the door again and this time he shrunk and managed to jump through the hole before emerging big. He happily said he had nailed it.**

Everyone clapped as Tony said, "Finally!"

**Scott then befriended the ants as well, especially Ant-thony as Pym worked on the particles and Scott ran with the ants, succeeding in his training.**

"And now the mission." Steve realized.

"Uhhhh…..not my best moment." Sam said as he realized what was coming.

"No. Sorry about that." Scott said.

"It's all right Tic-tac." Sam shrugged.

"Well, let's continue watching." Logan shrugged.

* * *

**And done. Scott is still awesome and so is Hope. I love Evangeline Lilly a lot too because of Lost and The Hobbit Trilogy.**

**[1] A reference to The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon in which Tony and Hank are co-workers. That show was so amazing and all the characters were forces to be reckoned with, including Hank as Ant-Man/Giant-Man.**

**[2] I think this was just Hank's hatred of the Starks talking because we all know Iron Man isn't just a 'cute' piece of technology. It's also an innovative piece of tech, just like the stuff Hank discovered. They are both different kinds of innovations. And Tony's Bleeding Edge armor is too awesome to be called 'cute.' Be a bit humbler, Hank.**

**[3] A reference to Venom, who is one of Spidey's 3 arch-enemies, the other two being Green Goblin and Doctor Octopus.**

**[4] A reference to Sam Wilson's actor- Anthony Mackie.**

**And boy is this the worst day. The reviews on this site are down again (damn the admins) and my luck is worse than even Peter. Exams are over so I'd normally have a lot of fun but then I dropped boiling hot milk on top of my hand today. It burns a lot. So all I can do is use it to type now. Damn hot milk!**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	63. Heist

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And damn! Now this has over 400 follows! Thank you all! My mind continues to be blown! **

**Guest: Thanks for the review. Glad this is really good. You're welcome. I will try.**

**Knox: No. Only the MCU movies up till Spider-Man: Far From Home. The other characters are here to add to it and show how big the universe is. Next story is about changing the future of course.**

Chapter 63- Heist

"So now you will be doing your first mission?" Peter asked.

"Yup." Scott said.

**A miniature Scott was in a plane with the ants as Pym said the final phase of his training was a stealth incursion mission. Hank is shown showing Scott some blueprints of a facility and a signal decoy he had made in his SHIELD days, saying he has to retrieve it. Hope said they needed to counteract the transmission blockers. Hank said it was collecting dust in one of Howard's old storage facilities and should be a piece of cake.**

"Except it wasn't." Sam smirked.

"We weren't expecting you." Hope said.

"But I managed to get through you." Scott said and everyone chuckled.

"That was a good audition." Sam shrugged, trying to save face.

**When they were over the target area, Scott sent away squadrons of ants.**

"Never thought I would see an ant-squadron." Steve said as everyone chuckled.

"You see something new every day." Bucky said.

**Scott then sat on Ant-thony and commented how this was a big leap from sugar cubes. Hank told him to stay calm as they all flew down.**

"Good luck." Natasha said.

"Thanks." Scott said.

**Scott then noticed something and said this wasn't just some old warehouse. The clouds parted to reveal the New Avengers Facility, next to which the warehouse was located.**

"Sucks for you lot. The New Avengers Facility is right next to the warehouse." Tony said.

"But he managed to do it." Logan smirked.

"Yeah I did." Scott said.

**Hank and Hope told Scott to abort but he said nobody was home. Hank said he'd lose the suit while Hope said he'd lose his life.**

"We do not kill intruders just like that." Vision said, "We hold them for questioning."

"Thanks for the tip." Hope shrugged.

**Scott and the ants stopped at the top of the facility as Hope said somebody was home.**

"That would be the Falcon." Cassie said.

"I'm home." Sam said.

**Sam Wilson flew down and stopped on the roof.**

"And I'm here." Sam said.

"This is gonna be embarrassing, right?" Benjamin asked.

"Very." Sam said.

**Sam said he had a sensor trip but wasn't seeing anything. He then looked around with the microscopic vision of his combat goggles. Scott said Sam couldn't see him but his telescopic vision locked in on him and he said he could see him. Scott lamely said Sam could see him.**

Everyone chuckled as Wanda said, "Bummer."

"Yeah." Scott said.

**Scott grew to normal size and retracting the mask said, "Hi. I'm Scott." Hope asked Hank incredulously, "Did he just say, "Hi, I'm Scott?""**

Everyone chuckled as Pepper asked, "Who tells their names to their opponents?"

"Yeah. It was a stupid thing to do." Fury agreed.

"That's inexperience for ya!" Clint said.

Benjamin was silent.

"He does it too." Scarlet Witch said about him and everyone chuckled.

"Why do you have to tell everyone?" Benjamin asked and more chuckles followed.

"You still do it?" Peter asked him.

"Not as much as before but I'm talkative." Benjamin shrugged.

"They are young people after all." Odinson said and laughs followed.

**Sam asked Scott what he was doing here. He said he was a big fan. Sam said he appreciated it and asked who he was. He said, "I'm Ant-Man."**

Everyone chuckled as Hill said, "Now he knows both your names."

"Most people didn't recognize you till few years later." Cassie said and Scott sighed.

**Scott realized Sam wouldn't have heard of him and asked if he could grab a piece of technology for a few days, use it to save the world and return it.**

"Okay, you're likable, but not that likable." Aunt May told him.

"Overestimated myself." Scott said.

"We can see that." Loki smirked.

**Sam said he knew exactly how that was before saying he was bringing the breach in. He tried to grab him but then Scott apologized and shrunk down before giving him an uppercut in his miniature form, sending him back.**

Everyone chuckled as Rhodes asked, "So now you're gonna be embarrassed or what?"

"Very embarrassed." Sam said.

**Scott then leapt off the roof as Hank was furious. Sam flew around, saying breach was an adult male with shrinking tech. His microscopic vision noticed a running Scott and he landed near him. He tried to hit him with his foot but Scott dodged and hit him many times.**

Everyone was laughing as Sam muttered, "Somebody kill me."

"I will." Natasha chuckled and he sighed.

**Sam fired his Steyr SPP pistols but Scott was on top of the barrel.**

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "Now that is the definition of ironic."

"Right you are, Mr. Stark." T'Challa said.

**Scott then punched Sam in his miniature form again several times, apologizing. Sam was angered and just as Scott grew back to normal size, Sam punched him, sending him down.**

"At least I got some hits." Sam said.

"Yeah. Some is better than none." Bucky said.

"No kidding." Rhodes agreed.

**Sam punched Scott again before flying up with him and punching him down but this time he shrunk. Sam came down and looked around when Scott grew to normal size and grabbing Sam's head between his legs, flipped him down as Hope watched in shock because Scott had executed the move she had taught him perfectly.**

Everyone clapped and cheered as Hope said, "Perfect."

"Thanks." Scott shrugged.

"So embarrassing." Sam muttered.

"It was just an audition, right?" Scott asked and both chuckled.

"Yeah, just an audition." Sam said.

"Very nice audition." Bruce said and laughs followed.

"Yes. Midgard has some strange customs itself." Thor joked too and more laughs followed.

**Scott then continued dragging Sam away before shrinking, throwing Sam off. He grew back as Sam punched him down. He then shrunk again and called Ant-thony for help. Ant-thony arrived and he hopped on it, flying off into the warehouse.**

"The ant shares its name with me. Now you can't win, Sam." Tony said and everyone laughed.

**Sam went into the warehouse and shut the door, making Hank and Hope lose visual. After a few seconds, he came flying out, yelling Scott was in his pack. Scott disconnected all the connections inside, apologizing to Sam and saying he was a great guy.**

"So great that you are embarrassing me in front of everyone." Sam said as everyone laughed.

"Sorry." Scott said lamely.

**Sam fell down and realized his combat goggles weren't working as Scott flew off on Ant-thony behind him. Sam said it was important to him that Cap never found out about this.**

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Sam." Steve assured.

"Thanks Cap." Sam sighed, "But I told you after all."

"Yeah you did." Steve said.

"Thanks for thinking of me there." Scott said and everyone chuckled.

"We needed a bit of help." Wanda said.

**At Pym Mansion, Hank told Scott he what he had done was irresponsible and dangerous and he had jeopardized the entire mission but Scott took out the device, revealing he had got it, and shrugged.**

"Mic drop." Rhodes said and everyone laughed.

**Hank complimented him and Scott asked if he had just complimented him.**

"I'm guessing being complimented by Hank is like being complimented by me." Fury said and everyone laughed.

**Hope said it sounded like he had and Scott said he was good. He then asked what they thought about the fact that he had fought an Avenger and didn't die.**

"Yeah, yeah. Let's move past that." Sam said and everyone laughed.

**Hank said they shouldn't dwell on the past and finish the planning. He winked at Scott and walked off as Hope said he had done well.**

"Thanks." Scott said and Hope shrugged.

**Hank walked out only to see Darren standing there, shocking him.**

"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" A shocked Peter was saying as everyone watched with wide eyes.

"So he is onto you?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah. He is a paranoid guy." Hope said.

"Man! It's just like Stane!" Tony said.

"But he is even more pathetic." Scott reminded Tony.

**Hank called out his name loudly, alerting Scott and Hope.**

"Smart." Steve said as everyone watched the tense scene with breaths held back.

**Hank asked how he had gotten in and he said Hank had left the door open. He was officially old. Hank kept the device inside as Hope whispered to Scott that Darren would kill Hank for the plans. Darren said he had good news that Pym Tech was about to become one of the most profitable operations in the world. They were anticipating $15 billion in sales the next day alone. **

"Damn!" Bucky said, "Definitely about rise to the top."

"Not so fast!" Hope said and everyone chuckled.

**During that time, Scott made some ants hide the plans discreetly.**

"Phew!" Aunt May sighed in relief.

"You did good." Natasha told Scott who smirked.

**Darren said he'd like Hank to be there to see it and he agreed as Darren looked at a picture of Hope. "What did you see in me?" Darren asked. "I don't know what you mean." Hank said. "All those years ago, you picked me. What did you see?" Darren asked. "I saw myself." Hank told him. "Then why did you push me away?" Darren asked angrily. "Because I saw too much of myself." Hank said honestly and Darren walked out.**

"A wise man recognizes his flaws well." T'Challa said.

"And now he knows." Clint sighed.

**Hope told Hank Darren knew and was baiting them so they had to call it off. Hank said they were all taking risks. Hope said he might have seen her as Hank said he didn't when Hope's phone rang and Darren told her he still got only contempt from Hank. Hope told Darren not to let Hank rile him up as he was just a senile old man. Hank and Scott exchanged funny looks on that.**

"Senile enough to hit those who piss him off." Cassie said and everyone chuckled.

**Darren said he was tripling security with full sensors at all entrances and exterior air-vents filled with micro mesh. Hope said it was a great idea and Darren said he was lucky to have her on his team before cutting the call.**

"Now he's trying to guilt trip me." Hope sighed.

**Hope told Hank and Scott that Darren had lost his mind and was tripling security and was onto him. Hank said he wasn't onto Hope as she asked how they were going to get Scott inside. Scott said the water main was the only entrance as they couldn't add security to it. They could decrease the strong pressure. Hope said somebody would have to reach control center to change the water pressure and both her and Hank would be beside Cross so they'd have to expand the team. Scott said they needed a fake security guard to de-pressurize the water system, someone else to hack in to the power supply and kill the laser grid and a getaway guy.**

"Are you bringing who I think you're bringing?" Tony asked.

"Uhhhh…yeah." Scott said.

"I called it!" Tony said and everyone chuckled.

**Hank immediately refused, calling them wombats.**

"You make do with what you get." Fury said.

**Luis, Kurt and Dave were handed coffees as Luis said it wasn't always that they robbed a place and were welcomed back. Hope told Scott that Luis was arrested for stealing a smoothie machine but he corrected her that it was 2 smoothie machines.**

"Not very convincing." Hope said as everyone chuckled.

**Hope asked if they could handle it and Luis said they could because they were professionals. Dave reminded them that they had broken into this house but Hank said he had let them. Dave said he had let him let them.**

Everyone laughed as Pepper said, "Now I'm confused."

**Kurt said he was in the system as Luis seemed excited and Hank said they were doomed.**

"I get the feeling." Hill said.

**Later, Hank and Hope were telling their plans to the three when Scott arrived in the Ant-Man suit, awing Luis. Scott said this was gonna get weird and told Luis not to get scared. Luis said daddy didn't get scared and Scott shrunk down. A horrified Kurt said this was the work of gypsies.**

Everyone chuckled as Peter said, "So a tech expert believes in myths?"

"Some people are strange." Benjamin said.

**Scott then climbed on Luis' shoulder and told him to look at it. Luis screamed in fear and ran around, telling him to get off as Hank and Hope seemed incredulous. Scott said he had thought daddy didn't get scared.**

Everyone laughed as Fury said, "Goofing off during the planning? Really?"

"He was goofing off. I was just showing him." Scott said.

**Later, the three were asleep as Hope said she had given them half a Xanax and Hank had explained the science of the suit to them, making them fall asleep.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Scott started thanking her but she said they were doing this for reasons bigger than them.**

"The small way." Scott said and laughter followed.

"I like you, Man of Ants." Thor said and more laughs followed.

"Really? That's eloquent." Hope laughed.

"Which is so unlike my brother." Loki laughed too.

"I have my moment of eloquence." Odinson laughed.

**Hope said they had a slight chance of pulling this off as Scott thanked her for the pep talk. She said she had gone from despising him to almost liking him.**

"That's Scott for ya!" Hope said and everyone chuckled.

**Scott joked she should write poetry as she told him to get some sleep and went into her room, giving him a look. **

"Just kiss already." Tony said, only to get glares, "Uhhh…..Sorry."

**Scott was later sitting alone. A sleeping Cassie was shown as Scott stood over her in his suit minus the helmet and kissed her forehead lovingly.**

Everyone watched the scene with happy smiles as Scott and Cassie exchanged a smile.

**Scott asked next day if everyone knew their roles. Dave was wheels on the ground, Kurt was eyes in the sky and Luis excitedly said he got to wear a uniform. Scott called him out and he apologized, saying he was excited.**

"Well, he's excited." Steve said and everyone laughed.

**Luis then said Scott's girlfriend was really hot so that made him nervous. He called her beautiful.**

"Thank you." A flattered Hope smirked.

"Luis has a good eye." Scott said and everyone chuckled.

**Scott, Hope and Hank were all embarrassed as Luis said he would whistle to blend in but Scott told him not to whistle as it wasn't the Andy Griffith show.**

"Good call." Hill said.

**Kurt and Dave stopped their van outside Pym Tech as the former put out traffic cones. The guards were all working as Luis was scanned and let in with a gun and badge.**

"And he got the uniform." Bucky said as everyone chuckled.

**Kurt came back inside as Scott told them to wish him luck and shrunk before going in through the drain. Luis whistled and walked to a door, opening it with his badge.**

"And he's whistling." Fury sighed.

**Luis arrived in the water system room as the guard looked at him and he said boss man had said to secure the area so he was securing it. The guard said he was the boss.**

"Uh-oh." Rhodes said.

**Luis suddenly knocked him out.**

"Damn!" Sam said.

"That was unexpected." Natasha said.

"He knocked out Peachy, remember?" Scott asked and everyone nodded in realization.

**Luis then decreased the water pressure as the water started flowing with the fire ants carrying Scott. Scott climbed up with the help of other ants from above while ants flew around.**

"That looks fun." Cassie said as everyone chuckled.

**Kurt and Dave noticed a Vic's Crown car and called it a problem because it was the most commonly used car by cops. **

"You're not wrong there." Scott said.

**Jim and another cop were there. As Hank arrived, they ran after him.**

"Damn!" Rhodes said.

**Luis stood next to another guard who was suddenly bitten by several ants and Luis then knocked him out.**

Everyone chuckled a bit.

**Hope walked past Luis and opened the door, putting the signal decoy in while Luis dragged the guard away. Kurt said mean pretty lady had done good.**

"Mean pretty lady?" Hope asked.

"No offense but you do come off as that." Hill said and everyone chuckled while Hope shook her head.

**Kurt and Dave then noticed Jim and the other cop talking to Hank who told them people would die if he didn't get into the building. The cop said it was awfully dramatic.**

"Yeah. It does sound overdramatic." Peter said.

**Dave ran into the cop car and blaring the sirens, drove it away as Jim and the cop ran after it. Kurt muttered the problem was solved.**

Everyone laughed and clapped.

**Luis was now in the suit of the knocked out guard as Hope walked past him right into Darren.**

"And he's here." Tony said as everyone glared at Darren.

**Cross asked her how he looked as Hank arrived and Cross said he was in time. They went through several verifications as Hank said he was over the top and Cross said they could never be too safe. Hank looked around at the lab and said Cross had really done it as he said this was only half of it. The door shut behind them as a helicopter landed and out walked Carson with his men.**

"And the rat bastard is here." Logan snarled.

**Scott flew on Ant-thony with several ants behind him as they reached the location and he jumped down, saying he was in position and was going to signal the ants. Jim and the cop found their car crashed against a tree as Dave ran back into the car and laughed, accidentally blowing the horn, alerting Jim and the cop.**

"Busted." Hope said finally.

"WE are busted!" Scott said as everyone chuckled.

"I'm sure they'll handle it." Clint said.

"Oh they will." Cassie said.

**The crazies stood in position and managed to fry the servers finally as Kurt said data servers were erased. Scott jumped back on Ant-thony and flew to the particle chamber.**

Everyone clapped a bit.

**Carson and his men arrived in the lab as Cross shook hands with them and said they were representatives of Hydra but not what they used to be and were doing interesting work. Darren said he had tried to hide his technology from him and now it would blow up in his face. Hank angrily punched Darren, staggering him back.**

"Still got the moves." Fury said.

"Never piss my dad off!" Hope said seriously.

**Darren held his face and said he had seen the punch coming but had figured it'd be weak. Hank said he had figured wrong.**

"Damn right you did!" Logan said.

"Yup." Scarlet Witch agreed.

**Paxton and the cop knocked on the van as the former recognized it while Kurt and Dave hid. **

"Uh-oh!" Peter and Benjamin said at the same time.

**Scott and the ants managed to plant the explosives, growing them back to normal size as a flying ant carried some fire ants away. Scott said he'd take it from here and kicked a screw into the laser grid, only for it to disintegrate. He asked where they were with the laser grid and Kurt said they were close as the bar was almost at 60% while Paxton and the cop knocked.**

"Go faster! Go faster!" Clint said.

**Scott started jumping as the van was opened. Dave said a black guy that looked exactly like him had attacked them and put them in the back of the disgusting van.**

"You expect them to buy it?" Bruce asked.

"They are stalling, my friend." Loki said.

**Dave was pulled out and as the bar reached 100%, Kurt started getting pulled out too until he pressed the button, deactivating the grid as Scott passed it.**

Everyone released breaths they hadn't realized they were holding.

"Now that's my man!" Scott said.

**But then the Yellowjacket suit was moved away in front of him and he realized he was trapped. Outside, Darren waved to him and showed him the suit.**

"Oh no!" Peter said as everyone's jaws dropped in horror.

"You son of a bitch!" Sam said.

"He planned ahead." Vision realized.

"He knew you were coming." T'Challa said.

"Damn it!" Tony said.

"What're you going to do now?" Rhodes asked.

"Just watch." Scott said.

"It's gonna get ugly." Hope said.

"We can see that." Steve said.

**The grid activated as Scott fell down while Hope and Hank watched in horror. Darren said he had suspected Hank of hiding a suit and then showed a picture of Scott, introducing him to everyone, saying he had taken on the system and lost his family and only daughter in the process by going to prison. Darren said he was exactly Hank's kind of guy as he had escaped a jail cell magically without a clue. He put the Yellowjacket in a suit and said now Scott had brought him the Ant-Man suit, the only thing to rival his creation.**

"He is creepy." Scott said randomly.

"We can see that." Bucky said.

**Hank begged Darren not to do this as these men would cause chaos but Darren said he already had for twice the price. It wasn't easy to infiltrate an Avengers facility but word traveled fast. **

"Damn it!" Sam said.

**He would sell the Yellowjacket but keep the particle to himself, telling Carson to buy it from him later.**

"On your face!" Pepper said.

**Darren asked what they called the man who armed the most powerful weapon in the world and Hank said the most powerful man. Darren asked if Hank was proud of him yet as Hank told him to stop. He told Hope Hank wasn't capable of taking care of her or him as his men aimed guns at Hank. Hope told him to stop, saying the particles were altering his brain chemistry.**

"His brain chemistry already looks pretty askew to me." Tony said.

**Darren stopped his men and aimed a gun at Hank himself. Hope elbowed a man out and aimed his gun at Darren, telling him to drop the gun. Darren said he had come to the house to kill Hank but Hope was there.**

"So he did see you." Clint said.

**Hope said Darren was sick and she could help him. Darren said he wasn't ready to kill her then but was now. Hope told him to put it down as he said she had picked the wrong side.**

"Depends on where you're standing." Hope reminded everyone of Sharon's words and they nodded.

**Scott then burst out and threw a man off before enlarging as Hank punched Darren away while Hope knocked a guy out but Darren managed to shoot Hank in the shoulder.**

"Oh no!" Rhodes said.

"Things are getting worse." Hill muttered.

**Scott shrunk and knocked a guy back before enlarging and knocking him out. He then knelt in front of Hank when Darren pointed the gun at him, telling him to take off the suit. He pulled the trigger but nothing happened as Hope was using ants to block it.**

"That was resourceful!" Aunt May said as everyone clapped a bit while Hope shrugged.

**Darren took off his coat as ants bit him and picking up the case, ran off. Carson picked up the vial and ran off as ants bit him too but he resisted them.**

"And he's still out there." Fury sighed.

"We'll get him." Hill said.

**Luis triggered the alarms so Jim and the other cop ran inside while Dave and Kurt ran into the van and drove off. Cross picked up an ant on his face and told his men to get him to the roof and radio ahead as he wanted a helicopter ready for him. He told his two men to kill anything that moved.**

"It's official. He has lost the 1% of sanity he had." Tony said.

**Hope knelt close to Hank as Scott said they needed to get him out of here. With a tear in her eye, she told him to get the suit. Scott ran to the guards. They fired but he shrunk and leaping up, knocked one down. The other one fired but he managed to jump on the barrel in time and knocked him out. The other one got up when Scott grew to normal size and grabbing him by the tie, threw him through glass, knocking him out.**

Everyone clapped and cheered as a flattered Scott smiled.

**Scott then jumped on a table and ran through the miniature model of Cross Technologies, avoiding shots from the two guards. Then Luis punched one out before disarming the other and knocking him out too.**

Everyone sighed in relief as Rhodes said, "Best friend to the rescue."

"Maybe I should get one." Logan muttered.

**Luis looked around, asking if he had saved Scott's life. Scott grew back to normal and thanked Luis, who asked if they were the good guys and Scott said they were. They both agreed it felt weird as he said they were not done and told him to get out before the place blew as he shrunk while Luis started running. The timer was a little less than 2 minutes now.**

"Get out fast." Pepper muttered.

**Luis then remembered the knocked out guard and started dragging him out too.**

"Noble thing to do." Steve muttered.

**Hank was still down and then he said they weren't going to die as he took out a miniature tank on a keychain and said it wasn't a keychain.**

"Is he going to do what I think he is going to do?" Sam asked.

"Yeah." Hope said.

**As Paxton and the other cop were out, a huge tank burst out from the building and landed down, shocking Jim.**

"WHOA!" Almost everyone went.

**Luis supported the other guard out as the other cop helped him away while Hope supported Hank out and some medics led him away. Luis then heard the horn of his van and ran to it. Darren was getting away in the helicopter when many ants flew there. Scott was there on Ant-thony. Cross took a gun and fired. One of the bullets hit Ant-thony, killing him.**

"Oh no!" Wanda said in horror and sadness as everyone watched sadly.

"I miss him." Scott said glumly as Hope held his hand for comfort.

**Scott called out to him in despair as he got on another ant and looked back at his falling wing.**

"I'm sorry." Steve said to Scott who nodded in appreciation.

"He was a good…..ant." Tony said, trying to offer comfort and Scott accepted with a nod.

**Scott snarled at Cross that he was gonna regret that.**

"Can't wait to see that happen." Peter said.

"It's gonna get ugly though." Cassie said.

**Jim and the cop looked up at the helicopter as Luis ran into the van. Jim yelled at him to get out but he said he couldn't hear him as they drove off.**

Everyone chuckled a bit.

**Scott punched a hole in the window of the helicopter and shrinking down, flew in, knocking a guy out. Cross fired as he dodged and a bullet hit the case. "Did you think you could stop the future with a heist?" Cross asked. "It was never just a heist." Scott said as the bombs finally exploded while Pym watched. There was zilch left of Pym Technologies now.**

"And it's gone." Pepper said.

"Now just need to stop cross." Benjamin said.

"Who is a lunatic." Logan added.

**Scott knocked another guy out as Darren smacked him away and he grew back to normal, holding onto the helicopter. Jim and the other cop chased from the ground as Scott climbed back onto the helicopter, only to see the Yellowjacket suit, now normal sized. Cross had put it on.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said as everyone watched in horror.

"And now he has gone fully crazy." Tony said.

"No kidding." Pepper agreed, having flashbacks to when Stane had emerged in the Iron Monger Armor.

**Darren then fired energy beams as Scott shrunk and ran around to avoid while the helicopter was hit. He managed to hit Cross before he shrunk down too and they both fought. Cross' energy beams killed the pilots as they both went into the case and it was thrown off the helicopter. Cross roared he would disintegrate him as 'Disintegration' by 'The Cure' started playing on a phone.**

Everyone laughed at that.

**The two leapt at each other as the case fell in a pool at the backyard of a house. The family watched as Cross then emerged at normal size, firing his energy beams. They ran back to avoid when a normal-sized Scott leapt at Cross, smashing him into the house as they both shrunk. **

Everyone sighed in relief.

**Cross punched Scott and threw him off as he enlarged again. Cross flew at him but Scott smacked him away with a ping-pong paddle right into a bug zapper, knocking him out.**

Everyone clapped as Scarlet Witch said, "That was nicely done."

"Thanks." Sam shrugged.

**Scott told the family it was okay as they ran off when Paxton and the cop arrived. Scott removed his helmet, shocking Jim. He tried to explain the situation but Jim tasered him, knocking him out.**

"And that happened." Aunt May said.

"It sucks. I know." Scott said.

**Jim and the cop led Scott away as Cross woke up within the bug zapper and roared.**

"And he is awake." Fury sighed.

"Only dad can stop him." Cassie said as she exchanged a smile with Scott.

"Now you're going to see how it ends." Benjamin said as the recording continued.

* * *

**And done. Next chapter ends this movie and then a break. **

**The final fight of this movie was a really unique fight. There's nothing like it. And it's hilarious too. I love it.**

**Also, something I've been wondering since my conversation with Bl4ckHunter yesterday, who do you think would win in a fight between the 3 live-action Spider-Men? And Holland isn't allowed to use the Iron-Spider suit. He has the first suit Tony gave him.**

**I personally think Holland will be out first due to his inexperience. Maguire is physically the strongest and also the most experienced but Garfield is faster at fighting and the most intelligent so I believe it can go either way between them.**

**Who do you think will win?**

**The damn reviews are still down on this site! Are the admins sleeping or what? It usually gets fixed within a day. And it has been almost 2 days now.**

**Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	64. Mini-battle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Turns out I was wrong about Maguire's Spidey being the strongest because based on research, Holland's boat feat is stronger than Maguire's train feat. So thanks to the guest who pointed it out. But I'm still going to say Holland loses first because of inexperience. **

**And Tobey's version is pretty durable. He has taken the most brutal punishment out of all three and still come out on top. And he has actually fought someone with powers like himself- Venom.**

**So out of the three, Tobey probably has a bit of an edge over the other two but I still feel it can go either way between him and Garfield.**

**Anyway, this chapter we end Ant-Man.**

**guest: Thanks for the review and you're right about Holland Spidey being stronger. I was mistaken. Thanks for correcting me.**

Chapter 64- Mini-battle

"So how did you get out of that one?" Peter asked Scott.

"Just watch, kid." Scott said.

**Scott woke up in the cop car and asked Paxton to take him back to the backyard as there was something in the backyard that needed to be destroyed. Jim angrily stopped the car and said Scott's delusions were out of hand. Then the comm unit said there was a 2-36 in progress at 840 Winter Street, shocking them both as it was Jim's house.**

"So he is trying to threaten you?" Aunt May asked Cassie, feeling angry at Cross.

"Yes." Cassie said, "But he has dad to go through."

**In Cassie's room, a Thomas the Tank Engine was moving around as Cross stood there in his Yellowjacket suit. Cassie looked afraid as he told her not to be scared.**

"Don't be scared? Don't be scared?" Scott asked angrily, "You are standing there in that suit and you're telling her to not be scared?"

"Calm down." Hope said as she held his hand.

"You saved me, dad." Cassie reminded him.

**Paxton stopped in front of his house as Scott asked to be let out but Paxton refused as him and the other cop got out. Jim asked Maggie what was going on and she said in a panicked state that the thing had got Cassie.**

"The monster." Steve said.

**Scott managed to kneel down and put the helmet on, shrinking in time.**

"Now he is coming to beat you up." Tony said.

"Cross is gonna regret everything he has done." Sam said.

**Cross asked if he looked like a monster and Cassie said she wanted her daddy. Cross said he wanted her daddy too.**

"Her daddy is gonna kick your ass." Clint said, shaking with rage at Cross threatening Scott's kid to get to him.

**He then grabbed her and she screamed.**

"Let her go you moron!" Clint snarled as everyone shook with rage.

"I'm coming." Scott muttered.

"Yeah you are." Cassie said.

**Scott arrived in his normal size and retracted his helmet to the joy of Cassie. He told Cross to pick on someone his own size as he let Cassie go.**

"Now it's starting." Rhodes said.

"The damn moron is gonna get his." Fury said.

"Can't wait." Hill said.

**Scott threw a red disk at Cross, shrinking him as he shrunk too. Cross was on top of Thomas the Tank Engine as Scott ran through a carpet. Cross fired energy beams at him and he dodged while Cassie watched from a corner.**

"It looks big from your point of view but small from everyone else." Bucky said.

"I think that's the point." Pepper said.

"Yup." Scott said.

**Several ants arrived as Cross tried to fight them all while Scott leapt on top of the train. He lifted a compartment and threw it at Cross who destroyed it with his energy beam and continued fighting the ants. Scott threw another compartment to the same result. Cross ducked to avoid the toy tunnel. Scott lifted it up and threw it at Cross, throwing him off the train on the track. He got up and was frightened as the train reached near him but as it hit him, Cassie's POV was shown. The compartments of the toy all broke.**

No one could stop themselves from laughing at that as T'Challa said, "Now that was unexpected."

"And a bit funny." Wanda added.

"Yeah it was." Benjamin said.

"That's the point of this fight." Scarlet Witch said.

"Yes it is." Scott agreed.

"And it is emphasized nicely." Hope said.

**Cross threw the engine of Thomas the Tank Engine on Scott but he smacked it away and it fell on the window.**

"This is getting a bit hard to digest even for me." Vision said.

"That is pretty funny, bub." Logan said.

"Yes. An android finding something hard to digest sounds funny to me as well." Loki agreed.

**Luis, Kurt and Dave arrived near the house but on seeing the cop cars, they backed off.**

Everyone chuckled as Thor said, "Now that was a bit disappointing."

"I handled him nicely myself." Scott said.

"We know." Odinson told him.

**Cross fought more ants as they surrounded him and he flew up angrily, firing at Scott who dodged while Cassie watched. Scott threw a blue disk at Cross who avoided and it hit an ant instead, enlarging it to the size of a dog as Cassie's jaw dropped.**

"Damn!" Tony said.

"That is…..a very huge ant." Natasha trailed off.

"It was my pet for a while." Cassie revealed to everyone's shock and they laughed.

**Scott threw another blue disk and Cross dodged again. This time it hit the engine of Thomas the Tank Engine and it enlarged to the size of a real locomotive, breaking the wall and falling on the cop car outside.**

"Now that's even worse." Pepper said.

"No kidding." Sam agreed.

**Jim ran inside as Scott avoided Cross' beams and threw stuff from a bucket at him which he destroyed. Jim ran upstairs only for the big ant to arrive. He screamed and fell down in shock as the ant passed him and smashing a glass door, crawled out, making Maggie, Jim's partner and another cop gasp in shock. Jim's partner said that was a messed up looking dog.**

Everyone chuckled as Cassie said, "I treated it as a dog for a while."

"That's my girl for ya!" Scott said as everyone chuckled.

**Cross grew back to normal size as Cassie screamed. Jim arrived to fight him but was disarmed. Scott leapt at his suit from behind to break it but failed as Cross grabbed him and said it was titanium. He tried to crush Scott but he grew back to normal and the two fought before Scott was thrown out. Jim ran with Cassie but Cross blocked his way. Jim put Cassie behind him as she yelled at Cross to stay away from them. Cross was about to fire at them when Scott realized he had to shrink between the molecules.**

"You're gonna do that?" Tony asked in shock.

"Yes." Scott said selflessly.

"Respect." Bruce muttered.

**Scott shrunk between the molecules and leapt into the back of the suit, breaking the wires and destroying the connections as he said he loved Cassie.**

"I love you too, dad." Cassie said as Scott smiled.

**Scott managed to destroy the power source of Cross' suit and he screamed before the suit collapsed into itself and there was zilch left of him.**

Everyone clapped as Rhodes said, "Finally!"

"He got what he deserved." Pepper said.

"Damn right he did!" Fury agreed.

"But what about you?" Steve asked Scott.

"Just watch." Scott said.

**Cassie called out to Scott who was shrinking uncontrollably in the Quantum Realm, remembering what Hank had said.**

"A whole new realm." Tony said, fascinated by the Quantum Realm.

"It is beautiful…and dangerous." Thor said.

"That is exactly how I would describe it." Loki agreed.

**As Cassie continued calling out to him, Scott took out the blue disk and remembering Hank's words not to screw with the regulator, put it on the regulator before turning it as Cassie said she loved him. **

"Something is about to happen." Bucky said.

"Something big is about to happen." Natasha agreed.

**Cassie and Jim watched as Scott finally grew back to normal size and she hugged him happily as he said he loved her too.**

Scott and Cassie exchanged loving smiles.

**Jim awkwardly said there was a hole in the roof. Jim's partner, Maggie and the other cops arrived but all they saw was Jim and Cassie. Cassie hugged her mother happily and looked at the wall as a miniature Scott leapt away, his shadow visible. Outside, the cops looked at Thomas the Tank Engine as the big ant crawled away.**

"And the day is saved." Sam said as everyone clapped.

"That was so awesome." Peter said.

"It really was." Benjamin agreed.

"And a very interesting fight." Vision said.

"I agree, Vision." T'Challa said.

**Next day, Hank asked Scott if he didn't remember anything about the Quantum Realm and then he realized the human mind couldn't comprehend the experience. Hank was satisfied with the fact that Scott had made it. Hope said she would walk Scott out and they walked out.**

"You sure it's just about walking me out?" Scott asked with a smirk and she shook her head.

**Hank wondered if it was possible as he looked at a picture of himself, Janet and Hope as a baby. He opened the door only to see Scott and Hope parting from a kiss.**

Everyone laughed out loud at that as Hill said, "Now you're busted!"

"Fine. You got back at me." Hope sighed.

"He is gonna be so pissed." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

**Hank asked when that had happened and Hope said nothing was happening. Scott said something was happening as Hank told them to shoot him again. Scott said he didn't know what Hope was doing grabbing and kissing him like that, embarrassing her a bit.**

"This is embarrassing." Hope muttered.

"I knew it!" Hill said, "Everyone has dirt on them!"

"You got back at me. What more do you want?" Hope said as everyone chuckled.

**Scott said he had to get somewhere and jokingly chastised Hope again as Hank said he was full of shit and he agreed as he walked out.**

"Too happy to argue at this point." Scott said.

**Scott was having dinner with Cassie, Maggie and Jim as Jim told him that he had told his captain something had fried the cameras but Scott had been processed correctly. Scott happily thanked him as he said he couldn't send Cassie's dad back to jail on a technical glitch. Scott thanked Jim for everything he did for Cassie as well as he said this one he had done for him. They realized it was awkward now.**

"At least you are friends now." Steve said.

"Yeah. Good stuff comes out of a lot of things at least." Scott said.

**Scott wondered what to talk about as Cassie said she had done her first cartwheel today and Jim showed him the video. He joked how that was a professional gymnast while Cassie fed the big ant under the table.**

"Now that's a good dog." Cassie said as everyone laughed.

**Scott told Cassie the cartwheel was amazing but then got a call and said he had to go to work.**

"I think I know what that is." Sam said as he looked at Scott.

"Yup." Scott said.

**Scott then met Luis, Kurt and Dave and said he wanted just the facts and nothing else. An excited Luis started his story, "So, I'm at this art museum with my cousin Ignacio, right? And there was this, like, abstract expressionism exhibit. But you know me, I'm more like a Neo-Cubist kind of guy, right? But there was this one Rothko that was sublime, bro! Oh, my God!" Scott stopped him and he apologized, saying he got excited a lot.**

"We can see that." Wanda said and everyone chuckled.

**Luis then continued, "But anyway, Ignacio tells me, "Yo, I met this crazy-fine writer chick at the Spot last night. Like fine-fine. Like crazy-stupid fine." And he goes up to the bartender and goes, "Look at the girl I'm with. You know what I'm sayin'? She's crazy-stupid fine, right?" The bartender's all like, "Yeah, crazy-stupid fine."" Everyone's lips moved in the flashback at the same time as Luis narrated, including the elderly bartender.**

"Even your buddy talked through our old Watcher agent in this one." Tony said as everyone chuckled.

**Luis continued, "So this writer chick tells Ignacio, "Yo, I'm like a boss in the world of guerrilla journalism, and I got mad connects with the peeps behind the curtains, you know what I'm saying?" Ignacio's like, "For real?" And she's like, "Yeah, you know what, I can't tell you who my contact is, because he works with the Avengers." Scott was shocked, "Oh, no." Luis continued, "Yeah, and this dude sounds like a badass, man. Like, he comes up to her and says, "Yo, I'm looking for this dude who's new on the scene, who's flashing his fresh tack, who's got, like, bomb moves, right? Who you got?"" Sam's lips moved in the flashback at the same time as Luis spoke.**

"He spoke through me as well." Sam joked and everyone chuckled.

**Luis continued, "And she's like, "Well, we got everything nowadays. We got a guy who jumps. We got a guy who swings, we got a guy who crawls up the walls. You gotta be more specific.""**

"I think she was talking about me." Peter said.

"Yes she was." Benjamin confirmed.

**Luis continued, "And he's like, "I'm looking for a guy that shrinks." And I'm, like, "Damn!" I got all nervous 'cause I'd keep mad secrets for you, bro. So I asked Ignacio, "Did the badass tell the stupid-fine writer chick to tell you to tell me, because I'm tight with Ant-Man that he's looking for him?"" All the lips in the flashbacks moved at the same time as Luis talked while Scott asked, "And? What'd he say?" Luis said, "He said, "Yes."" The screen went black.**

"What a nice story!" Natasha said as everyone chuckled.

"He really should tell bed-time stories." Scarlet Witch agreed.

**Hank led Hope into a room and said he wanted to show her something. He had realized that they couldn't destroy power but make sure it didn't fall in the wrong hands. He opened a compartment, revealing a slick suit with wings as he said him and Janet had been working on it but she had never gotten to use it. "But now I realize that we were...we were working on it for you." Hank said, "Maybe it's time we finished it." Hope looked at him and the suit and said with a smile, "It's about damn time." The screen went black.**

"So now you're coming too." Bucky asked.

"I'm already here." Hope said.

"One more scene." Logan said.

"**Hey Cap." Sam said as him and Steve walked to an awoken Bucky in a warehouse.**

"Oh! That!" Bucky said.

"I remember." Sam said.

"Not a very pleasant experience." Steve agreed.

"**This would have been a lot easier a week ago." Sam said. "If we call Tony..." Sam interrupted, "He won't believe us." Steve started, "Even if he did..." Sam interrupted again, "Who knows if the Accords will let him help."**

"Damn Accords!" Tony muttered.

"**We're on our own." Steve said. "Maybe not." Sam told him, "I know a guy." The screen went black.**

"The guy being me." Scott said.

"That's right." Sam said.

"I know I said it before but thanks for thinking of me." Scott said again.

"No problem, Tic-Tac." Sam smirked.

"So that's the end of this." Benjamin said.

"So, who's hungry?" Scarlet Witch asked.

"I think everyone is." Hope said.

"Well, let us sate our hungers." Odinson said as they all got up.

"Yeah let us." Loki agreed as they moved to the dining hall.

* * *

**And that ends Phase 2 as well. Damn! I have written a lot at this point! Really fast!**

**I wanted to include the deleted casino scene but I had no idea where to place it so I apologize to those who wanted to see it.**

**And in case anyone's wondering, my ranking of the Phase 2 movies is- #1- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (10/10). #2- Guardians of the Galaxy (9.2/10). #3- Avengers: Age of Ultron (9/10). #4- Ant-Man (8.4/10). #5- Iron Man 3 (7.3/10). #6- Thor: The Dark World (7/10).**

**Next chapter is the break and then the next 3 movies are- Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther and Spider-Man: Homecoming.**

**And the goddamn reviews are still down! At this point, I say we boycott this site temporarily! That will open the eyes of the goddamn admins enough to fix this crap!**

**Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	65. Break V

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And finally, after so many ages and 4 movies, we get to another break. Yes! Last one was hijacked by Deadpool if I remember right. Don't worry. Nothing like that is gonna happen this time. **

**Now moving on. **

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. I will just change the title card to '4 Years Later' instead. **

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Glad it is great work and glad you enjoy it. Yes you have my permission as long as I get credit.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Doctor Strange will be shown after Spider-Man: Homecoming.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, Ant-Man was great like that. Yes I can see Scott like that too and yeah, him and Hope are among the best MCU pairings. Definitely in my Top 5 MCU pairings. Yeah same here and Cross sure was a psycho. He was like Stane but even more pathetic and not as interesting. Yes that fight was just genius. Agreed on the error. Though Endgame had a giant (no pun intended) error when Giant-Man was seen in the background while Scott is fixing the van. Yes I liked the friendship too. Agreed on Peter and Jon. I have only seen 'Far From Home' once and I don't remember everything either so I am not counting it for now. When I rewatch it, I will count the feats from it. I still find Garfield the smartest because he has used his brains to take down his opponents by figuring out their weaknesses. Garfield also did make his own web-shooters if I remember correctly. Yes, MCU Peter has the least experience and his biggest fights were as part of a team. Maguire Spidey has taken the most brutal beatings out of the three and I'd say he was holding back against Doc Ock. He holds back his full strength in the comics too. Yes, Holland Spidey is physically the strongest because of the boat feat but I agree that Maguire will get most of the wins because of his experience and the fact that he has actually fought someone with powers like his- Venom. Holland Spidey will get stronger now. And yes! Finally, they are combining the movies and TV shows. It's still a rumor right now but the source is credible as their previous rumors have turned out to be true. Glad you like the war between Hope and Hill. I'm not planning to do much with the SpideyScarlet pairing really but they won't be hidden for long. You will see on 'Team Bug' and yeah, I would just be happy with Scott too. I would love a show with those three too. Yes, Luis must recap the entire MCU. I can understand on delayed reviews and yeah, I'm a machine at this point. No exams does that to you. I'm writing and updating in spite of the damn boiling hot milk that fell on top of my hand! Because that's one of the few things I can do with it without hurting it. Yes, "BABA YAGA!" Enjoy the chapter.**

Chapter 65- Break V

Everyone reached the dining hall to eat their food. Four was the highest number of 'movies' they had watched any day.

This time, they saw two young women eating there too with them.

"Who're you?" Natasha asked the shorter woman who had a boy-cut.

She looked up with fake disappointment and asked, "You don't recognize me, Auntie Nat?"

Everyone's eyes widened and their jaws dropped as Clint actually stood up from his chair so fast that it actually fell down.

"Lila?" He asked as Lila nodded with a smile. Clint walked over to her as she stood up and then father and daughter hugged each other tightly.

Natasha also walked up to them and the two shared a hug.

"You're so big." Clint said with a smile, "But then again, you always grew really fast."

"Yeah. Remember when I aged like 7 years in 3?" Lila joked and everyone chuckled.

"So you're an Avenger?" Natasha asked and she nodded.

"Yes, Auntie Nat." Lila said.

"She is the new Hawkeye." Cassie said as they all looked between her and Clint.

"Honored to meet you, Hawkeye." Clint said as he held out his hand.

"The honor is mine, Hawkeye." Lila said as they both shook hands and everyone smiled.

"Family reunions. Always nice." Thor said with a sense of longing.

"I can understand." Loki told him.

"This is family now." Odinson said and they both nodded.

Tony got up from his chair and walked to Clint and Lila.

"Uhhh…." He trailed off, "I just wanted to…..uhhh….."

"Apologize." Pepper popped up and he nodded.

"Right! Apologize!" Tony said as he turned to Lila, "I wanted to apologize for telling Ross about you, your brothers and your mom."

Lila sighed and said, "It's been a long time since then. We have forgiven you now."

"I will forgive you, Tony." Clint said, "If you promise to nail Ross to a cross when we get back."

"Oh I will, with pleasure." Tony said.

"All right." Clint said as he held out his hand and Tony shook it.

"Call me up too when you're doing whatever you're doing to Ross." Bruce said and they all chuckled.

"So Thanos, Kang, Doom, the real Mandarin and Ross." Steve summed up, "Any other threat you know about and we don't?"

"Well, Strange takes care of any magical threats." Scarlet Witch said, "So you don't need to interfere with that."

"And because you're taking care of Ross, you will end up taking care of Zemo as well." Benjamin said, confusing them all.

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked, confused.

"Well, you see, Ross wasn't pleased with the Accords being repealed and all that." Logan said, "He wanted his own deterrent to the Avengers. So he made a team of his own. In his eyes, they were the heroes. He called them the Thunderbolts."

"Thunderbolts? Did any of them shoot lightning?" Thor asked and everyone chuckled a bit.

"And Zemo was their leader." Benjamin revealed to their shock, "They were all formerly incarcerated supervillains really. Eventually, Zemo was killed by the two of you."

Benjamin pointed at Bucky and Sam as he said that and they looked at each other, then Steve, and then back at Benjamin.

"And some of those villains actually wanted redemption for their actions." Odinson said, "So they ended up rebelling against Ross. He was furious though."

"So he performed an experiment on himself. The same one that turned you into Hulk." Lila said as she pointed at Bruce, shocking everyone in the room.

"Wait what? The jackass became Hulkass?" Tony asked as the ones from the future nodded.

"Just when I thought our problems couldn't get any worse." Fury muttered.

"He was called Red Hulk." Cassie said, "He came around and caused a lot of damage."

"But you and Jennifer stopped him." Scarlet Witch said as she pointed at Bruce.

"Jennifer? As in my cousin?" Bruce asked and they nodded, "She got powers too or something?"

"Ross once abducted her to get to you and she ended up injured." Benjamin said, "You were the only one whose blood type was compatible with her. So you transferred some of your blood to her."

"And then she got powers too." Logan said, "She actually looks like Professor Hulk. Except much hotter."

"You talk about her like that again, the Other Guy will have words with you." Bruce said as Logan smirked.

"I'd like to see him try." Logan said as everyone chuckled in amusement at their antics.

"And she is a lawyer for all superheroes too." The other woman who was sitting with Lila added.

She had long black hair and was slightly taller than Lila.

"Who're you?" Hill asked her.

She looked at Tony and Pepper with sadness in her eyes and said, "My name is Morgan Stark. I'm their daughter."

She pointed at Tony and Pepper, shocking them both.

"What? Really?" Pepper asked and she nodded, "Never thought I'd say this but I really need a shower and some rest right now."

"I know it is hard to stomach." Morgan said as she got up and moved towards Tony. She then suddenly hugged him tightly and lovingly to his surprise, "I've missed you, dad."

Tony, while confused, realized he was feeling affection for this woman who was his daughter from the future. He ended up hugging her back as some tears fell out of her eyes. Pepper got up and hugged Morgan too, feeling affection for her in the moment.

"She looks just like you." Tony said as he looked between Pepper and Morgan.

"But I got your brains." Morgan said as they both smiled at her, "Comes in handy."

"Just hope you use it better than him." Pepper joked and the two chuckled as Tony gave Pepper a 'mock' glare.

"So, now all three of us have met our daughters in the future. Funny, isn't it?" Scott asked and everyone chuckled.

"Very funny." Hope muttered.

"Time travel is so cool man." Peter said as he finally finished his food.

"It is a rather interesting and complex concept." Vision said.

Clint then suddenly glared at Benjamin and walked towards him. Pointing at Scarlet Witch, he said, "You hurt her, kid, and no one will find your body."

"What?" Aunt May asked incredulously as she looked between Benjamin and Scarlet Witch, "You two…I mean…" Her head was moving between them rather comically at this point, "How…..When…"

Peter at this point was blushing. And so was Wanda.

"Uhhhhhhh…I' m sorry if that offends you or anything." Peter said lamely to Wanda, "I mean, the future relationship thingy or whatever."

He did find her an attractive woman and all that. But she seemed way out of his league right now. So he had no idea how his future self was in a relationship with her, especially considering Vision.

"Yeah, we have been in a relationship for a few years now." Scarlet Witch sighed, "Being the youngest in the group kind of brings you closer."

"I promise I won't hurt her or anything like that." Benjamin said lamely to Clint with raised hands, "If I do, I'll let her hurt me in return or something like that. I mean, I do get hurt a lot in fights and all that, but you know…."

"I have no idea what to say at this point." Clint shook his head.

"This just got so much weirder." Rhodes said as he turned to Tony, "You sure you didn't have anything to do with it?"

"No. The kid did." Tony said and everyone laughed while he said to Peter, "Be careful around Wanda now or Clint will come for you."

"I won't let him." Aunt May said with a glare at Clint and he raised his hands.

"As long as it doesn't happen around me, I'm good." He said.

"Won't want to piss her off now, would we?" Natasha asked Clint rhetorically and both chuckled a bit.

"What about Vision?" Wanda asked and the people from the future exchanged looks.

"Those looks suggest something happened to me." Vision said, "Something not good at all."

"You died." Scarlet Witch said with healed but remembered pain in her voice to everyone's horror, "When Thanos attacked, he wanted the Mind Stone in your forehead. He ripped it out of you."

Wanda looked horrified as Vision also seemed to actually look pale in fear. Fear of impending death.

"But calm down. Please, everyone calm down." Benjamin said as he did some random gestures, "We brought you here so you can see your mistakes and learn your lessons from them, so that you do not repeat your mistakes again. And because of that, you will beat your foes with less difficulty than you originally did."

"Mr. Parker speaks truly." T'Challa said.

"Yes, considering what you have done by bringing us here to view our past and future, I believe the future can change." Vision said, regaining his composure.

"Anyway, now that you're going to deal with Ross right after returning, I guess Zemo, the Thunderbolts, Red Hulk and She-Hulk are not gonna happen at all. Good. Saves us all a headache." Logan said.

"She-Hulk? Really? That was her name?" Bruce asked and Logan nodded, "Must be the tallest woman in the world or something like that."

"Oh you have no idea, bub." Logan said.

"And there is also this Magneto guy you will need to deal with a few years after dealing with Thanos." Scarlet Witch said, "He is an enemy of the X-Men. He died recently due to his old age."

"What's his story?" Steve asked.

"You have actually met him, Cap." Morgan revealed to his own shock.

"Really? When?" Steve asked.

"You remember that kid we saved from Auschwitz, Poland?" Logan asked, "Erik Lensherr?"

"Yes!" Bucky spoke up, "I remember him! He is the one?"

"He was a mutant." Logan revealed, "He can control all metal as well as the Earth's electromagnetic field."

"Damn!" Sam said.

"So….I'm a goner then?" Tony asked dryly.

"You can use carbon fiber." Morgan suggested and he nodded.

"Right! Thanks for that! You really do have my brains!" The two and Pepper chuckled a bit.

"He had this plan of turning all world leaders into mutants but we stopped him." Scarlet Witch said, "Now that you know it, you can do it too."

"We will." Natasha said.

"So...I'm guessing that's enough info dump for today? Right?" Benjamin asked and nods followed.

"Well, we need to rest now. We have more to watch tomorrow." Hill said.

"It's actually going to be the Civil War tomorrow." Odinson cringed and Steve and Tony gave each other a look before looking at him and nodding.

"I hope no one tries to kill each other." Loki commented and everyone chuckled.

"Well, let's all go for now." Tony said and they all started moving towards their bedrooms.

"Wanda? A word before you go?" Scarlet Witch asked and Wanda stopped to listen to her, sensing it was important.

"I just wanted to say to you one last time, you may not be able to forgive yourself for anything you have done even if the others have. But you have to move on from all of that sometime. All that anger and pain can only have negative consequences if not dealt with properly." Scarlet Witch told her. Wanda nodded, conceding her point.

"And the relationship with Viz." Scarlet Witch said and she listened with ears perked up at this point (figuratively of course), "I have realized now that it was not a very healthy relationship."

"What?" Wanda asked, a bit confused, though deep down, she knew what Scarlet Witch was implying.

"Vision has tried his best to be human and he has some feelings too." Scarlet Witch said, "But at the end of the day, he doesn't understand every single thing about being human. His behavior regarding the relationship isn't the best. It should actually send some warning bells to our heads."

Wanda nodded, considering. She wasn't wrong actually. Vision did seem to not respect her boundaries or privacy. It wasn't his fault though as he wasn't fully human and couldn't grasp humanity fully at the end of the day, even though he tried. He could only grasp bits of it. But a relationship like that sure sounded doomed.

"So while he is a good guy and all, I don't think the relationship was all that healthy." Scarlet Witch finally concluded, "Now I'm not saying start a relationship with Peter or anything like that. He is still a minor at this point."

Both the Wandas chuckled before Scarlet Witch said finally, "So my advice, end the relationship. For both of your sakes."

"I think you're right." Wanda said, "We both are more attracted to the version of each other we have built up in our heads than who we really are."

She looked up at her older self and said with a smile, "Thank you for everything you have said and done for me."

"Well, I have actually done it for myself." Scarlet Witch joked and they both chuckled and then hugged before Scarlet Witch walked off.

Wanda went to her bedroom, deep in thought. Scarlet Witch was right. She would have to tell Vision the next day.

Well, she better a good night's sleep for now like the others. And hopefully, Bucky and Natasha won't be engaging in their passionate….bedroom activities this night. With that, she went to sleep.

* * *

**Lot of stuff happened in this chapter. Tony and Pepper met Adult Morgan. Clint met Adult Lila. And we got info on our supervillains and all that. **

**Now I apologize if I offended any Wanda/Vision fans but the relationship just isn't that healthy to me and I don't like it. That and Bruce/Natasha are the two pairings in MCU I do not support at all. Bruce/Natasha I totally hate with a passion. I did give Wanda/Vision a chance in the beginning but in Civil War, Vision came off as someone who doesn't respect her privacy or boundaries. And it is implied that she had tried to discourage him earlier so there's that too. **

**So while Vision might have some human feelings, I don't think he can be a full human at the end of the day, even if he can look like one. And to be honest, I found him boring after Avengers: Age of Ultron. The writers didn't write him that well. An in-universe explanation Chaos Sorcerer gave me is that all the different personalities he had- Ultron, Tony, Bruce, Jarvis, etc. clashed with each other and cancelled out anything interesting. Vision is easily my least favorite hero in the MCU. Though the relationship is better than in the comics. But then again in the comics Wanda used her powers to give birth to twin boys so it is even more messed up in the comics. Not a high bar really. **

**Now The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon does Vision justice. He is a powerhouse and a very interesting character too. Him coming to understand humanity gradually actually made sense. So take notes MCU writers. That's how you do Vision. **

**Again, I apologize if Wanda/Vision fans were offended but that's my two cents. Though this doesn't mean Peter/Wanda is going to be a thing either. The younger Peter and Wanda are not attracted to each other right now. They might be in a future story after Peter has already become an adult but not thought anything about it either.**

**I just did Benjamin/Wanda because I ended up liking the MCU versions of the two together after reading a few fanfics that paired them up and they were pretty good and the relationship made sense.**

**So next up is….*long, drawn out, overdramatic sigh*…. Captain America: Civil War, the movie that divided this fandom for…..reasons. **

**What I'm looking forward to do most right now is actually Break VI. That break is going to be different from all the other breaks we have had so far for reasons I won't tell because that would be spoiler territory. **

**Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter where we begin Captain America: Civil War.**


	66. The Sokovia Accords

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now here we are finally with this movie. I can do *Jumps around nervously* Oh boy! *Prays to all the deities of my religions* Now I can *Jumps around nervously* I know what to do! *Headbangs to 'Meaning of Life' by Disturbed* ****GET, GET, GET, GET, GET PSYCHO,****GET, GET, GET, GET, I WANNA GET PSYCHO, I WANNA, WANNA, WANNA, WANNA!**

**Now I can do it!**

**Also, thank you to Stand with Ward and Queen for allowing me to use his writing of Captain America: Civil War from his MCU watch-it fic called 'Assemble.' If you haven't checked it out, please do. It is a great read.**

**And now this story has over 700 reviews! Wow! Thanks a lot people! I love you all 3000!**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Thanks a lot for the good luck too and I'm prepared for the hate now. Me neither on Sokovia Accords. Comic books are inconsistent based on who writes them but I'm going to stick with Erik not being able to manipulate the shield or Mjolnir. Yeah, I think enough has been said on the Spidey showdown. I can't wait to do Doctor Strange either. I still can't believe they brought back Secretary Jackass but not Betty, who is great. I will mention Cooper and Nathaniel sometime. They could have gotten normal jobs. I'm not interested in Thor/Carol, though I do see why it's a thing. I ship Thor with Sif and Valkyrie though. Any of them works for me. You will see on Peter/Wanda. Yes, we would have then seen how good of a conductor for lightning Adamantium is. About She-Hulk though, that was actually me speaking through Logan. Oh totally agreed on Wanda/Vision. Their show is the only one on Disney+ I'm not excited for because of Vision. Glad you loved the family reunion 3000 and I love your way too. Glad you liked me keeping the detail. No problem. Yes it's racking. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. I try not to spoil but sometimes it ends up happening because that's the characters for you. You're welcome.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. I really don't think Ross can be okay with the Avengers roaming around. It is clear he wants them under his control. So he might have some respect for Stark which made him attend the funeral, but he won't let the Avengers breathe for a second because he can't help it.**

Chapter 66- The Sokovia Accords

The next day, everyone had some breakfast. The atmosphere was a bit tense due to what they were all going to watch.

"Promise me one thing." Benjamin said as Steve and Tony looked at him, "No fighting here."

Steve and Tony looked at each other and laughed awkwardly.

"No."

"No fighting here."

"That's ridiculous."

"No one will be fighting here."

Odinson and Logan exchanged a look. The weird laughter reminded him of his and Quill's laughter when the Guardians had suggested they knife-fight each other.

"Why am I not convinced?" Natasha muttered.

"Because it is not convincing." Bucky told her.

"Damn right!" Fury said.

"I think we can do better than that, right?" Tony said.

"We sure can." Steve agreed.

"Well, they're becoming friends now." Thor joked and everyone laughed.

"Yeah we can see that." Logan said.

"Where's older me?" Wanda suddenly asked.

"She went to meet Dr. Strange for something." Odinson said and they all nodded.

Wanda had first decided to break up with Vision this day but now, she had decided breaking up at the end of all this was better for them all.

"I think it's time now." Clint said.

"Yeah, I need to see how that happened." Bruce said too.

"Well then, brace yourselves." Benjamin said and they all moved to the viewing room. Logan switched on the TV as they all sat on their respective places on the couches.

**In 1991, at a secret Hydra facility, a Hydra agent pulled a red book with a black star on the cover out of a secret compartment. Meanwhile, The Winter Soldier was being let out of cryo-freeze.**

Steve watched the scene uncomfortable while Bucky watched with wide eyes. Natasha had his hand in her firm but gentle grasp.

**Later, Bucky screamed in pain as he was strapped to a chair, machinery on his head that was obviously causing him pain. The machinery was removed and the Hydra agent opened the book, saying different words in Russian until Bucky stilled. But it was no longer Bucky Barnes, but The Winter Soldier, ready to comply with his master's demands.**

Steve, Bucky and Natasha felt physically pained at what they were witnessing as Bucky took deep breaths. Tony himself seemed very uncomfortable. If he hadn't apologized to Bucky earlier, he would have now.

"Those words are no longer in you now, are they?" Natasha simply asked.

"No." Bucky simply shook his head.

"My sister and the other scientists removed the programming." T'Challa said as Bucky nodded in appreciation.

Wanda herself felt uncomfortable and felt empathy for Bucky, remembering how they had duped her and Pietro by claiming to be SHIELD and how the Mind Stone had made her unstable.

Peter would have shook with fear if he hadn't seen the earlier recording of Bucky's torture. But it didn't make this any less heart-wrenching. Bucky really had gone through a lot. More than most.

**The scene changed to a road at night. A car passed and The Soldier, on a motorcycle, drove after it. With a single shot from a pistol, The Solider caused the car to crash. Parking, The Soldier walked up to the truck and opened it, revealing a silver brief case inside.**

Tony, Steve and Bucky were all pale at this scene for several reasons. Tony because he remembered his parents dying and him trying to kill Bucky. Steve because of what he had kept from his friend, even though he shouldn't have. And Bucky because of what he had done.

Sam put a hand on Steve's shoulder and he nodded in appreciation while Pepper and Natasha held Tony's and Bucky's hands respectively.

No one commented wisely.

**Later, at the Hydra facility, The Soldier gave the briefcase to the Hydra agent, who opened it up to reveal three liquid packets.**

"The Serums" Sam muttered in realization.

**In present day Lagos, Wanda and Natasha were in a café, surveying the scene. Steve was in a hotel room overlooking the scene as Wanda updated him over the Comms. Some newspaper articles about Brock Rumlow were seen in the hotel room as Steve spotted a bullet proof van on the streets.**

"Oh! That!" Natasha said.

"That Rumlow guy from the earlier recording huh? He's back then." Scott said.

"He is the one we were trying to stop in Lagos." Steve said.

"And it was a disaster." Sam sighed.

"Unfortunate." Hope muttered.

**Natasha gently scolded Wanda about her lack of awareness, causing Sam to remark about Natasha's paranoia.**

"I have been more aware since then." Wanda said and everyone simply nodded.

"Don't say that to her face." Clint told Sam and they all chuckled.

"You're lucky you're still alive." Fury joked and everyone chuckled.

**Steve mentioned they've been looking for Rumlow for six months before spotting a suspicious garbage truck. Steve ordered Sam to tag it and Sam fired Redwing from his pack.**

"Okay, that is awesome." Peter said in awe.

"Cute, right?" Sam asked as everyone chuckled.

**Redwing scanned the truck, showing it was filled to the max and the driver was armed. Steve realized the target isn't the police on the street as the driver jumped out of the truck. The truck flipped over and took out a security checkpoint just as the guard jumped away. A utility truck then pulled up, opening up to reveal armed men dressed in tactical gear.**

"Son of a bitch." Tony said.

**As they began gassing the building, Steve jumped down as Sam flew over him, having dropped him there. Steve smashed one of them into the truck with his shield before kicking the truck. It moved and hit a soldier, sending him flying off.**

Everyone clapped a bit as Rhodes said, "You get stronger in every recording."

"Thank you." Steve shrugged.

**Steve threw his shield, taking out one of the men as the shield returned to him. Steve then rushed up the side of an AFV and onto the roof, sending a kick to one of the armed men. The man was sent flying into the wall, hitting hard it and getting knocked out as Steve told the others what kind of gear they wore.** **Meanwhile, Sam flew onto a bridge, where two of the armed men were. Sam used his wings to shield himself from the bullets before kicking them out and then shot a third. The man fell and landed on a truck, smashing the top of it and getting knocked out. Another opened fire on the ground but Wanda flew in, using her powers to shield herself from the bullets before sending the man flying into the air. Sam flew down and punched the man, sending him flying down to the ground and knocking him out.**

"Atta girl." Clint complimented and Wanda flushed at the praise, though she still had a sinking feeling in her gut as she knew what was coming.

"I find your powers…impressive." Loki said.

"Thank you." Wanda said simply.

**The trio met up and Sam used Redwing to locate Rumlow on the third floor of the building. Wanda used her powers to hurl Steve into the air and through the window on the third floor. Steve ripped out one's mask, suffocating him and kicking him out. Rumlow broke the lab door and walked into the lab and found the biological weapon.**

"He has gear to match your strength this time, Cap." Peter said.

"I know, kid." Steve sighed.

"He doesn't know who he is facing." Logan said.

**Steve took cover behind a pillar and threw his shield, ricocheting it off the ground and dazing a guy before punching him out and then blocking another man's shots, pulled him down and slammed him into a pillar.**

"Brutal." Hope said, "Though they deserve it."

**Wanda used her powers to pull the gas out of the building. As she sent it into the area, Sam covered her, engaging Rumlow's men. Sam whirled around, his wings forming a shield and two missile like projectiles shot out of his pack, taking out Rumlow's men.**

"Nice." Rhodes said and Sam smirked.

"Always a good thing to have more gear." Pepper said.

**Outside, Rumlow and his men emerged from the building. Seeing the gas, Rumlow knew The Avengers had come. Inside, Steve found the fridge holding the now empty container and warned the others as the men got into their truck. Natasha drove up on a motorcycle and jumped off, making it trip a guy.**

Everyone clapped as Bucky said, "Nice"

Natasha smirked.

**She hit one guy with the Widow's Bite and grabbing him, kicked another away and then flipped him down. Another opened his truck door but she kicked it into him before taking another's gun and knocking him out. She disarmed another and kicked him away before kicking another. She kicked the last one down and leaping on the hood, hit the last with Widow's Bite, knocking him out.**

Everyone clapped as Clint said, "Now the big one."

"Not very easy." Natasha said.

**Rumlow then grabbed Natasha. She tried to fight back but in spite of better skills, his gear gave him better strength and durability as even her Widow's Bite didn't affect him.**

"Oh no!" Aunt May said.

"Goddamn gear!" Tony said.

"The building coming down on him also probably made him immune to pain." Natasha said.

**Rumlow threw Natasha into the AFV, where two of his men were waiting. Rumlow then tossed in a grenade before closing the hatch. Natasha kicked the grenade away as the two mercenaries rushed her. She kicked the first out and grabbed the other as the grenade went off. The blast sent Natasha flying out the door, dazed but otherwise unhurt as the other man had taken the brunt of the blast.**

Almost everyone let out tense breaths they were holding.

**In another AFV, Rumlow was firing at Steve at the building. Steve used his shield to deflect the first two blasts but missed the third. The blast sent Steve flying out of the window and onto the ground. Groaning, Steve alerted Sam of Rumlow's location.** **In the AFV, Rumlow gave the Bioweapon to one of his men and ordered them to ditch the AFV and head for the airstrip. The AFV crashed into a stand, causing panic as people back away. Rumlow and his men got out, Rumlow telling his men he won't be meeting up with them.**

"He has planned something." T'Challa said.

"Just wait." Natasha told him.

**Using facial recognition, Sam was able to spot Rumlow's men going left and right, two each. Natasha arrived on scene on a motorcycle, which she then used as a booster to climb onto the horde of vehicles as she went after those on the left. As Sam pursued those on the right, Steve arrived on the scene, taking a moment to consider the civilians before heading in. He saw the abandoned gear on the road before a small explosive landed on his shield. Acting quickly, Steve threw his shield into the air and the explosive detonated harmlessly as little more than light show.**

"His plan almost made civilians get hurt." Vision said.

**Rumlow suddenly emerged from the crowd, punching Steve in the back. Steve was sent flying through a stand, landing on the ground as Rumlow approached, flexing his gauntlets as he boasted that he'd been waiting for this and punched him away again.**

"Boy does he hate you." Tony said.

"Not as much as I hate him." Sam said.

"Hope you don't hate me then." Scott joked to lighten the mood and everyone chuckled.

**Elsewhere, Sam spotted the two men he was trailing and flew down. He kicked one of them, knocking them out as the other one opened fire. Sam uses his wings as a shield and whirled around, sending a spinning kick to the man's chest. He slammed into the side of a small building that resembles a shack before falling to the ground out cold. Sam searched him and found that he didn't have the bio-weapon.**

"Which leaves the one you're following." Rhodes said to Natasha who nodded.

**Natasha was running after one of** **Rumlow's men. She jumped over a table and tackled him to the ground. They stood up and he pulled out a gun, causing people to panic. Natasha struck him many times, stopping him from pulling the trigger before he staggered back after a blow to his throat. Rumlow's other man rounded the corner, armed with a gun, and Natasha threw a basket at him, stopping him from pulling the trigger. She then struck his knee caps, sending him to the ground before she jumped on the other, wrapping her legs around his neck and bringing him down, knocking the other one down as he got back up. She punched the second one a few times before she saw a gun. She picked it up and she and the second one jumped to their feet, aiming guns at each other. The first one then pulled out the Bio-Weapon, threatening to drop it if Natasha didn't drop her gun.**

"Wouldn't that kill you?" Peter asked.

"They are stupid." Benjamin told him.

"Or you can say, not that smart." Odinson said.

**Redwing flew in, unseen and fired. The bullet hit the first man and, as the other turned his head, Natasha fired, killing him. Natasha then dropped the gun and makes a grab for the vial, grabbing it just before it hit the ground.**

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"At least it was stopped." Hill sighed.

**Natasha thanked Sam but Sam insisted she thank Redwing, to which Natasha refused.**

"You'll hurt his feelings though." Sam teased and Natasha rolled her eyes while the others chuckled.

**Stev****e and Rumlow exchanged blows, Rumlow's Gauntlets giving him a clear edge. As he backed Steve up against a building, one of Rumlow's gauntlets revealed a small blade. Steve moved his head, dodging the blade and Rumlow got the wall instead. Steve grabbed Rumlow's arm and elbowed him in the face, making him lose the gauntlet. Rumlow uses the second blade but Steve dodged, grabbed his hand, punched him twice and kicked him, sending Rumlow flying. Rumlow landed on the ground, hard, and sat up, on his knees. Steve stalked over as Rumlow removed his helmet. Steve grabbed him by the front and got a look at Rumlow's scarred and deformed face.**

"That looks really messed up." Rhodes said.

"Can't believe anyone could survive that." Scott said.

"High willpower." Hope said.

**Steve demanded to know who the buyer was but Rumlow distracted Steve by bringing up Bucky, claiming he remembered Steve.**

"He was stalling." Bucky told him.

"And he used the best way to." Steve said guiltily.

"That's what enemies who know you do." Tony told him.

**With Steve distracted by Rumlow's lie, Rumlow was able to pull out a bomb. Steve tried to stop it but it was too late. As the bomb went off, Wanda was able to use her powers to contain the blast. But it was visibly straining on her and she attempted to send it into the sky. However, her powers failed her and the bomb slammed into the side of a building, taking out a good portion of the south side. People panic and Steve radioed Sam for help as Wanda sank to her knees and covered her mouth, horrified by what has just happened.**

Wanda's lip quivered as her self-loathing all returned, remembering the dead people.

"It is your fault." Tony said, "But blaming yourself won't get you anywhere. All we can do is move on and not repeat the same mistakes."

Wanda looked up at him, surprised that he was trying to comfort her.

"It's on both of us and him." Steve said, "People died. We can't let that happen again."

Wanda simply nodded in agreement, though she still looked bothered.

"You okay to go on?" Benjamin asked gently.

"Yeah." She sighed, "I am."

**Marai Stark was playing the piano, singing the lyrics to 'Try to remember'.**

Pain shot through Tony's heart as Pepper held his hand while everyone looked at him in sympathy and Bucky in guilt.

**She finished playing as Howard Stark walked in, rousing the person sleeping on the couch. The person got up, revealing a younger Tony Stark.**

"Hey man, isn't that you?" Rhodes asked as he looked over at Tony.

"Yes." Tony sighed. BARF had helped him move on from this final conversation at last.

Steve always had trouble reconciling this Howard from the 1945 version.

**Tony and Howard bickered as Maria tried to gently play peacemaker. Tony joked about throwing a toga party before inquiring about where his parents were heading. Mario said Howard was taking her to the Bahamas and Howard said they will need to make a stop beforehand. Tony, angry at his father always putting work before family, made a sarcastic comment. Howard responded in kind before walking out of the room to grab something.**

Tony winced, filled with guilt. While BARF had helped him move on, he still wished sometimes if he could correct the actual incident.

**Maria stood up, telling Tony that Howard misses him when he was not home and that Tony would miss them, as this would be the last time they were all together.**

Some of the viewers were confused but most, including Tony and Rhodes realized what was going on.

**Maria pointed out Tony would regret it if he didn't say something as Howard reentered the room. Tony told Howard he loved him and knew that Howard did the best he could. Howard and Maria walked out and young Tony stared after them as the current Tony was seen standing behind him.**

"How are there two of you, Stark?" Thor asked, "Did you learn to make illusions, like Loki?"

"I think this illusion is different from mine." Loki said.

"Let Stark explain." Odinson said.

"Binaurally Augmented Retro-framing. Something I worked on. Helps people go back to moments they'd like to relive, clear traumatic memories," Tony explained.

"But is that a wise decision?" T'Challa asked.

"How is helping people remove regrets a bad thing?" Tony asked.

"Because some might lose perspective in reality." Thor said.

"They would want to just stay in the past and not care about the future." Odinson told Tony, "Not everyone can use it to move on the way you did." [1]

Tony nodded, realizing the point, "What if I made it a one-off? Like you use it to remove your greatest regret and then it stops working for the person?"

"That actually sounds much better." Benjamin said.

"Yeah, that is a pretty good idea for everyone who wants this tech." Pepper told Tony with a smile.

"All right. Decision final then." Tony said.

**Tony ended the hologram, talking about the project, BARF as he called it. The crowd of MIT students cheered as Tony revealed that the September Grant Foundation had funded and approved all their projects. However, Tony paused as the teleprompter told him to introduce Pepper. Tony quickly gathered his bearings and told them to 'go break some eggs' before walking back stage as the crowed broke into cheers. **

Tony and Pepper winced as they looked at each other and back at the screen. This was when they were on a break. And it had hurt both of them.

**The MIT liaison tried to talk Tony into giving him some of the funding but Tony ignored him, walking passed him and rebuffing the apology of the stage director who didn't know Pepper had cancelled. Tony walked off, into the back hall. As Tony took a moment to gather his bearings, a woman was by the elevator. As Tony walked up to the elevator, she struck up what appeared to be a casual conversation with him. As Tony pressed the button, she reached into her purse. Tony instinctively grabbed her hand, startling her.**

"Sometimes that paranoia is good for you." Natasha told Tony who nodded, staring at the screen blankly, recognizing the woman.

"Charles' mother?" Pepper asked gently and Tony nodded.

"Is it just me or does she look like Mariah Dillard?" Logan asked and several nods followed. [2]

"Mariah Dillard?" Pepper asked, remembering the name.

"The councilwoman in Harlem who was secretly a criminal?" Aunt May asked.

"Yeah. Her." Benjamin said, "She came into conflict with Luke a lot till her death."

"Wonder why they look so similar. Parted twins maybe." Peter joked and all chuckled.

**Tony apologized as he released her. She told him that she worked for the State Department's Human Resources Division and it allowed her to raise a son. She pulled a picture out of her purse and slammed it into Tony's hands, explaining that her son, Charles Spencer, was one of the casualties of Sokovia. She blamed Tony for his death and claimed Tony only fought for himself before storming off.**

The room was silent as Tony winced, his guilt over creating Ultron coming full surface.

"Stop blaming yourself." Pepper said again.

"We are here to learn from our mistakes." Clint reminded, "So we don't repeat them."

They all nodded.

**The scene changed to the Compound. Steve was watching a news report on the incident from Lagos, with the reporter revealing that eleven Wakandians were killed in the explosion.**

T'Challa closed his eyes, a pang of grief hitting him as Wanda looked down.

"I'm sorry your highness." Wanda said, shame filling her again.

"You failed to save people. But you tried and had you not, more people would have died." T'Challa assured her, "Our people have forgiven you already."

Wanda nodded in appreciation and simply turned back to the screen.

**Steve turned off the news report, unable to watch as T'Chaka called The Avengers 'indifferent' to the lives lost.**

T'Challa felt another pang of grief as he saw his father in the recording. His shoulders shook but he managed to control himself.

"Did they all not see what happened though? It's clear Wanda was trying to save people." Scott said.

"People need a scapegoat. And you, Miss Maximoff, were the perfect one unfortunately." Fury told Wanda and Scott.

**Steve heard another news report on the same incident. Steve stood up and followed the sound, finding Wanda in her room watching the news on the incident.**

"You shouldn't watch that all the time. It's not healthy." Clint told Wanda softly.

"To an extent, I can understand the blaming on us though." Steve said, "That is on me. We never really explained it to the press. I should have. I am the leader." [3]

"Accepting your mistake is always a good first step." An impressed Odinson said.

**Steve turned off the TV as Wanda continued to blame herself. Steve sat down on her bed, pointing out she never would have been in that position if he hadn't gotten distracted by Rumlow. He insisted it was on him but she disagreed and said it was on both of them. Steve said, "This job…We try to save as many people we can. Sometimes that doesn't mean everybody. But if we can't find a way to live with that…..then next time…..maybe nobody gets saved."**

"It doesn't mean be insensitive to suffering." Sam said, "Just learn from the mistake."

**Vision suddenly phased through the wall, surprising Steve and Wanda. Wanda chided him, reminding him they had 'talked about this'.**

"How often?" Clint demanded.

"Too often." Wanda said while Steve, Natasha, Sam and Rhodes nodded.

"I see." Clint said as he gave Vision a glare.

"Don't piss Clint off, buddy." Tony said.

"I know." Vision said.

**Vision said Steve wanted to know when Tony arrived. Vision awkwardly went to use the door but paused, telling Steve Tony had brought a guest: the Secretary of State.**

"And Secretary Jackass is back after many recordings." Logan snorted as everyone groaned.

"If only I had known what he did to you, Bruce." Tony sighed.

"I think I'm seeing green." Bruce said.

**The scene changed to the conference room. All the Avengers were seated as Ross told them a story about having a heart attack before getting down to business. He started by sugarcoating them before he pointedly pointed out that, while most of the world considered them heroes, some considered The Avengers vigilantes. At Natasha's question, Ross admitted he saw them as dangerous, declaring they routinely ignored sovereign borders, inflicted their will, and seemed unconcerned about what they left behind.**

"Didn't you do that when you came after me in Brazil?" Bruce asked in disgust and anger.

"He never changes." Benjamin said.

"He had to cover up all that to even become Secretary of State." Hope snarled.

**Ross then showed them clips on a monitor of The Avengers' past battles in New York, Washington DC, Sokovia, and Lagos. Specifically, the civilians caught in the crossfire.**

"We were trying to save lives then too." Thor said.

"He is focusing on the casualties to make us feel guilty." Natasha said, "Emotional manipulation."

"He is only interested in power and position." T'Challa reminded, "That is why he made you a fugitive, Dr. Banner, and even threatened his own daughter."

"Secretary Jackass." Logan reminded and everyone chuckled a bit.

**Wanda was uncomfortable so Steve told Ross to turn it off. Ross turned off the clips and revealed the true reason for his visit. The governments of the world were no longer willing to allow The Avengers to operate on their terms. Ross then handed them a copy of The Sokovia Accords, explaining that they would sign and then operate under the supervision of the UN panel. Only if and when they deemed it necessary.**

"Politicians feeling ineffective." Rhodes said and nods followed.

"Which is why they want to control you all." Aunt May said.

"A lot of stuff in them was simply inhumane." Benjamin said.

"Wish I had read." Tony said.

"There might be a way to get them reformed." Pepper said, "To something all of us can agree with."

"Yes there is." Odinson said.

**Steve argued that The Avengers were made to make the world safer. Ross demanded to know if any of them knew where Thor and Hulk were, which they admittedly did not. Ross then made a comparison between the two absent Avengers and nukes.**

"He called me a weapon?" Thor asked shaking with rage.

"Not surprised." Bruce said as Ross did consider Hulk a weapon.

"He did, bub." Logan said, "He is like Stryker. They see powerful mutants and Enhanced as weapons to be used and controlled. Nothing more and nothing less."

"He needs a lesson in manners." Clint snarled.

**Ross again tried to play them, telling them The Accords were a compromise.**

"Compromise would be if you all agreed on it. This is not a compromise." Hill said.

**Rhodes asked about contingencies but was ignored. Ross said The Accords would be signed in three days in Vienna as Steve and Tony exchanged a look.**

"Not even giving you all time to read it." Loki said.

"Their grand plan to control the Earth's Mightiest Heroes." Fury said, "You were made to fight threats we never could. Abiding to this version of the Accords would make you all ineffective."

**Ross told them to talk about it and Natasha inquired if he didn't like their decision. Ross told them they would be retired before leaving.**

"Retire? Try and make us." Tony laughed mockingly.

"If only the two of us were like this when he came to us." Rhodes sighed.

**At a house in Cleveland, a man was sitting at a table, eating dinner when he heard a crash outside.**

"My handler." Bucky said, pale, as Natasha held his hand while everyone looked at him in sympathy.

**Vasily Karpov walked over to a window and lowered the blinds slightly. He saw a man on his front porch, looking freaked out by his car hitting the car in the driveway.**

"Oh! Him!" Sam said.

"Who is he?" Scott asked.

"The guy we were trying to stop." Steve said and he nodded.

**Karpov quickly stepped away from the blinds as the man outside walked up to the door. He spoke in an American accent as he suggested they take care of the auto accident themselves. Karpov eyed the gun he had on a table before letting the man in. He opened the door as Zemo lunged for him, striking him and knocking him out.**

"Bad guy killing bad guy." Tony muttered casually.

"It's kind of like a rule." Logan said.

"I know." Loki said, remembering Ronan killing The Other.

**A bit later, Zemo was taking a hammer to the wall, uncovering a box. Karpov was tied, upside down, his head inside a sink that was filling with water. Zemo emptied the box of its contents, finding a familiar red book.**

"That thing." Bucky snarled.

**Zemo went through a file, finding a picture of the man in Russian Armed Forces uniform. Karpov demanded to know who Zemo was and Zemo, now with a Sokovian accent, told him to call him Zemo.**

"So he is trying to get revenge for Sokovia?" Hope asked and nods followed.

**Zemo demanded to know what happened on December 16****th****, 1991. Karpov wanted to know how Zemo found him and Zemo explained he went through the files Natasha dumped onto the Internet during The Hydra uprising. Zemo's only interest was finding out what happened on December 16****th****, 1991. When Karpov refused to cooperate, Zemo walked over and, to Karpov's surprise, turned off the water.**

"Okay, wasn't expecting that." Natasha said.

"He played you all. He is playing him too." Fury said.

**Zemo pointed out that killing Karpov was not something he wanted and would be pointless in the end, giving him a chance to live if he talked. Karpov responded with 'Hail Hydra', so Zemo turned the water back on and walked away as the water consumed Karpov's head.**

"So much anger and hatred." Hill said, disturbed.

"Some men just want to watch the world burn." Vision said.

Bucky though, ended up sighing in some relief as his handler was gone finally.

**Back at the Compound, The Avengers were in the longue, talking about The Accords. Steve was sitting on a chair, reading The Accords as Sam and Rhodes argued behind him. Sam felt that The Avengers would be tagged like common criminals if they signed while Rhodes thought, because The UN authorized The Accords, they should sign.**

"Seriously? That isn't good reasoning, especially considering UN's track records and Hydra's infiltration." Hill said.

"And Sam's prediction ended up coming true." Fury reminded and everyone sighed.

**Rhodes and Sam's argument was interrupted by Vision, who declared he had an equation. Since Tony announced that he was Iron Man, the number of powered individuals and world ending events had increased exponentially. Steve asked if Vision thought it was their fault and Vision clarified that their strength invited conflict. Oversight was not something they could dismiss, Vision insisted.**

"I don't think we were." Steve said, "We are ready to sign a better version of the Accords. But these were made to control us."

"Not just you." Hill said, talking to Steve for the first time in days, "But also SHIELD and any Enhanced they could get their hands on."

**Natasha noted that Tony was being uncharacteristically quiet and Steve said it was because Tony had already made up his mind. Tony made a sarcastic comment as he headed over to the kitchen to make some coffee. Tony complained about coffee grounds in the disposal before pulling out a holographic photo of Charles Spencer. Tony explained who Charles was and that he was one of the casualties of the battle of Sokovia.**

Wanda winced, guilt eating at her in her part of the destruction of her home and all the lives lost. Vision put a hand on her shoulder for comfort as Benjamin and Clint glanced at her with some sympathy.

"Okay, I am making it sound like a game." Tony said, shocked at his tone.

"Well, don't repeat it then." Loki said.

**Tony said, "There's no decision making process here. We need to be put in check! Whatever form that takes, I'm game. If we can't accept limitations, if we're boundary less…we're no better than the bad guys."**

"There is a difference between being boundary less and having to wait to save a life." Sam said.

**Steve and Tony argued about The Accords, which Steve saw as only shifting the blame, which Rhodes, still advocating for signing The Accords, said is dangerously arrogant. Steve argued that the UN was filled with people with agendas and that those agendas changed. Tony said this was good, using his trip to Afghanistan and realizing the harm he was doing as an example. Steve argued that Tony chose to do that, something he could not do if he signed The Accords. Steve asked, "What if this panel sends us somewhere we don't think we should go? What if there is somewhere we need to go and they don't let us?" **

"That's a good point Cap." Clint said.

"And I didn't listen to that." Tony said in guilt.

"**We may not be perfect but the safest hands are still our own." Steve said. "If we don't do this now, it will be done to us later. That's the fact. That won't be pretty." **

"The way it's being done borders on harassment." T'Challa noted

**Wanda realized that he meant they would come for her. Vision immediately said they would protect her.**

"How do you think you would do that?" Bruce asked Vision who glanced at hi,, "This man ignored Brazil's borders to get to me and covered stuff up to frame me. If you sign, you won't be able to stop him from doing anything he wants to any of you."

"Good point." Tony agreed.

**Natasha suddenly spoke up, saying that Tony might have a point, to Sam's surprise. Natasha said, "If we have one hand on the wheel, we can still steer. If we take it off…" Sam interrupted her, reminding her of when she had asked the government to kiss her ass and she pointed out they need to earn back the trust of the world.**

"I can't believe you are supporting it." Fury said.

"That was what my head said at the time." Natasha said, "I made the mistake of forgetting the government though. I only wanted the team to stay together. I didn't consider the conditions at the time, which was a huge mistake. Won't happen again."

**Tony and Natasha began to joke when Steve got a text.** **'She's gone. In her sleep' it read.**

Steve felt a wave of grief crash over him as he remembered Peggy's death and funeral wash over him. Sam and Bucky put hands on his shoulders as Natasha held his hand.

"I'm sorry." Hill said and he nodded in appreciation.

**Steve abruptly said he needed to go before standing up and walking out, to his teammates' confusion. Steve walked down the stair and put his hand to the bridge of his nose.**

"You gonna be okay?" Rhodes asked.

"Yeah. I think I will." Steve said, "I did make a mistake here. I left without telling anyone but Sam. Doesn't send the right message."

"You were in grief and shock so while you're not blameless, it is understandable to an extent." Natasha assured Steve who nodded in appreciation.

"And I shut off arguments. My guilt is making me so unreasonable." Tony said, shocked by his behavior now.

"You are being unreasonable. I am being reckless." Steve said.

"Both of you realize your mistakes at least." Pepper said.

"Which is the first step." T'Challa reminded again.

They nodded as the recording continued.

* * *

**And done! Hope I am doing good with both sides so far. I'm anti-Accords so no love to them though.**

**Also, the daughters will return later to watch with the characters.**

**[1] Got this from Stand with Ward and Queen but I don't disagree. Like the Mirror of Erised and Resurrection Stone from Harry Potter, it could make people lose sight of reality, wasting away in torment of a loved one they have lost but are unable to be with anymore. Tony managed to move on with one use and I commend him for that, but can others? I believe it can be improved by making it a one-off.**

**[2] Alfre Woodard, who played Miriam Sharpe, also played Mariah Dillard in Luke Cage. What an odd coincidence!**

**[3] Based on the way the news report was shown, I believe no one from the Avengers really did any press to clarify the details of the incident at Lagos, which is a mistake on their part. Questions would be asked and someone has to answer. I lean towards Team Cap but I do believe both sides made mistakes.**

**And this was a great day. My hand is getting better so I can do my vigorous morning run without hurting it. And I rewatched Spider-Man: Far From Home as well.**

**And I saw Joker! I loved it! My suggestion to anyone who watches it, do not consider it a comic book movie, but rather a psychological movie. They are not telling the origins of comic book Joker or anything like that (not the version we know at least), they are playing with the character's comic book mythos to do something interesting and it played out really well. It is dark, grim and disturbing but well made.**

**I was very skeptical when it was announced but the trailers and the good reception won me over. The people who hate it are those people who blame video games for violence, meaning the idiots.**

**Joaquin Phoenix would make Heath Ledger proud and this movie must be at the Oscars or I'll riot.**

**This is basically an interesting stand-alone story and a completely new and fresh spin on a popular character. We were meant to be terrified of Ledger's Joker. But here, we are meant to sympathize as well as be terrified. And it doesn't romanticize this stuff either so that makes it even better.**

**Anyway, those are my thoughts. If anyone has seen it, feel free to share yours.**

**And now I will rewatch John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum and then watch Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Show. This weekend is getting really good.**

**Now while I tried to be fair, some people will still hate because some people can be offended easily these days. I remember there was this guy in the Flash fandom who was so offended by a joke from me combined with a truth bomb that he left the fandom. Have to say though, good riddance. WestAllen fanatics can only play the race card or bring up BS to defend Iris so when they are called out, they play the victim.**

**Anyway, I won't tolerate the goddamn trolls now. But I will be prepared for them. *Turns on 'Taste the Blood' from Devil May Cry 3 and headbangs to it* The flinch in your eye calls your bluff. Feel free to die when you've had enough.**

**Now I'm going to start and end all Civil War chapters with random lines from heavy metal or hard rock songs to steel up myself.**

**Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	67. Zemo's plan

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**No trolls have come yet but I still need to calm my nerves*Listens to 'Pain' by Three Days Grace* Pain without love Pain, I can't get enough Pain, I like it rough 'Cause I'd rather feel pain than nothing at all.**

**Now I can do this!**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes that helps. Agreed on Rumlow. Yes I did misspell Maria. No I meant reconciling because that word has quite a few uses. Yes T'Chaka is the real hypocrite here and he also ignored sovereign borders when he was Black Panther. I will bring that up later. And Rhodes' reasons were the worst in my opinion. While I'm anti-Accords, Tony brought up good points. And while Natasha sounded OOC like you said, I did understand her point at least and also Vision's. But Rhodes' reasons were flimsy at best and downright ridiculous at worst. Yeah, I think Tony pretty much manipulated Peter and was wrong to do that, but it's still better than Ross. I don't think Ghost would have been part of the Thunderbolts but Bullseye and Abomination would have. Yes, we all have those few comic book characters. I don't think she would work either and I have no idea on T'Challa. But he was let off pretty easily. Yes it depends on the person in BARF. Really sorry about that experience you've had. Yes, I don't think they have a spokesperson but here, I was trying to be fair to both sides. Yes, it was OOC of Natasha and if the characters from the past were from before Civil War, I'd have used that reasoning but because they aren't, I must use different reasoning. Though I think she did know what Ross did to Bruce as the tie-in comics are all cannon. Glad you loved 'Meaning of Life.' It rocks. I'm guessing you've already heard 'Taste the Blood' then. Yes my weekend is great. You have fun too. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Gary: Thanks for the review. To be honest, I think talking to a professional therapist is the best solution instead of using such technology.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. Glad it was great. I just didn't think of that. Something else might though.**

Chapter 67- Zemo's plan

"I think the bad stuff is gonna happen really soon." Sam said.

"Because it is, bub." Logan said.

**In London a few days later, the funeral for Peggy was taking place in a church; the choir was singing as the pall bearers brought in the casket. Steve was one of the pall bearers and tears were visible on his face.** **Later, everyone was seated and the Priest allowed Sharon Carter to give the eulogy. Sharon stepped up to the podium and Sam elbowed Steve, who had been lost in thoughts. Steve looked up at the podium and was shocked to see Sharon.**

"I think this is getting really awkward." Peter muttered.

"I didn't even know they were related till now." Steve said.

**Sharon gave the eulogy, "Margaret Carter was known to most as a founder of S.H.I.E.L.D... but I just knew her as Aunt Peggy. She had a photograph in her office. Aunt Peggy standing next to JFK. As a kid, that was pretty cool. But it was a lot to live up to. Which is why I never told anyone we were related. I asked her once how she managed to master diplomacy and espionage... in a time when no one wanted to see a woman succeed at either. She said, compromise where you can. But where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move... it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree... look them in the eye and say "No, you move."" Steve had a look of determination on his face now, deciding not to sign.**

"She was a great woman." Scott said and everyone nodded.

"So, no signing now I guess." Hope said.

"No." Steve said.

"I don't think so." Bucky said at the same time.

**After the funeral, Steve was standing alone in the church, looking at a picture of Peggy as Natasha walked up to him. Steve remembered finding out Peggy was still alive after coming out of the ice. He said he was lucky to get her back and Natasha pointed out Peggy got him back to. Steve sighed, asking who'd signed The Accords. Natasha said Tony, Rhodey and Vision have. Clint said he was retired and Wanda hadn't made up her mind.**

"Anyone thinking of Accords reforms?" Rhodes asked.

"I am." Natasha said.

"I believe they can be reformed to something you truly wanted, Mr. Stark." T'Challa told Tony who nodded.

"And this time both sides decide the clauses of the Accords." Tony said and more nods followed.

"Then it will be a compromise." Hill said.

**Natasha said they need to stay together but Steve won't give up his free will to do it. Natasha knew this, making a confused Steve ask why she's there. She said she didn't want him to be alone before she hugged him, comforting him as he broke down.**

Steve looked over at Natasha a grateful look on his face. Words failed him as he tried to express how grateful he was for her support. But he didn't need to say anything; the look she shot him said she understood.

"That's what friends are for." Bucky muttered and they both smiled with him.

**In Vienna later that day, reporters crowded around the building. T'Challa was watching from the window.**

"Hey, it's you Your Highness," Scott exclaimed.

"So it would appear." T'Challa noted.

"I think that just leaves me and Aunt May." Peter said as the two exchanged a look.

"Oh we will appear in this too." Benjamin said.

**T'Challa turned away from the window as he heard Natasha enter. T'Challa walked over and they bonded over how neither of them really liked the spotlight. T'Challa made his dislike of politics clear as T'Chaka walked over. Natasha apologized for the deaths of the Wakandians in Nigeria, which T'Chaka gracefully accepted. They both regretted Steve not being there as the session began. Natasha took her seat as T'Chaka noted T'Challa is getting good at diplomacy. The two shared a close moment before T'Chaka took the podium.**

T'Challa was breathing heavily. While he had lost some respect for his father due to his actions, he still loved him. And this was the last moment they had shared together.

**T'Chaka gave an impassioned speech, talking about Wakanda remaining in the shadows for too long. As he gave his speech, T'Challa was by the window and noticed something odd on the ground. Police surrounded a news van, looking tense. Suddenly, they ran. Realizing what is happening; T'Challa rushed forward, telling everyone to get down. T'Challa tried to tackle his father out of the way but the explosive went off, sending him flying as T'Chaka was caught up in the explosion.**

"Son of a bitch!" Tony cried out as everyone knew what was coming.

**T'Challa crawled towards his father, who wasn't moving. He desperately searched for a pulse but it was no use. T'Chaka was dead.**

T'Challa couldn't control himself any longer as he started sobbing while everyone looked at him in sympathy. Thor put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, remembering his own recent losses.

"I'm sorry." Steve said in sympathy.

"He seemed like a good guy." Tony said too.

"I know your pain, my friend." Thor gently said.

"We know your pain." Loki said as Thor shot him a grateful look, "But your father would want you to make him proud."

T'Challa wiped his tears and looked up, nodding gratefully at them before Logan continued the recording.

**At Peggy's wake, Sam and Steve were toasting to what Sam called 'an honorable discharge'. They took a drink and Steve asked Sam if he was okay with retirement. Sam assured him he was and that he'd make a great civilian. Steve could to, Sam said as he pointedly looked over at Sharon.**

"You are trying to set him up right after his first love's death?" Pepper asked Sam as everyone shot him looks.

"And that too with her niece." Aunt May pointed out.

"Yeah, that was bad timing." Sam admitted, "Sorry Steve."

"And I kissed her." Steve muttered to himself.

"Well, you better hope she doesn't return from the dead to kick your ass." Clint said as everyone chuckled a bit.

"It's weird." Scott muttered.

"It really is." Hope agreed.

**Later, Steve and Sharon sat at a table, Steve asking her if Peggy knew Sharon had been assigned to watch him in DC. Sharon confirmed Peggy didn't know, as Sharon didn't want there to be secrets between her and Steve. Steve asked if Sharon was stationed in London but she said she was actually in Berlin, working for the Joint Terrorism Task Force. Sharon asked Steve about The Accords and Steve revealed he planned to 'take some time off'.**

"Can you really do that, Cap?" Fury asked.

"I don't think I can. But I had no choice." Steve said.

**Sharon asked when he didn't have a uniform in his closet and the two had a coy exchange about Steve's suit.**

Steve cringed a bit. While he was attracted to her and she was a great woman, her connection to Peggy made it weird. Besides, she wasn't the only one.

**The scene changed to a hotel. Steve and Sharon were standing in front of an elevator after Sharon had pushed the button. Sharon thanked him for walking her back before Sam walked up, saying there's something Steve needs to see.**

"Something not good." Odinson said.

**The scene changeed to Sharon's room. Sharon was on the phone as Steve and Sam watched the report on the bombing in Vienna. Surveillance caught the suspect, someone who was seemingly James Buchanan Barnes.**

"Except it wasn't." Bucky said.

"Yeah. You were set up." Tony said.

"My apologies, Sergeant Barnes." T'Challa said and Bucky shook his head, telling him it wasn't needed.

**Sharon told Steve and Sam she needed to go to work.**

"Us as well." Sam said.

"Yeah." Steve agreed.

**In Vienna, the Joint Terrorism Task Force was on the scene as T'Challa numbly sat on a bench, his father's ring in his hand. Natasha approached him, apologizing for his loss. T'Challa told her about how death was viewed in his culture, which Natasha found peaceful. His father agreed, T'Challa said, but he was not his father. Realizing what he was thinking, Natasha says Barnes was the Task Force's priority but T'Challa said he would kill him himself.**

"Worst year for you?" Natasha asked.

"After getting back my memory? Yeah." Bucky said.

**As T'Challa stalked off, Natasha's phone rang. Natasha answered and it was Steve, asking if she was okay. She confirms she was before looking around, knowing Steve was there. She tried to get him to back off and Steve asked, "Are you saying you'll arrest me?"**

"No, but someone else will." Natasha told him.

"This a bad, no win situation." Fury said.

**Natasha said, "No. Someone will. If you interfere. That's how it works now."**

"Unfortunate." Vision said.

**Steve said if Bucky was this far gone, he should be the one to bring him in. "Because I'm the one least likely to die trying." Steve said before hanging up from where he stood in a corner, wearing a cap and glasses.**

"Is it just me or does everyone use a cap and glasses as disguise?" Benjamin asked and the future people chuckled.

"It's not just you, my friend." Odinson said.

**Steve walked into a restaurant and up to Sam, also dressed in a cap and sunglasses, who was posing as a customer. Sam asked if Natasha told him to stay out of it and Steve answered with silence. Sam noted Natasha might have a point. Steve argued Bucky would do the same for him but Sam argued that Bucky was a different person in 1945. Sam wanted to consider all their options before they got into a bad situation.**

"That is a wise decision." T'Challa said.

"I'd do the same for you." Bucky said and Steve nodded, remembering Bucky had not run in the fight with Tony and come to help him.

**Sharon walked up to them, a file in hand. Since the footage, tips had been pouring in, most of them dead ends. But there was one solid lead, she passed Steve a file. This was all the head start she coyuld give him and she warned him that the police had a shoot on sight order.**

"And now it has come to this." Wanda sighed.

**At a hotel, Zemo was in a room, a news report on the bombing in the background. Zemo had the red book out, reading it, practicing the words to get the pronunciation just right. Zemo was interrupted by a knock on the door. He placed the book in a drawer and walked over to the door to his room. He reached for his gun in his pocket but room service spoke up on the other side of the door, causing him to relax. He opened the door slightly and prevented the woman from coming in as a bomb was seen in the closet.**

"So he framed Bucky." Bruce said and all nodded, "He planned this out, didn't he?"

"I think he got lucky too." Tony said.

**At Bucharest, Bucky was at the market, buying plums.**

"That's me. Not the Winter Soldier." Bucky said.

"Welcome back." Peter said cheerfully and he nodded with a smile.

**Hearing sirens, Bucky walked out of the stand, a nervous reflex from being on the run for so long. Bucky saw a vender at a news stand eying him, so he walked over. Picking up a newspaper, Bucky saw the headline about the bombing and knew he was a wanted man.**

"Someone would have tipped the cops at this point." Clint said.

**At Bucky's home, a rather modest apartment, Steve was there, looking around. Sam radioed in, telling him German Special Forces were headed his way. Steve turned around to see Bucky standing behind him.**

Everyone tensed as Steve and Bucky exchanged a look.

**Steve asked if Bucky recognized him, which Bucky claimed to know him from the museum. Steve knew he was lying and Bucky relented, telling him he wasn't the bomber. Steve believed him, but said, "Well, the people who think you did are coming here now. And they're not planning on taking you alive." Bucky casually said, "That's smart. Good strategy."**

"And what about your life?" Natasha asked Bucky incredulously.

"**This doesn't have to end in a fight, Buck." Steve said. "It always ends in a fight." Bucky told him.**

Everyone looked at Bucky in sympathy.

**The police came up the stairs and were at the door as Sam gave them five seconds. Steve demanded to know why Bucky pulled him from the river, to which Bucky claimed to not know as he pulled off the glove around his metal arm.**

"I do know." Bucky said.

**Sam shouted a warning as an explosive crashed through the window. Steve deflected it with his shield, the explosive shattering as it hit the wall before another crashed through and landed at Bucky's feet. Bucky kicked it over to Steve, who quickly placed his shield over it, containing the blast as it detonated harmlessly.**

"Did they just throw a bomb into the house?" Rhodes asked angrily.

"Did they bother to check if any civilians were inside?" Wanda asked.

"Considering Captain Rogers was inside, no." Vision said.

"Maybe the government should put their own enforcers in check first." A disgusted Hill said. [1]

**Bucky lifted his mattress up, using it as a shield from the shots coming through the window. The police began trying to force the door to Bucky's apartment open with a battering ram, so Bucky tossed the table over, blocking the entrance.**

"That looks cool." Peter said.

"And intense too." Benjamin pointed out.

**Two Task Force members burst in. Bucky engaged one as Steve tripped up the other, causing his rifle to fire aimlessly. Bucky threw the officer to the floor as another one burst in. Steve grabbed his gun and Bucky pushed him out onto the balcony. Steve stopped Bucky as he tried to follow, "Buck, stop! You're gonna kill someone!" Bucky pushed Steve to the floor and raised his metal arm.**

Except Steve and Bucky, everyone watched tense.

"**I'm not gonna kill anyone." Bucky said before punching the floorboard next to where Steve's head was at.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

**Bucky pulled out a duffle bag and threw it out the window. It landed on the roof of a building nearby as more officers burst in through the windows. Steve used his shield to block the bullets as Bucky saw another officer at the window. He threw Steve through the window, knocking the operative down as he and Steve fell on the balcony.**

"So I'm your weapon?" Steve asked as Bucky shook his head while everyone chuckled at the joke.

**Bucky used his metal hand to deflect the bullets one of the officers fired at him before grabbing the officer and slamming his head through a shelf, knocking him out. Bucky then took a cinder block and used it to take out the second officer in the room.**

"Okay, badass." Rhodes said as everyone seemed impressed.

"Thanks." Bucky said.

**As Steve dealt with the officer on the balcony, the police, having grown impatient, had taken to shooting holes in the door. Bucky put his metal arm through it, knocking one out and startling the rest. Bucky then kicked the door off its hinges, knocking more down and beat the other two down. One burst through the glass above but Bucky knocked him out and took battering ram, knocking them all out.**

"You're one of the best fighters in the world, aren't you?" Clint asked Bucky who sighed and nodded.

"And that's why no one should have made you angry." Bruce said as all looked at the screen.

**Bucky then used the cop who had come through the glass to swing down the steps and began engaging the cops down there. Steve emerged from the room as one of the officers began calling on the radio for help. Steve crushed the radio before jumping after Bucky. They begin engaging the police together but Bucky knocked one over the railing. He almost fell to his death but Steve caught him.**

"You weren't killing anyone though." Pepper said.

"Heat of battle." Bucky said.

**Steve scolded Bucky before yanking the officer back up, throwing him into the wall. Bucky ripped off the railing, using it as a long, metal vine to swing down the stair case as Steve secured the officer. Bucky engaged two more officers as Steve saw an officer about to shook at Bucky. Steve threw his shield, knocking the weapon out of their hand as the shield went into the wall. Bucky looked back at Steve before jumping over the railing, falling two stories before catching himself on railing.**

"Impressive." Thor said.

Bucky didn't say a word and simply nodded, thinking about everything that had happened to him.

**As Steve pulled his shield out of the wall, Bucky pulled himself back onto the stairs. Bucky broke down the door before rushing down a hall and onto a balcony. Bucky then jumped onto the building where he had tossed his bag, only to be tackled by the Black Panther.**

"And you're here." Tony said to T'Challa.

"Going after the wrong man." T'Challa sighed.

**Black Panther brandished his claws and the fight began. Black Panther blocked and dodged Bucky's blows and kicked Bucky, sending him down to the ground, his back against an air vent. Black Panther attempted to strike him with his claws but Bucky dodged by jumping up. They traded some more blows before Black Panther threw Bucky on his back. Bucky picked up some iron and used it to block Black Panther's claws.**

"You are impressive in battle, my friend." Thor told T'Challa.

"And I'm using it to fight the wrong man." T'Challa said again.

"Don't blame yourself." Bucky and Odinson said at the same time.

**Steve came out of the building and saw the scene. He called Sam over and Sam flew in, seeing the scene. Steve jumped onto the other building as a police chopper rolled in. A sniper shot at Black Panther, who turned away from Bucky. The bullets didn't pierce his suit.**

"Vibranium?" Aunt May asked and T'Challa nodded.

**Sam flew in and kicked the tail of the chopper, causing the pilot to fight for control. Bucky kicked Black Panther off him and fled, jumping down the side of the building. Black Panther followew, using his claws to slowly glide down the side of the building. As Bucky and Black Panther continued the chase on the ground, Steve jumped off the building as well, using his shield to cushion his fall. The chopper rounded the corner, firing at Bucky again.**

"Do these people even care about civilian casualties?" Rhodes asked in disgust again.

"Doesn't look to me they do." Sam said.

"Were they even real cops I wonder now?" Fury said and all looked at him in shock.

"Maybe they were a Hydra cell who came to take you back." Natasha said as Bucky paled.

"Just a theory really." Hill said.

**Bucky jumped off the ledge and into heavy traffic. He headed into a tunnel, with Black Panther and Steve following him.**

"How are you so good?" Bruce asked.

"You will see, Dr. Banner." T'Challa said.

**A police cruiser rolled up behind them and Steve stopped, tackling the wind shield with his shield. Steve then jumped off, opened the door and threw the driver out. He shattered the wind shield before taking the car, driving after Bucky and Black Panther.**

"You and stealing cars." Natasha cracked and all chuckled.

"It's one of my special talents." Steve joked, "But I think I have made the situation worse."

"Yes, this one you did Cap." Fury agreed.

**Steve drove passed Black Panther, but Black Panther jumped on the back of the cruiser. Seeing this in the rearview mirror, Steve tried to shake Panther off with no luck. Steve radioed Sam as he became aware of the multiple police cruisers on his tail.**

"Now things have been made worse." Natasha said.

"Should have considered our options better." Steve sighed sadly.

"Ross always makes things difficult." Tony said.

"Yeah tell me about it." Bruce said sarcastically.

**At the edge of the tunnel, Bucky was blocked by several cars. He jumped over several waste containers and continued running. Steve followed, driving through the containers and after Bucky. Outside the tunnel, Bucky grabbed a motorcycle and casually tackled the man away before jumping on it and driving into another section of the tunnel.**

No one could stop themselves from clapping at that.

"You are awesome!" Natasha said to Bucky who smiled at her.

**Steve followed Bucky through the tunnel and Black Panther climbed onto the roof. Black Panther jumped off to try and get Bucky, but Bucky grabbed him by the throat. Bucky tried to throw him down but Black Panther hung on to the back, bringing the motorcycle on its side. Bucky was able to use his metal arm to stop it from falling and kicked Black Panther off. Bucky lifted the motorcycle back up and continues retreating as Sam grabbed Black Panther. They scuffled in the air as Bucky threw a small explosive onto the edge of the tunnel. It went off, bringing some rubble down.**

"Things getting worse." Tony said.

**Sam stopped as Black Panther launched himself through the air. He landed on the motorcycle, cutting the back tire. The motorcycle fell and the pair rolled on the ground as Steve jumped out of the car, which flipped over.**

"You won't give up, would you?" Thor asked T'Challa.

"We are not so different I think then." T'Challa said.

**Steve rushed over, tackling Black Panther away from Bucky before he could do anything. They stood up as multiple police cruisers rolled in, surrounding them. Rhodes, in his War Machine armor, landed and aimed at them, ordering them to stand down. Rhodes told Steve he was a criminal.**

"How did we get to this?" Rhodes asked.

"We didn't talk." Steve noted as they all looked at him, "We let this choice tear us apart."

**Steve stood down, seeing Sam had been caught as well. Bucky was cuffed as Black Panther, seeing he was outnumbered, stood down as well. He removed his helmet and revealed the face of T'Challa, to the surprise of everyone.**

"And busted." Hope sighed.

"We have made a bad situation even worse." T'Challa said about himself, Steve and Sam. [2]

"Yes. The three of us made a mistake." Steve said.

**At the Compound, Vision was attempting to make Paprika in a gesture to make Wanda feel better. Wanda walks in and takes over, as Vision can't taste anything and has never cooked.**

"Thank you for that." Wanda said to Vision gratefully. While she could see the problems with their relationship now, he still did try his best.

**Vision awkwardly tried to assure Wanda she was not hated but only ended up amusing her. Wanda reflected on how she had been changed by her powers. Vision briefly related by talking about The Mind Stone in his head. Wanda moved to leave to head to the store but was stopped by Vision. Tony had asked Vision to keep Wanda there until The Accords are in place.**

"That was internment!" Fury snapped.

"Why did you do that?" Clint asked lowly.

"For your safety." Tony said to Wanda and before anyone could respond, he continued, "But….the way I did it was a huge mistake. I should have told you already and given you a choice. All of us should have known so that we all could together decide how to keep you safe. But I tried to fix the situation myself, thinking I could do it! That's what I do! I always want to fix things! Even if they're not mine to fix! I should have let the lawyers handle this! So I apologize, Wanda."

Pepper held his hand and with a proud smile, nodded.

"I do understand why you did that though." Wanda said, "You only wanted to help. You just went about it the wrong way."

"Does anyone else think the air is getting clearer?" Rhodes asked.

"I think I do." Logan said.

**Wanda pointedly asked Vision what he wanted and he simply said for everyone to see her as he did.**

"Did you just play at her guilt and insecurity?" Clint asked Vision.

"I didn't understand emotions at the time so it was unintentional but I apologize." Vision said sincerely and Wanda nodded.

**In Berlin, multiple police cruisers were escorting Bucky, who was in a container made to hold him, to base as Steve, Sam, and T'Challa were in the back of a car. Sam made a comment about T'Challa's suit, which he saw as 'a cat suit'.**

"It is not a cat suit!" T'Challa said annoyed.

"Looks like one to me." Tony said and all chuckled a bit.

"I am cooler than you." Logan said to T'Challa who sighed.

**Steve asked if T'Challa's suit was made of Vibranium. T'Challa, without answering the question said, "The Black Panther has been the protector of Wakanda for generations. A mantle, passed from warrior to warrior. And now, because your friend murdered my father... I also wear the mantle of king. So, I ask you... as both warrior and king... how long do you think you can keep your friend safe from me?"**

T'Challa flinched and said, "I apologize for my rash actions."

"I understand." Bucky sighed.

**They arrived at the base and got out of the back of the car. Steve saw Bucky in the container before walking up to Sharon, a man in a grey suit, and three armed members of the Task Force. Steve demanded to know what will happen to Bucky and the man in the suits said he would be psychologically evaluated then extradited. Sharon introduced the man as Everett Ross, the Task Force Commander. Steve asked about a lawyer for Bucky, which Everett laughed at, finding it amusing.**

"Heard of the Geneva Convention?" Natasha asked angrily.

"Another Ross. Though this one is much more reasonable." T'Challa said, "Right now, he is just doing his duty and is stressed."

"Two people who share the same name and are so different." Bruce said.

**Everett told them they'll get a recite for their gear. As Sam grumbled about this, Steve looked back, getting a look at Bucky before the doors closed behind them.** **Steve, Sam, and T'Challa were led into another part of the building, joined by Natasha, who scolded Steve.**

"I deserved that." Steve said.

**Tony was there, on the phone, doing an interview, mentioning consequences when he hung up. T'Challa was led into an office as Steve asked about consequences. Ross wanted them prosecuted, Tony told them.**

"I think he wants the actual Serum which is why he wants you, Cap." Fury said as everyone felt their hatred for Ross increased.

**Steve noted he was not getting that shield back and Natasha made a quip about it and Sam's wings belonging to the government.** **"Damn, that's cold." Sam quipped.** **"Warmer than jail." Tony quipped back.**

"How did it get to this?" Natasha wondered.

**At a power station, a man in a truck drove up, looking at a clipboard.**

"This doesn't look good." Hill said.

"Nope." Clint agreed.

**Back at the base, Natasha walked into the office T'Challa was being held in. She referenced their earlier conversation and he noted she wasn't used to the truth. Natasha brought up his Vibranium suit, which put him under the jurisdiction of The Accords. T'Challa asked how long a psychological evaluation usually took, eager to take Bucky back to Wakanda to face justice. Natasha warned him he was being naïve before Everett walked in, clapping sarcastically. Bucky's extradition had been granted.**

"So much for due process." Steve snarled.

"Everett wanted to do it the right way but politics got involved." T'Challa said.

**Steve was watching the security cam footage of Bucky when Tony walked over, carrying a case. He opened it to reveal two pens that once belonged to FDR, which he had used to sign the Lend-Lease Bill, providing support to The Allies when they needed it most. Steve noted some would say it brought them closer to war.**

"I'm not saying I do." Steve said as they glanced over at him, "But some of the guys I served with during the war felt that way."

**Tony claimed he was trying to extend an olive branch as Steve noted he hadn't seen Pepper. Tony admitted he and Pepper were taking a break.**

Tony and Pepper flinched as everyone shot them looks of sympathy.

**Tony said, "A few years ago, I almost lost her, so I trashed all my suits. Then, we had to mop up HYDRA... and then Ultron. My fault. And then, and then, and then, I never stopped. Because the truth is I don't wanna stop. I don't wanna lose her. I thought maybe the Accords could split the difference. In her defence, I'm a handful."**

"A document won't make a difference." Pepper said, "It's you I love, Tony."

**Tony stood up, musing about how his father had always made things work with his mom. Steve remembered Howard during World War Two and Tony remembered Howard mentioning it a lot during his childhood, trying to inspire Tony but just ended up annoying him. **

"I'm sorry about that, Tony." Steve said, "I don't want you to feel short because of me."

"In the beginning, I was inspired. But it got a bit too much." Tony said, "Still, I think I exaggerated his shortcomings sometimes."

**Steve apologized for making things difficult and Tony responded with a sarcastic quip. Steve explained that he couldn't just stand back and watch as something that he saw as wrong happened. Sometimes he wished he could, Steve said but Tony knowingly said he didn't and Steve admitted it. Tony admitted sometimes he'd like to slug Steve but he didn't want to see him gone because the world needed him. Tony tried to bargain that if Steve signed, it will make it all legit, transfer Bucky to a psyche center instead of a prison in Wakanda.**

"Didn't Everett allow T'Challa to take Bucky?" Scott asked.

"I didn't know that." Tony sighed, "But really, I'm not pleased with my actions on here."

**Steve picked up the pen, saying there would have to be safeguards if he agreed. Tony seemingly agreed, saying they could amend The Accords later.**

"I lied." Tony said in shame, "I wanted you to sign so badly, I said I would amend them, even though I can't. What was wrong with me?" [3]

"Guilt." Rhodes said.

"It makes us do worse things than before." Pepper said.

"We can only move past that." Steve sighed.

**Tony mentioned getting Steve and Wanda reinstated, causing Steve to ask about Wanda. Tony admitted she was being held at the Compound, angering Steve. Tony defended it as protecting Wanda, to Steve's disbelief and disgust.**

"I should never have tried to handle that." Tony said.

**Steve accused Tony of subjecting Wanda to internment but Tony defended it as Wanda was not a US citizen and the government didn't 'grant VISAs to 'weapons of mass destruction.'**

"What did you say?" Clint asked Tony dangerously as he paled.

"That is not what you say about a person. Even a powerful one!" Rhodes said, not believing Tony had said it.

"I think I should apply it to myself as well now." Tony sighed, "I agree, I shouldn't have said that. Because that would make me not so different from Ross."

Wanda could feel his sincerity and simply nodded.

**Steve and Tony continued to argue, Tony insisting he was trying to protect them from something worse. Steve scoffed, giving the pen back before walking into the office Sam was being held at. **

"This won't stop the worse things." Benjamin said.

**Steve watched the security cams as the 'psychiatrist' sat down with Bucky, who was still restrained by the container. Sharon walked into the office and gave Sam the recite for his wings. Sam was offended his suit was described as a 'giant bird costume.'**

"I know an actual giant bird costume." Peter joked and everyone chuckled.

**Sharon turned the monitor in the office on so Steve could see and hear what was going on in Bucky's evaluation. Steve gave Sharon a grateful look as Natasha watched from outside. The 'psychiatrist' addressed Bucky by James but Bucky gruffly told him he was Bucky.**

"You're back, aren't you?" Steve asked Bucky.

"Yes. This is me." Bucky sighed.

"If only the situation wasn't so bad." Natasha said.

**At the power station, the man in the truck honked the horn, making a man come out. The delivery man got out of the truck and opened the back, revealing two crates. They took it, putting it on the ground and the delivery man made the other man sign for it.**

"Now that is not good." Fury said.

"Nope." Hill agreed.

**Back at the base, Steve was looking at the photo of 'Bucky', asking why it would be released by the Task Force. Steve realized that Bucky is being set up, to be flushed out. Sam argued that they had looked for him for two years with no success but Steve pointed out they hadn't bombed the UN. Sharon pointed out that that just guaranteed the Task Force would get Bucky and the realization hit them.**

"Shit!" Scott said.

"It was his plan, right?" Loki asked and they nodded, "Good plan and he got lucky."

"He wanted the Winter Soldiers." Tony sighed.

"How did he get past security?" Aunt May asked.

"Either he's a pro or security's shit." Logan said.

**Zemo casually asked about Bucky's past. Bucky refused to talk about it but Zemo assured him they only have to talk about one as he got a text, telling him 'the package has been delivered'.** **At the power plant, the worker had opened the crate to reveal the bomb, to his confusion. The EMP went off, frying the plant.**

"He knocked out the power to prevent anyone from watching the interrogation and catching him." Vision said.

**At the base, the power went out as everyone looked around in confusion. Steve looked at Sharon and she told him where Bucky was at. He and Sam took off as T'Challa watched in confusion.** **Bucky demanded to know what was happening. Zemo said he wanted to discuss Bucky's 'real home' as he pulled out the red book. Zemo began saying the words from the beginning of the recording as Bucky begged for him to stop before crying out in pain. Bucky used his strength to break his restraints, desperately pounding on the side of the container as Zemo continued to say the words. Zemo finished as the side of the container flew off, Bucky finally breaking free. But it was no longer Bucky, but The Winter Soldier, ready to comply.**

"Oh no." Bucky said, pale, as Natasha held his hand.

"That son of a bitch!" Sam snarled.

**Zemo demanded the mission report of December 16****th****, 1991.**

"He wants to know." Tony said.

**Not long after, Steve and Sam walked in, seeing the guards on the floor, out cold. Zemo was on the ground, playing the part of the psychiatrist. Steve walked up and picked him up by the collar, slamming him against the wall as he demanded to know what Zemo wants. "To see an empire fall." Zemo said. **

"And he almost succeeded." Odinson sighed.

**Steve's interrogation was interrupted as The Soldier jumped out, lunging for Sam. Sam barely dodged the robotic arm, which hit the wall instead. Sam punched but he blocked before punching Sam's stomach and grabbing him by the neck, threw him into the container.**

"Sorry about that." Bucky said apologetically.

"I'm gonna be feeling that in the morning." Sam said dryly.

**The Soldier then went after Steve, swinging at him with his robotic arm. Steve dodged but The Soldier overpowered him due to having got the drop on him and backed him up against an elevator. He threw his metal arm at Steve and in spite of Steve's best efforts to stop it, The Soldier sent Steve through the doors and down the shaft, landing on the elevator a few stories down.**

"Sorry about that too." Bucky said to Steve who simply nodded.

**Sam was awakened by someone talking on the PA. He saw Zemo standing by the elevator and called out to him, getting up and running after him when Zemo fled.** **As Everett was barking orders, Natasha asked if Tony brought a suit. Tony pointed out he's an active non-combatant before Sharon rushed over, telling them to follow her.** **Meanwhile, Steve was climbing up the elevator shaft after throwing away his jacket as Sam was pursuing Zemo.** **The Soldier was engaging some members of the Task Force as Tony watched from behind the corner. Tony transformed his watch into a low powered gauntlet before he rushed out to engage The Soldier.**

"Okay, the Gauntlet is cool and you're brave, but that's stupid too." Pepper told Tony.

"I know." Tony sighed,

**He blasted The Soldier with a sonic wave, dazing him before blasting him with a flash, stopping him before rushing over. The Soldier tried to shoot him but Tony blocked it with his gauntlet, absorbing the bullet. Unfortunately, this left Tony defenseless and The Soldier yanked the gun in half. Tony struck him with his half but he was unaffected as he struck Tony with the half in his hand.**

"Uh-oh." Tony said.

"You did pretty good though." Bucky said.

**As Tony was tossed into some tables, Sharon rushed over and began engaging The Soldier. Natasha joined her as they both kicked or punched him but he flipped Sharon onto a table, taking her out of the fight. Natasha jumped on The Soldier's back, wrapping her legs around his neck as she frantically beat on his head. The Soldier backed up and yanked her off him, slamming her down onto a table with his robotic arm wrapped around her neck, choking her. "You could at least recognize me." She gasped.**

"Damn it! Why the hell did this happen to me?" Bucky said angrily in guilt.

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault." Natasha told him gently.

**T'Challa rushed in, kicking The Soldier off Natasha.**

"Thank you." Bucky said to T'Challa.

"Me too." Natasha said gratefully and he nodded.

**The Soldier and T'Challa exchanged a few blows before The Soldier landed a solid hit with his robotic arm. T'Challa was sent flying back but landed safety on the floor. Looking up, T'Challa saw that The Solider was climbing up some stairs. With a growl, T'Challa rushed over and climbed up the other side of the stairs. He pulled himself of the ledge and jumped, landing at the top of the stairs, blocking The Soldier's path. They exchanged a few blows before T'Challa grabbed The Soldier's robotic arm, holding it down and restraining him, to The Soldier's surprise.**

"So it's not just the Suit?" Tony asked.

"No." T'Challa said.

**With a twist, The Soldier and T'Challa were sent tumbling down a flight of stairs. They picked themselves up and continued their fight before T'Challa sent a powerful kick to The Soldier's chest. The Soldier was sent flying into a wall before falling into an opening down to the first floor. T'Challa jumped off the stairs down to the floor, but The Soldier was gone.**

"And he's gone." Rhodes sighed.

"Not for long." Steve said.

**Outside, Sam had followed Zemo outside but lost him in the crowd of panicking people, finding only Zemo's jacket, abandoned on the ground.**

"Damn it!" Sam said.

**On the roof, The Soldier had gotten into a helicopter, preparing to take off when Steve burst through the door to the roof. Steve ran onto the landing pad as the chopper began to lift in the air. Steve grabbed onto it, trying to stop it from taking off. As it began taking off with him hanging, Steve grabbed onto the ledge of the landing pad, pulling the chopper back with his other arm.**

"Wow Cap, nice." Tony said as everyone then started clapping and cheering. The ladies were watching with dropped jaws. Clearly, this was making Steve look even more attractive than he normally was. And strong and handsome. Like a knight in shining armor.

"It's too sexy." Hill muttered so only she could hear.

"The girls would love this." Natasha said and to everyone's shock, took out a phone and snapped a picture.

"You had your phone this whole time?" Wanda asked.

"Yeah." She said.

"What is your obsession with my love life?" Steve grumbled but Natasha just grinned cheekily. By now, the ladies were over their temporary infatuation with Steve's biceps.

**The Solider turned the chopper on its side and Steve let go, taking cover on the pad as the chopper's blades tore it up. Miraculously, Steve managed to avoid the blade. However, Steve ended up next to the wind shield and The Soldier reached through with his robotic hand, grabbing Steve by the throat.**

"Oh God!" Hope said.

**Desperately, Steve pushed the chopper off the pad. They fell below, landing in a river. Steve pulled the unconscious Bucky out and swam away.**

"Now we've come full circle." Bucky said.

"Yeah." Steve agreed.

"This is about to get a lot worse." Benjamin said.

"No kidding." Logan said as the recording continued.

* * *

**And that ends this one. It is tough trying to be totally objective but I'm trying my best. **

**[1] This government should learn to keep their own enforcers in check first before trying to keep the Avengers in check. They threw a bomb into a house without checking if anyone else was inside and they fired in an area populated with civilians. Some cops they are!**

**[2] I'd do the same if I was Steve but I have to say, this was reckless and it made a bad situation even worse than before.**

**[3] Tony cannot amend the Accords. He may have some connections in the US but not in all countries so that is a stupid statement and RDJ himself said Tony was trying to manipulate in that scene. **

**And that's the end of this. **

**Also, anyone else thinks Black Panther was cooler in this movie than his own? Because I do.**

**And Thaddeus Ross is worse than Amanda Waller in my opinion in a way. Amanda tells you right from the start that she isn't your friend so you know what to expect. But Ross tries to sugarcoat stuff. What a Secretary Jackass!**

**Still prepared for any trolls though. *Headbangs to 'Violence' by Disturbed*You're pushing and fighting your way. You're ripping it up. Bring the violence. It's significant. To the life. If you've ever known anyone. Bring the violence. It's significant. To the life, can you feel it?**

**And with that done, hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. **


	68. Clash of the Avengers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now we have over 400 favorites! Thank you very much to everyone who reads and enjoys this story! You people make my day!**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, I'm also annoyed by how Winter Soldier only fired guns in those 2 movies. Yes, that's a nice idea. Thanks. Yes, I was being fair to Tony, though in this chapter it was really hard. Yes, I actually like Steve and Sharon but the post-funeral kiss is why I don't write that pairing. Yes, T'Chaka was his father in the end. As for Ross, after. Yes that song really is. Especially- "I see your might and it compares to something. That is if something is nothing." That makes sense on Ghost now that you say it. Glad you laughed at the entire helicopter part with Steve and Nat and if all the ladies were there, then Steve would have to take off his shirt on popular demand. Oh you're not alone. I also think it's a little overrated. It's a great movie, but not that amazing and certainly deserve a 96% on RT. Zemo basically got plot armor. Thanks for the recommendation as well. Enjoy the chapter and hope I did well.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. That's a valid criticism. I liked Zemo but he got lucky at times. Like when no one checked him when he went to meet Bucky as a psychiatrist or at the end when Tony showed up with Steve and Bucky and actually reacted emotionally. If he had somehow managed to control himself during that scene, Zemo's plan would have failed. So he got plot armor.**

Chapter 68- Clash of the Avengers

"This all seems really horrible." Bruce said.

"Of course it is." Natasha agreed.

**At an airport, Zemo was listening to a voice message from his wife. He was clearly affected by it, as pain showed on his face.**

While nobody liked Zemo, they could feel some sympathy for him due to his loss.

**He ended the message and heard a news report on Bucky's escape and Steve and Sam being reported as 'missing' before getting up.**

"Prepare to be 'not so missing.'" Tony muttered and everyone sighed.

**In a warehouse, Bucky awakened from his trance, his metal arm pinned under some machinery. Seeing he was awake, Sam called over Steve, who had been watching the search choppers outside the warehouse. Steve walked over and demanded to know which Bucky he was speaking to. Bucky remembered, "Your mom's name was Sarah. You used to wear newspapers in your shoes."**

"You put newspapers in your shoes?" Tony said amused.

"Uhhhhh…yeah." Steve said, embarrassed and everyone laughed.

"But I'm back." Bucky said, "And now I won't be controlled."

"Welcome back." Natasha said.

**Steve believed it was Bucky but Sam was skeptical. Bucky asked what he did and Steve said 'enough'. Bucky was tormented over the fact that Hydra still had a hold on him but Steve didn't have time to treat him with kid gloves. Steve wanted to know who Zemo was but Bucky didn't know. Steve demanded answers about why Zemo would go to all this trouble just for ten minutes with Bucky. Bucky concentrated and remembered that Zemo wanted to know exactly where Bucky had been kept while frozen. When Steve asked why, Bucky revealed he wasn't the only Winter Soldier.**

"Did I just mishear?" A horrified Peter asked.

"No you didn't." Benjamin told him.

**The recording showed the scene at the beginning again of The Winter Soldier attacking the car and taking the case full of liquid packets. The scene then changed back to Siberia, where five people were injected with the contents of the packets. One of them, a man, screamed in agony as he was thrown in a cell. The door was closed behind him and Vasily Karpov sat down, ignoring the man's screams until he stopped. He got up and opened the door, revealing the man now sitting on his bed calmly.**

"That was the Serum?" Aunt May asked and nods followed.

**The scene changed to the man engaging The Winter Soldier in training. The man was able to grab The Soldier's metal arm, restraining him and throw him across the room with ease.**

"He is that good?" Steve asked as everyone watched in horror.

"Yeah, they were better." Bucky said.

"Thank God we didn't have to fight them." Clint sighed in relief.

**However, Hydra was ultimately unable to control them, causing a rampage in the room and The Soldier was forced to get Karpov out of there.**

"Looks like even they can't handle them." Wanda said.

"No. They are good at creating, not the best at handling sometimes." Fury said.

**In the present, Bucky explained that those five were Hydra's most elite death squad with more kills than anyone in Hydra history, even him, and that was before they were injected. Steve wanted to know if Zemo could control them and Bucky confirmed he could. Steve remembered Zemo's words about seeing an empire fall and Bucky said these five could make it happen, able to take down an entire country in a single night.**

"Really?" Hope asked and nods followed, "Oh my God!"

"I think Giant-Man could have helped there if Zemo went that route." Scott muttered to himself.

**Sam walked over to Steve and they quietly noted that even if Tony believed them, The Accords would not let him help.**

"Why did I sign the damn thing?" Tony muttered.

"I made a mistake too." Steve said, "In the headquarters, I didn't stop to tell you what was going on when Zemo struck. I should have done that. Sorry." [1]

Tony nodded as the recording continued.

**Steve noted they were on their own but Sam disagreed, "I know a guy."**

"Me?" Scott asked and Sam nodded.

**At the base, Tony and Natasha were in a meeting with Ross. Tony was tracking Steve but Ross was forbidding Tony and Natasha from handling it, claiming they couldn't be objective. Ross was assigning Special Ops the case. Natasha demanded to know if they planned to kill Steve and Ross said 'if provoked'.**

"This guy is a jackass." Rhodes said randomly.

"Secretary Jackass." Logan reminded.

"He wants the Serum really bad." Thor noted.

**Ross pointed out if Steve had not interfered, Bucky would have been killed and no one else would have died.**

Steve flinched, acknowledging that was true as Sam put a hand on his shoulder for support.

"If they would've done their jobs and properly vetted Zemo, he wouldn't have gotten inside and no one would have died." Natasha said angrily.

"Secretary Jackass does seem to blame others for his own mistakes." Vision noted.

"Did you just curse?" Wanda asked as everyone chuckled.

**Tony argued that the Special Ops team won't be able to handle it, almost begging to let him and Natasha handle Steve. Ross was skeptical until Tony made it clear he wasn't going to talk to Steve this time. Ross gave Tony 36 hours to bring them all in before walking off.**

"Zemo really planned this part." T'Challa said.

**Natasha noted they are understaffed, with Tony wishing Bruce was there.**

"You think I'd be on your side with Ross involved?" Bruce asked incredulously as Tony winced.

**Natasha doubted Bruce would be on their side. Tony and Natasha both had an idea, Natasha's being T'Challa. She asked what Tony's idea was.**

"You'll see." Tony muttered.

**The scene changed to Queens. In an apartment, Peter walked out of the elevator, a DVD player in his hands.**

"And you are here." Odinson said.

"Yeah!" Peter said, "Almost there yet."

**Peter walked into his apartment, calling out to his Aunt May. However, Peter was thrown when he saw Tony Stark on the couch, talking with his Aunt. **

"And now I'm in this too." Aunt May said, "That makes everyone."

**Tony mentioned that Peter applied for a Grant with the September Foundation. It was clear Peter had no clue what he was talking about but played along. Peter became uncomfortable when May mentioned Peter keeping secrets from her.**

"Sorry, May." Peter said, "I did do that a lot."

"It's all in the past now." Aunt May said as she put an arm around him.

**Tony charmed May into letting him have five minutes alone with Peter. Once in Peter's room, Tony spit the walnut meatloaf he had praised moments before into a trashcan.**

"Rude!" Aunt May said as she glared at Tony who paled.

**Tony then took a look around the room, noting the out of date computers. Peter said he looks through trash for it and Tony called him a dumpster diver.**

"I'm not a dumpster diver!" Peter said as he flushed.

"You go through trash kid; you're a dumpster diver." Sam said and Peter sighed.

"Now I'm not." Benjamin spoke up.

**Annoyed, Peter wanted to know why Tony was here. Tony pulled out his phone and played a holographic video of Spider-Man swinging across New York on webs, asking if that was Peter.**

"Busted." Hope said.

"How did that happen, kid?" Scott asked.

"Went to Oscorp on a field trip and got bitten by an enhanced spider." Peter said, "Next day, I woke up without needed glasses and I could bench press my table."

"Damn!" Sam said.

"You could control your strength?" Steve asked.

"Not at first." Peter said, "I was afraid of my powers so I always have to hold them back."

**Peter stammered a denial, unconvincingly as Tony continued showing the footage of Spider-Man saving lives, noting Peter had 'mad skills'. Peter continued to stammer denials as Tony unveiled the hiding spot in his ceiling and Peter's suit came down, hanging from rope. Peter stilled as he realized he'd been caught. Tony listed all the names Peter was known as on the internet, 'Spider-ling, Crime fighting Spider, and Spider-Boy' before Peter corrected him, saying to call him Spider-Man. Tony made fun of Peter's suit, calling it a 'onesie'.**

"Did you make fun of him?" Aunt May asked angrily as Tony paled.

"If you want his help, be more respectful to him." Pepper told him.

"Sorry kid." Tony said genuinely.

**Peter bemoaned the fact that he'd been caught as Tony asked if anyone else knew. Peters said no one, not even May because 'she'd freak'.**

"I'd but I'd also be supportive to a reasonable degree." Aunt May assured her nephew.

**Tony complimented Peter's web shooters, tossing one to Peter. Tony asked about the webbing and Peter admitted he made it.**

"That was impressive, Mr. Parker." T'Challa told Peter who flushed with praise.

"Uhhh…..thanks." He said.

**Peter started to explain about how he got his powers but Tony cut him off, uninterested, as he observed Peter's suit, specifically the goggles. He made fun of them before an annoyed and embarrassed Peter yanked it out of Tony's hands.**

"We don't have money! No need to make fun!" Aunt May snapped as Tony felt guilty for his actions.

The ones from the future noted how Tony was so different with Morgan than with Peter.

**Peter explained, since he got his abilities, his senses had been kicked into overdrive and the goggles helped him focus. Tony said Peter needed an upgrade.**

"And now you're dragging a kid into this." Clint said as everyone glared daggers at Tony, "Why would you do that?"

"I really don't believe the Tony Stark who stood against me would do such a thing." Loki said.

"I made a mistake. A costly one." Tony said as he looked at Peter, "I should never have brought you to the airport. You should never have been there. I'm really sorry for how I treated you."

Peter and Aunt May both did seem satisfied by the genuine apology for now. But Aunt May was pretty pissed.

**Peter sat on his bed and Tony asked why he was doing this. Peter explained that he had his powers for six months and, while he'd love to use his powers for selfish reasons like football, people would notice if he could suddenly score a touchdown when he couldn't before. "When you can do the things that I can, but you don't...and then the bad things happen...they happen because of you." He said.**

"Very nice, kid." Steve said, impressed.

"But we lost sight of that." Benjamin told Peter, "We let being an Avenger get to our head and so we stopped looking out for the little guy for a time."

Peter realized Benjamin was right. He had been treating it as a chore for a while. He nodded at Benjamin in appreciation.

**Tony called this 'looking out for the little guy'. Tony sits down next to Peter, putting a hand on Peter's shoulder before randomly asking if Peter has a passport or been to Germany.**

"I'm sorry." Tony said softly, unable to look at Peter and Aunt May, "What I did was not okay."

**Peter did not want to go but Tony was not taking no for an answer. Tony got up, walking to the door, claiming he was going to tell May when Peter shot some webbing out, pinning Tony's hand to the door. Peter demanded Tony not tell May and Tony agreed.**

"You manipulated him into helping you!" Aunt May snapped.

"I really sank low there." Tony agreed guiltily. [2]

**The scene changed to the Compound at night. Vision was standing in his room when there was an explosion from outside.**

"What's that?" Scott asked.

"Someone." Wanda said as she and Clint exchanged a look.

**Vision phased through the floor up to the kitchen, where Wanda was. Wanda asked what it was and Vision said to stay there as he phased outside to investigate. Sensing someone else in the room, Wanda used her powers to throw the knife off the cutting board towards the intruder. However, when she saw who it was, she stopped it inches from Clint's face.**

"It's you!" Hope said.

"Yeah, I'm back." Clint said.

"I don't think I should have involved you or Wanda either." Steve said, "Sorry."

**Clint quipped he should've knocked as the knife dropped to the floor and Wanda asked what he was doing there. Disappointing his kids, Clint mused as he fired two arrows into the walls. He was supposed to be taking them waterskiing. Clint grabbed Wanda by the hand and began to lead her out when Vision returned, saying Clint should not be there.**

"This should be good." Scott muttered.

"Do not underestimate Barton." Fury told everyone.

"I learnt the hard way." Vision said.

**Clint joked, "I retire for what, like five minutes and it all goes to shit'. Vision pleaded with Clint to consider the consequences of his actions. But Clint did not yield and Vision was electrocuted by the arrow Clint shot into the counter.**

"Told ya!" Hill said.

**Clint tried to make a break for it but Wanda hesitated due to her guilt. Clint sighed before walking back over to her, telling her he needed her help. "Look, you wanna mope, you can go to high school. You wanna make amends, you get off your ass."**

"Don't let one mistake stop you." Steve said to all of them, "Any of you. You have to learn the right lessons from it."

**Vision broke free of Clint's trap and Clint fired at him. However, Vision phased so it went right through him. Vision pushed Clint back and Clint landed on his feet, making a sarcastic comment about wishing he'd stretched. Clint pulled out a baton and rushed Vision. Clint attempted to strike him but Vision phased through before hardening himself. The baton broke when Clint struck him with it and Vision put Clint in a choke hold, telling Clint he couldn't defeat him as Wanda watched. Clint agreed, but noted Wanda could. Vision looked up and saw Wanda's hands glowing with red mist as she demanded he release Clint.**

"And now she will beat you." Logan noted.

**Wanda declared she was leaving but Vision refused to let her. Wanda used her powers to affect the Stone, making him release Clint as Vision fell to his knees, Wanda increasing his weight. Vision told Wanda they would never stop fearing her but she said, "I can't control their fear. Only my own." Wanda then sent Vision down through the floor as he fell through the Compound's many levels.**

Wanda felt partially guilty for that but she didn't regret it either.

"If it had been communicated to you earlier, it wouldn't have come to this." Rhodes told her.

**Clint and Wanda stared at the hole for a moment before Clint told her they had another stop to make.**

"Me." Scott realized.

**At the Task Force base, T'Challa and his guard were moving towards a car but found Natasha blocking their way. The guard demanded Natasha move or she would 'be moved'. Natasha refused but T'Challa called off his guard.**

"Who do you think would've won?" Tony asked T'Challa eagerly.

It is difficult to say." T'Challa said, "Agent Romanoff is a skilled warrior, I can see that. But the King's guard is trained in the warrior ways of Wakanda, some since childhood. I honestly am unsure."

**Natasha asked if T'Challa thought he can find Barnes and he pointed out he had considerable resources. Natasha pointed out that Bucky was famous for disappearing and T'Challa asked if she knew where they are. Natasha admitted she knows someone who did.**

"It'll get ugly." Natasha warned.

**Elsewhere, Steve met with Sharon as Sam and Bucky watched from a car. Steve said its low profile, which Sharon noted as a good thing as she opened truck of her car to reveal Sam and Steve's gear.**

"Okay, she's awesome." Hill said as the others found themselves agreeing.

**Inside the car, Bucky was in the back as Sam was in the passenger seat. Bucky asked Sam to move his seat up but Sam blankly refused.**

"Uhhhh…..you're acting childish." Tony said and Sam realized he had a point.

**Steve thanked Sharon as she said she's keeping a list. Sharon looked over at the car as Bucky moved to the middle seat, pointing out Bucky tried to kill her. Steve apologized, saying he's keeping a list to. He warned her they'll be looking for her now, which Sharon already knew. Steve thanked her and they stared at each other for a moment before Steve walked over and they kissed.**

Steve was uncomfortable. Sharon seemed great and he found her attractive. There was something there, but it just felt too soon after Peggy's death to start something.

**They pulled back, both agreeing the kiss was late. Sharon walked off and Steve looked over at the car as Sam and Bucky smirked at him.**

Steve stared at them both incredulously as they smirked and the other chuckled.

**They drove to an airport and Steve parked by a van. They got out and Clint and Wanda exited the van. Clint greeted Steve and Steve apologized, saying he wouldn't have called if there was another choice. Clint brushed the apology off, saying he owed a debt as he looked over at Wanda.**

"No you don't." Wanda said.

**Steve thanked Wanda for having his back and Wanda shrugged, saying it was time to get off her ass with a look over at Clint.**

Clint smirked at her as Wanda shrugged.

**Steve asked about the other recruit and Clint walked over to the van, saying he had to put coffee in him but he was 'rearin' to go'. He opened the back door to reveal Scott Lang, dozing.**

"I'm back!" Scott exclaimed.

"And I'm pissed." Hope snarled and he paled.

"Sorry." He said lamely.

**Scott blinked at the light, asking about the time zone as he got out. Scott spotted Steve and began fanboying over him, shaking his hand far too long. He dropped it and looked back at Wanda, complimenting her by calling her 'great.'**

Wanda smiled at Scott as Clint shot him a grateful look. Throughout this whole recording, all Wanda had heard was how everyone feared and hated her. It was about time she heard something positive.

**Scott placed his hands on Steve's shoulder, as if to reassure himself this was happening as Steve stood still, fighting amusement as Scott stammered 'thinks for thanking of me.'**

"Is this as embarrassing as it looks?" Scott asked.

"Much worse, fanboy." Hope snickered as everyone laughed at Scott who was embarrassed.

**Sam greeted Scott who apologized but he just brushed it off as an 'audition.'**

Everyone snickered.

**Steve asked what he'd been told and Scott noted it was about some 'psycho assassins'. Steve warned him they'd be outside the law on this mission, which was nothing new to Scott. Bucky said they should get moving and Clint said he had a chopper for them. However, alarms blared as the PA system went off, a man saying something in German. Bucky translated, saying the airport was being evacuated.**

"It's starting." Thor realized.

**Sam realized Tony has found them, confusing Scott as they looked to Steve for orders. Steve ordered them to 'suit up'.**

"It will get ugly." Rhodes said.

**Steve, in uniform, stepped out of the parking garage and onto the airfield. He moved towards the chopper Clint had mentioned but a device hit the chopper, making it useless. Tony and Rhodes flew down, blocking Steve's way by landing in front of the chopper.**

"Distraction tactic." Logan noted.

**Steve tried to tell Tony about Zemo but was interrupted when T'Challa, dressed in his suit, jumped down, landing a few feet from Steve. Steve and T'Challa greeted each other as Tony gave Steve the opportunity to surrender.**

"With what's at stake, he won't." Sam said.

**Steve tried to reason with Tony as Tony accused Steve's judgement of being askew.**

"Both of yours were to an extent." Odinson said and they agreed.

**Steve tried once more to warn Tony about Zemo's plan as Natasha appeared, asking Steve, almost pleadingly, not to 'punch his way out of this'.**

"Uhhhhhh…..he just mentioned five other Winter Soldiers and you ignored him?" Peter asked. [3]

"It does seem strange that Agent Romanoff and Colonel Rhodes ignored that." Vision said as the two realized their own horrible mistake.

**Steve answered Natasha with silence and Tony ran out of patience. He called out and Steve's shield was yanked from his hands, his hands bound by webbing as Peter, in a new suit, landed on the chopper, "Hey everyone."**

Everyone stared in awe and clapped as Peter and Benjamin both felt flattered. While no one approved of Tony bringing in Peter, he did look awesome here.

**Peter talked excitedly about the suit Tony had given him before Tony shut him down saying they 'didn't need to start a conversation'. Peter, embarrassed, shyly greeted Steve. Steve calmly noted Tony had been busy and Tony exploded on Steve, accusing him of dragging in Clint and rescuing Wanda from 'a place she didn't want to leave, a safe place'.**

"It's not safe if Ross can get his hands on her anytime." Clint snarled.

"**I'm trying to keep...I'm trying to keep you from tearing the Avengers apart." Tony said. "You did that when you signed." Steve countered.**

Tony and Steve both winced at this. They silently acknowledged their inability to talk it out had led to this.

**Tony became even more enraged at this, shouting that Steve needed to turn Bucky over and surrender, almost begging him to give up by the end. Sam radioed in, telling Steve Red Wing had found the Quinjet. Steve raised his hand and Clint fired, cutting Steve free. Steve signaled Scott, who enlarged himself on Steve's shield. Scott kicked Peter on the head and takes the shield.**

"I'm so sorry!" Scott said, horrified he had hit a kid.

"It's all right. I got much worse." Peter said.

**Scott returned Steve's shield to him as Tony and Rhodes marveled at this turn of events. Tony's scanners picked up Wanda and Clint on the parking deck. As Tony went off to handle them, Rhodes picked up Bucky and Sam in the terminal. T'Challa raced towards it, eager to kill Bucky as Steve threw his shield at Rhodes. It hit the front of Rhodes' armor, forcing him back as Peter asked Tony for instructions. Tony ordered Peter to stay back and 'web them up'.**

"Well, at least you told him to keep his distance." Steve said grudgingly.

"Not enough for me!" Aunt May said sharply and Tony winced.

**Steve threw his shield at T'Challa, hitting him in the back and knocking him down.**

"Sorry about that." Steve said but T'Challa waved him off.

**T'Challa quickly got back to his feet as the shield returned to Steve and Steve grabbed T'Challa, throwing him back. T'Challa demanded for Steve to move but Steve stood his ground, so T'Challa tried to kick him but he blocked with his shield. Elsewhere, Scott told Natasha he didn't want to hurt her but she was unconcerned, kneeing him in the groin.**

All the males in the room winced, eying Natasha wearily as she flashed a wicked smile.

"And I thought I was rough on you." Hope muttered to Scott.

**Natasha grabbed Scott's arm and tried to flip him but Scott shrunk himself and, to Natasha's shock, flipped her on her back.**

"But he has a powered suit." Natasha sighed.

**Scott began dragging her hand behind her back before Natasha used her Widow's Bite to send Scott flying.**

"No playing around." Scott muttered.

**In the Terminal, Bucky asked what 'that' was as he spotted Peter outside the windows. Sam muttered about everyone having a gimmick.**

"What did you call him?" Aunt May asked angrily, at this point angered by all the negative things said about her boy.

"Sorry ma'am." Sam said, figuring out her state right now.

**Peter used his webbing to crash through the windows and delivered a flying kick to Sam, sending him sliding across the floor. Bucky tried to punch Peter with his robotic arm but Peter caught his fist, to Bucky's surprise.**

"Damn! You're strong kid!" An impressed Hope as Peter flushed.

"Yeah. Even Steve struggled to stop my arm." Bucky reminded and Peter felt better.

**Peter fanboyed over Bucky's arm before Sam flew in, grabbing Peter and flying him away from Bucky. They struggled before Peter kicked Sam, forcing him to let Peter go.**

"You have the right to remain silent? What are you kid, a cop?" Clint asked amused.

"It sounded cool in my head." Peter said embarrassed.

"We certainly had our embarrassing moments." Benjamin said.

**Outside, Wanda and Clint were dodging missiles Tony was shooting at them, destroying everything they could be using to take cover**.

"Do you shoot missiles at everyone who disagrees with you?" Logan asked Tony who winced.

**Steve and T'Challa were still fighting, T'Challa's claws making a scratch on the shield. T'Challa attempted to strike Steve but Steve was able to dodge the strikes. Rhodes pulled out a Stun Staff, warning Steve this wouldn't kill him but 'wouldn't tickle either'. Rhodes tried to strike Steve but Steve blocked with his shield. As he reached Clint and Wanda, Tony told Wanda she hurt Vision's feelings.**

Wanda simply sighed.

**Wanda accused Tony of locking her in her room. Tony claimed that was an exaggeration and he did it to protect her, causing Wanda to look at him incredulously.**

"That's a damn simplification!" Clint exploded.

"All right! That's enough! We are not here to fight again!" Steve said to Clint.

"Captain Rogers is right." Odinson said.

"No fighting." Thor agreed.

**Tony greeted Clint, noting retirement didn't suit him. Clint noted he played golf, getting a hole in one every time. He couldn't seem to miss, Clint noted before firing at Tony. Tony easily destroyed the arrow but Clint, with a smirk, said 'made ya look'. Wanda then used her powers to bring down the cars from the parking garage onto Tony, burying him.**

"And now I'm buried underneath destroyed cars." Tony muttered.

"Both of us did damage the place." Steve agreed.

**Back in the terminal, Peter was dodging Sam's tricks when Bucky threw something at him. Peter dodged before throwing it back at Bucky, who took cover behind a pillar.**

"You're pretty strong kid." Steve said, impressed and Peter flushed at the praise from Captain America of all people.

"T-thanks." Peter said, trying not to have a meltdown.

**Sam kicked Peter from behind, trying to force Peter to the floor, but Peter shot off some webbing to swing away. Peter then shot some webbing into Sam's jet pack, throwing him off balance and forcing a crashing landing. As Sam stood up, Peter shoot off some webbing that hit his hands and stuck him to a railing.**

"A kid beat me!" Sam muttered.

"Team Bug keeps beating you." Scott joked and everyone chuckled a bit.

"This isn't going away." Bucky told him.

**Peter landed on the side of a pillar and started fanboying over Sam's wings. An annoyed Sam said their usually wasn't this much talking in a fight and Peter apologized, swinging down. Bucky tackled him and Peter kicked him into Sam. They went through the glass and fall, Peter webbing Sam in a web body wrap and pinning Bucky's metal arm to the floor. Peter apologized but said he needed to impress Tony before Sam called Red Wing. Red Wing tackled Peter and sent him flying out the window.**

"Sorry kid." Sam said guiltily.

**Bucky jokingly asked if Sam couldn't have done that earlier, causing an exasperated Sam to say he hated Bucky. Outside, Rhodes went to strike Steve but Steve jumped into the air and delivered a flying kick to Rhodes, sending him down to the ground and cutting his stun staff in half. Rhodes got up as Steve sent a flying kick to T'Challa, sending him back. Rhodes angrily tossed aside his damaged weapon as Scott ran up to Steve, handing him what looked like a Hot Wheels truck. Scott pulled out a Pym Partial Disk, instructing Steve to throw the truck at it.**

"I think I know what that is." Hope said, "But I'm still pissed at you!"

"Sorry." He said lamely again.

**Scott tossed the Disk into the air and Steve tossed the truck at it. As they made contact, the truck enlarged into a regular sized gas truck. Rhodes, T'Challa, and Natasha got out of the way as it hit the ground, exploding in a blast of flames.**

"Sorry about that." Scott said.

"Sorry? You could have killed them!" Clint snapped.

"Quite a few of us were being careless." Rhodes said, "Let's not fight like Cap said."

**Natasha and T'Challa awee knocked back by the blast as Rhodes was protected by his armor. Scott exclaimed he thought it was a water truck as Steve gave him an annoyed look.**

"Sorry." Scott said sheepishly.

**Steve and Scott rushed off as Tony helped Natasha up, Natasha asking if this was part of the plan. Tony said he was going easy on them.**

"So shooting missiles is easy?" Sam asked as Tony squirmed.

**Steve and Scott met up with Wanda and Clint, who pointed out the Quinjet in the hanger. Bucky and Sam joined them as they rushed towards it but were forced to stop as a beam cut a line in the ground, signaling the arrival of Vision.**

"And here we go." Clint muttered as everyone knew what was coming.

**Vision demanded Steve surrender, for the collective good.**

"Him surrendering would be disaster." Thor said.

**Tony and Natasha assembled behind Vision, followed by Rhodes, T'Challa, and finally Peter. "What do we do?" Sam asked Steve. "We fight." Steve said after a moment of silence.**

"No choice now." Tony sighed as everyone tensed.

**The two sides rushed each other, Wanda, Sam, Rhodes, Vision, and Tony taking off into the air. Tony went for Steve as Steve blocked with his shield as T'Challa tackled Bucky. Clint fired arrows into the air while Wanda used her powers to throws objects into the air. Natasha threw Scott to the ground as Steve hit Tony in the head with his shield. Tony was then hit in the Arc Reactor with an arrow, which went off, throwing him back. Natasha and Clint engaged, Clint throwing her to the ground and putting bow at her chest.**

For this, The Avengers could only watch, the tension mounting with each second, horror flooding through them that they had let the conflict spread to the point where they were forced to fight each other. It was a sobering thought for all of them.

"You all brought more chaos upon yourselves than I ever did." Loki commented and they were all horrified by the truth he spoke.

**Natasha quickly asked if they're still friends and Clint, his voice supposed to sound sarcastic but just sounds strained, said it depended how hard she hit him.**

Clint and Natasha winced as they glanced over at each other, the pain on their faces at being forced to fight family clear.

**Using her legs, Natasha freed herself and they stood up. Natasha went to kick Clint but Wanda intervened, using her powers to freeze Natasha's kick before throwing her, gently, into the side of a jet bridge. Wanda scolded Clint for throwing his punches and he nodded at her.**

"Sorry." Wanda said sheepishly but, to her surprise, Natasha smiled.

"First rule of a fight, don't apologize." Natasha said.

**As Bucky and T'Challa fought, Bucky said he didn't kill T'Chaka. T'Challa demanded to know why he ran then.**

"Maybe because people were shooting at him and trying to kill him." Clint said dryly and T'Challa winced.

"Stupid thing to say due to rage." T'Challa admitted.

**T'Challa forced Bucky's robotic hand back, flipping him. Bucky got up but T'Challa kicked him against some crates. T'Challa attempted to slit his throat with his claws but Wanda used her powers to send T'Challa flying into a jet bridge.**

Steve and Bucky shot Wanda a grateful look as Natasha led out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

**Steve threw his shield; cutting Peter's webbing and causing Peter to fall.**

Steve winced, horrified that he was fighting a child as Tony was ashamed that he'd dragged a child into this situation. Aunt May was pretty angry too.

**Peter landed on some equipment as the shield returned to Steve. Peter got up; noting Steve's shield didn't obey the laws of physics.**

"Who here does?" Hill said.

**Steve attempted to reason with Peter but Tony had told Peter not to listen to Steve.**

"In the future, please don't trust strangers, even heroes." Benjamin told Peter as he remembered Tony as well as Mysterio.

**Peter used his webbing and grabbed Steve's legs, yanking him forward. Steve dropped his shield as Peter yanked Steve forward and kicked Steve in the chest, causing Steve to fly into some machinery.**

"Impressive, kid." Steve said and he flushed.

**Steve's shield dropped to the ground, a few feet from him as Steve landed on the ground. Peter told him Tony told him to go for the legs.**

"At least you gave him advice." Pepper said.

Tony smiled weakly, appreciating that Pepper was trying to make him feel less horrible about the situation but it wasn't working.

**Steve went for his shield but Peter grabbed his hands with his webbing, attempting to pull Steve back. However, not to be deterred, Steve pulled, hard, and sent Peter flying.**

Steve winced, having hurt a kid.

**Sam was avoiding Tony's blasts, asking Clint if he could get him off his back. Clint, on the ground, aimed an arrow with Scott, shrunken down, on the arrowhead.**

"Oh! That!" Tony said.

**Clint asked if Scott was good to go, which Scott was. Clint fired and the arrowhead exploded into fragments. As Tony blasted them, destroying the fragments, he was unaware of Scott crawling inside his suit.**

"Get out of my suit!" Tony exclaimed.

"Nope." Scott said.

"Now that does look fun." Hope chuckled.

**Steve pulled on the webbing, bringing Peter close to him so he could strike him in the face with his shield.**

Steve flinched, shame filling him as Tony was shot glares by Aunt May.

**Peter swung himself upon a platform and Steve asked what else Tony told him. "You're wrong. You think you're right. And that makes you dangerous." Peter said.**

"He's got a point," Steve acknowledged.

"I was wrong and I didn't listen. It's dangerous." Loki agreed.

**Steve noted Tony had a point as Peter came at him again. Steve kicked Peter under the platform and threw the shield, knocking out the pillar supporting it. The platform came down and Peter was forced to catch it.**

"Did you just drop a platform on him?" Aunt May asked in a dangerous voice and Steve felt guilty.

"I'm sorry. I went overboard." Steve said apologetically and she nodded a bit, though she wasn't satisfied.

**Steve asked Peter where he's from and Peter grunted Queens as he struggled under the weight of the platform. Steve grinned, saying Brooklyn before he walked off.**

"Queens has Spider-Man, Brooklyn had Captain America." Wanda said.

**Clint was firing at Tony, who blasted his arrows before suddenly, his gauntlet stops firing. Tony was confused as FRIDAY told him the weapons system was malfunctioning. Scott, in the process of disabling his suit, alerted Tony to his presence by taunting Tony about apparently having no conscience.**

"You're that stupid?" Hope asked and Scott looked embarrassed.

**Tony expunged Scott from his suit by activating the fire suppression system.**

"Well, you alerted him." Hope said and Scott sighed.

**Natasha climbed up onto a platform, watching in horror as Rhodes fired missiles at Steve, which destroyed everything they come into contact with.**

Rhodes was horrified by his own actions, wondering what happened that made him disregard the safety of his friends that way.

**Steve was knocked down; dropping his shield and Bucky grabbed it, throwing it at Rhodey. The shield hit Rhodey's chest plate and stunned him as Sam flew in, grabbing the shield and tossing it back to Steve. Steve caught it, thanking Bucky, who quipped he needs to get one of those.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Steve and Bucky took cover behind a plane as Bucky noted Zemo was probably in Siberia by now. Steve ordered Bucky to get to the Quinjet while he handled Vision but Sam radioed in, telling them both to get to the jet. Sam flew over Clint, Rhodes following him and Clint was forced to jump to avoid a blast from Rhodes. Clint added that in order to win this fight, some of them might have to lose. Sam points out this 'isn't the real fight' and Steve sighed before asking what Sam's plan was.**

"Sacrifice play." Tony realized.

**Sam requested a distraction, something big he said as he dodged Rhodes' attacks.**

"Something big coming up." Scott said cheerfully.

**Scott said he had something big as he ran up the side of some machinery, telling them to 'run like hell' on his signal and not to come back for him if he tore himself in half, to the confusion of teammates.**

"Really? That doesn't instill confidence." Hope said.

**Steve asked Scott if he's sure about this, to which Scott said yes, babbling about how he did this 'once. In a lab. And I passed out right afterwards'. Scott jumped on the passing Rhodes' armor and activated a panel on his wrist. Scott let go of Rhodes and, to the shock of everyone, grew to gigantic size, towering over the airport as he grabbed Rhodes.**

"Oh my God!" Pepper said as everyone gasped and actually clapped for Scott who smirked.

"That was very impressive, Lang." Fury said and Scott flushed.

**Taking Scott's signal, his teammates sprang into action. Sam slammed into Tony before he could try and help Rhodes, who Scott threw. As Rhodes tried to gain control of his flight, Peter tried to help. He shot webbing, grabbing onto Rhodes to stop him. Peter was pulled by the flying Rhodes but crashed into a truck, flipping it on its side. Peter pulled, yanking and stopped Rhodes from crashing into a plane. **

"Thanks kid." Rhodes said.

**Scott kicked a bus and sent it crashing into a few trucks, causing a stampede of rolling vehicles. T'Challa was nearly crushed by them but Vision stepped in front of him, hardening his body so the bus was cut in half when it reached him.**

"Oh god, I am so sorry you're Highness! I wasn't trying to hurt anyone." Scott said full of regret.

"It is alright Mr. Lang, I remained unharmed, thanks to the Vision." T'Challa said, nodding at Vision gratefully.

**T'Challa saw Steve and Bucky running for the Quinjet and took off after them as Scott pulled the wing off a plane. Tony was flying after Sam, firing blasts at him before Scott brought the wing down. Tony was forced to dodge as the wing crashed onto the ground, exploding.**

"You made us work." Tony told Scott.

**Tony asked if any of the others had 'shocking and fantastic abilities' as Sam disengaged his wings and launched Red Wing. Red Wing hit Tony's face plate, dazing him as Sam reactivated his wings, flying off.**

"It's embarrassing." Tony said and all chuckled.

**T'Challa climbed up some crates in his pursuit of Steve and Bucky, finding Scott standing in his path. Scott declared T'Challa would have to go through him first before kicking the crates, destroying them and knocking T'Challa on his back.**

"Thanks Scott." Steve said and Scott shrugged.

"Anytime Cap." Scott said cheerfully.

**Scott went to grab T'Challa but Rhodes flew in, Peter hanging on to him by the webbing from earlier, and fired at Scott. Scott was unaffected but distracted enough that Peter swung some webbing on Scott's wrist, allowing Peter to swing a kick into Scott's face.**

"Did you have to go for the face?" Scott complained and Peter shrugged.

"Not a lot of places to hit when you're that size." Peter pointed out.

"Nope." Benjamin said and all chuckled.

**On the ground, Clint fired arrow after arrow at T'Challa. T'Challa jumped out of the way before catching two arrows, that exploded but T'Challa is unaffected.**

"Lucky man!" Loki grumbled as all chuckled.

"**We haven't met yet. I'm Clint." Clint introduced himself as he turned his bow into a bo-staff. "I don't care." T'Challa said.**

"Yeah, no one cares about old Hawkeye. I feel the love." Clint said dryly and the original Avenges rolled their eyes.

"He does care actually." Logan said and all chuckled.

**As Clint and T'Challa began engaging on the ground, Rhodes used his Sonic Cannon on Scott, to no affect. Scott knocked Rhodes to the ground before he grabbed a truck and attempted to hit Rhodes with it but Rhodes fired his weapons at it to destroy it before it could reach him. In frustration, Scott tried to kick him but Rhodes took off into the air in order to avoid it.**

"I look like a bug!" Rhodes exclaimed.

**Spotting Steve and Bucky heading for the hanger, Rhodes tried to go after them but Wanda stopped him by a crate at him before throwing a car at him, forcing him to dodge. Peter distracted Scott by climbing onto his mask and Scott threw him off, Peter dangling by his webbing as Vision rammed into him, making Scott crash into a plane. This allows Vision to spot Steve and Bucky as they are almost at the hanger.**

"Uh-oh!" Hope said.

"I understand why you did what you did." Steve said to them all, signaling he held no ill will now.

**T'Challa, restrained by Clint, spotted this as well, breaking Clint's bow and rushing after them.**

"You owe me a new bow." Clint said with a glare at T'Challa.

"I will supply you with one." T'Challa said and he nodded.

**Vision phased through Scott, freaking the man out as Vision appeared on the other side.**

"That's creepy." Scott shuddered.

**Vision used a beam to cut down a tower, causing it to collapse and land in front of the hanger. It would've stopped Steve and Bucky, but Wanda used her powers to create a safe passage for them. However, Rhodes used his sonic canon on her, causing her to scream as she lost her concentration. The rubble came down on Steve and Bucky, who were just able to make it to the other side before it collapsed on them.**

"What the hell Rhodey!? Are you trying to kill them?" Clint demanded as they all whirled on the stunned Rhodes.

"God Cap, I'm sorry." Rhodes said, once again stunned by his indifference to the safety of his friends.

"Yours' and Stark's actions throughout the battle have been…disturbing," Thor echoed Rhodes' and Tony's own thoughts.

"Tell us about it." Tony muttered.

**They found Natasha on the other side, who noted Steve's not going to stop.**

"No." Steve said.

**Steve said he can't and Natasha raised her arm, noting she's going to regret this. She fired a Taser Disk and it hit T'Challa, to the shock of Steve and Bucky.**

"I told you I wouldn't arrest you." Natasha said, causing Steve to smile slightly.

"Thanks a lot." Bucky said gratefully and she smiled.

**She told them to go and Steve nodded at her as he and Bucky moved towards the Quinjet as she fired another Taser Disk at T'Challa.**

"Sorry." Natasha said but T'Challa waved her off.

**Outside the hanger, Scott was causing chaos as Peter asked on the Comms if they've ever 'seen that really old movie, Empire strikes back'. This caused Rhodes to ask how old Peter was, to which Tony responds he 'didn't carbon date' Peter.**

"What did you say?" Aunt May asked and Tony gulped again.

"You're going too far this time." Pepper agreed too.

**Peter brought up the scene with the Imperial Walkers and Tony and Rhodes caught on. As Peter wrapped Scott's legs together with webbing, Rhodes and Tony punched him, causing Scott to fall while in avertedly hitting Peter, sending him to the ground.**

"Sorry about that." Scott said guiltily to Peter.

**Peter crashed into some crates as Scott shrunk back down to his normal size, removing his mask as he asked for some orange slices.**

"I like oranges." Scott said simply as he was shot some odd looks.

**Tony landed by Peter removing his face plate as he frantically checked on Peter. Peter, his mask half pulled off, wildly went for him but calmed down as he saw its Tony.**

Scott let out the breath he had been holding as Tony relaxed and Aunt May sighed.

**Tony told Peter he's done and told him to go home, even threatening to call May. Tony flew off and Peter protested, pulling on his mask and trying to get up but the exhaustion took hold and he fell down, agreeing he's done.**

"I like you kid." Steve said.

**Rhodes was clearing the rubble as Steve was at the controls of the Quinjet, set to take off. T'Challa was hit by Natasha's Taser Disks every time he tried to go for the Quinjet. Once the rubble was cleared enough, Steve took off. T'Challa tried to grab onto the wheel but fell off as it went into flight mode. The Quinjet flew into the air, Rhodes taking off after it as T'Challa angrily picked himself up. Natasha told him she promised to help him find Bucky, not catch him.**

"Nice loophole." Sam said and all chuckled.

**Outside, Vision flew down to Wanda, apologizing for keeping her prisoner. Wanda apologized in turn for what she did to him.**

"I'm sorry that I hurt you, but I'm not sorry I did it." Wanda said stiffly and Vision nodded.

"And I am sorry that I kept you prisoner. My intentions may have been good, but I should not have done that." Vision acknowledged, "I see that now. I am sorry Wanda."

Wanda nodded.

**Vision pointed out he accurately predicted it would lead to catastrophe.**

"Really, an 'I told you so' right now?" Clint asked angrily.

"I didn't understand emotions then." Vision said.

"The catastrophe is because of Ross and the Accords and partly our decisions. Not because she was let out!" Natasha said.

**In the Quinjet, Steve saw Rhodes and Tony were on his tail, so he increased power to the thrusters. Seeing Sam on his tail, Rhodes called Vision for back up as Sam shot off some weapons aimed only to distract Rhodes. When he got no answer, Rhodes called him again, telling Vision to target Sam's thrusters to 'turn him into a glider'. Vision glanced up and shot a beam from the Stone. Sam saw it and dodged, so the beam hit Rhodes instead.**

"Oh God!" Tony said as Rhodes paled, remembering the moment as Tony put a hand on his shoulder.

**The blast completely destroyed his Arc reactor and Rhodes fell. Sam and Tony saw this and flew after him, trying to save him as Rhodes alerted Tony that his suit was useless. However, they were unable to reach him in time and Rhodes crash landed, creating a crater as Tony landed next to him. He yanked off Rhodes' mask, seeing his friend unconscious and with a bloody nose.**

The mood plummeted as everyone stared at the screen in horror.

**Tony asked FRIDAY for vitals and she told him Rhodes had a heartbeat and that help was on the way.**

"I'm sorry." Sam said shakily, "You lost your legs."

"It's not your fault." Rhodes said as he looked over at Vision, "What the hell man? I told you to slow him down, not kill him! If that had been him, Sam would have died!" [4]

"We don't kill our friends Vision." Steve said firmly, anger shining in his eyes.

"I apologize Colonel. It appears I still have much to learn." Vision said, assessing his actions.

"I lost my legs!" Rhodes snapped and Vision actually looked like he felt guilty.

**Sam landed nearby, saying he's sorry. Tony angrily blasted him, knocking him out as Vision landed next to Sam's unconscious body.**

Tony opened his mouth but Sam said, "I know."

"This was horrible." Bruce said, "What the hell guys?"

"We made huge mistakes that led to this." Steve said guiltily.

"There is more." Logan said and they all sighed, preparing themselves and continued watching.

* * *

**And done. Longest one so far. This time I wasn't at neutral as before but to be honest, I think Tony taking Peter was a horrible thing to do and much worse than anything Team Cap did in this chapter.**

**[1] Steve and Sharon both made a mistake here. They rushed off without telling anyone what was going on. I mean, Steve could have stopped for 5 seconds and explained and Sharon as well when she was leading them. Stupid mistakes. *Rolls eyes***

**[2] I think its obvious involving Peter was among the worst things Tony did in this movie. I didn't even like the entire relationship between them much. It was mentor/protégé for me and it was very dysfunctional. It was done better in Infinity War and Endgame but it was off to a terrible start in here. And really, before Morgan, Tony wasn't good with kids tbh. With Harley, he was fine except the 'dads leave' line and the demands but with Peter, let's not talk about it. I have a hard time imagining the guy who made fun of Peter in this movie temporarily stopped his work to indulge Morgan in Endgame. Fatherhood really changed him for the better.**

**[3] Ummmm…Steve mentioned five other Winter Soldiers and tried to explain the situation and was ignored? Really? I can understand Tony and T'Challa not listening but Natasha and Rhodes? More stupid mistakes. *Rolls eyes***

**[4] Clearly, Vision's attack on Sam was a kill shot. If it destroyed Rhodes' reactor, it would have destroyed Sam's jetpack and he would also fall like Rhodey. The difference is that he wouldn't have a suit to protect himself and he would die. What the hell Viz?!**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	69. The Raft

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far **

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. To be honest, a beam that powerful would have exploded the jetpack and killed Sam. I blame that situation on Vision mostly though.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. He sure wouldn't be pleased at all and would be very angry in my opinion.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. I wasn't speaking about Tony and T'Challa. I understand why they didn't listen actually. I was aggravated by Nat and Rhodes. Those two not listening was stupid.**

Chapter 69- The Raft

Everyone was tense, horrified by their actions in the recording.

"Based on your reactions, I feel you are all feeling guilt for your mistakes." Benjamin said, "In that case, I hope you all learn from it. You too Vision."

Vision nodded, still reeling from the revelation. Clearly, he needed to be better.

**In a bar in Russia, Zemo was on the phone, talking to the maid from his hotel in Berlin. He requested his breakfast be brought up to his room.**

"Planning on me finding out." Tony said.

"Ah!" Steve said.

**The maid knocked on the door to his room before opening it. She walked in, carrying his tray, confused upon finding no one there. She put it down and, to her horror, found a body in the shower.**

"Shit!" Sam and Rhodes said.

Peter was horrified by Zemo's brutality as Aunt May patted his head.

"Poor psychiatrist." Wanda muttered.

"No kidding." Clint agreed.

"And poor maid." Natasha said and nods followed.

**In a Quinjet, Bucky asked Steve what would happen to the others. Steve sighed, worried about them but promised he'll deal with whatever happens. Bucky expressed doubt that he's worth 'all this'.**

"You are." Steve said.

"It's not about me anymore." Bucky said, "It's about Zemo."

**Steve pointed out Bucky didn't have a choice when he was The Winter Soldier but Bucky pointed out that, lack of choice or not, he still did all those things.**

Clint watched Bucky in sympathy, feeling kinship with him in the moment.

**At a hospital, Rhodes was getting an X-Ray as Tony and Vision watched.**

Rhodes, Sam and Tony winced as Vision's guilt increased.

**Tony demanded to know what happened and Vision admitted he became distracted.**

"So, distracted enough to use a kill shot?" Natasha asked and Vision winced.

"Let's not talk about it right now." Steve said, "But we have to discuss this later."

"I realize now the entire plan to hit you was stupid, Sam." Rhodes said, "Really stupid. So a bit of it is my fault too."

Sam shook his head, telling him not to blame himself. He had lost his legs after all and could only walk due to the leg braces Tony had made for his friend.

**Tony walked down the hall and saw Natasha.**

Tony and Natasha winced, remembering their unpleasant conversation after that.

**Later, at the Compound, Tony gave Natasha Rhodes' status, saying its likely he would suffer from some sort of paralysis.**

Everyone looked at Rhodes in sympathy.

"138. I38 combat missions. That's how many I've flown. Every one of them could have been my last, but I flew them. Because the fight needed to be fought. It's the job; it's the risk we all take. And this hasn't changed my mind about being an Avenger." Rhodes told them and it was silent in the room.

"Very admirable Colonel." T'Challa acknowledged, causing Rhodes to smile weakly.

"Thank you you're highness." Rhodes said humbly.

"You're a brave man, my friend." Thor said and he nodded again in appreciation.

**Natasha pointed out Steve isn't going to stop, telling Tony he needed to in order to prevent another Rhodes. Tony angrily said that she let them go and Natasha said they 'played this wrong'. Feeling betrayed; Tony said, ""We"? Boy, it must be hard to shake the whole double agent thing, huh? It sticks in the DNA."**

Tony winced in guilt as Natasha, for one brief moment, allowed the hurt she felt to show before her face hardened and her eyes showed no emotion. Tony squirmed as Clint and Bucky shot Tony a look.

**Natasha incredulously asked if Tony was incapable of seeing beyond his ego for one second.**

"You're the one who said I was 'textbook narcissism'." Tony tried for a joke but it just fell flat.

**Tony warned her T'Challa told Ross she let Steve go, so they'll be coming for her now.**

"I am sorry Ms. Romanoff." T'Challa apologized remorsefully but she waved him off.

"If it hadn't been you, Ross would have found out another way. Don't blame yourself your highness." Natasha assured him.

**Natasha warns Tony he'll need to watch his back before walking off.** **After Natasha was gone, Tony's watch beeped and he activated it, a holographic photo of a corpse appearing. Tony asked about it and FRIDAY explained it's from Berlin police.**

"So he wanted you to know." Scott realized and Tony nodded.

"Part of the plan." Loki muttered.

"Yeah bub." Logan said.

**Later, Tony was flying in a chopper as FRIDAY explained to him that the psychiatrist who was supposed to examine Bucky, Theo Broussard, was met at the airport by Zemo. Tony asked if she ran facial recognition, which caused FRIDAY to make a sarcastic comment and Tony admits he's thinking of a red head when he talks to her.**

"You really give your AIs personality." Hope said, impressed.

"The same thing gets boring." Tony said.

"Who was the redhead?" Pepper asked and Tony simply smiled at her, making her realize who it was and she smiled too.

**FRIDAY identified Zemo as Helmut Zemo, former leader of Echo Scorpion, a Sokovian covert kill squad.**

"Now his name is out at least." Odinson said.

**FRIDAY also revealed the real Theo Broussard was found dead in a Berlin hotel, along with a wig and facial prosthesis that would give someone the appearance of James Buchanan Barnes. Dismayed, Tony ordered FRIDAY to send all of it to Ross as he realized Steve was right.**

"And now he is playing his game." Tony sighed.

**In Siberia, Zemo arrived at the Hydra facility in a snow plower. Getting out, he walked up to the front door, where he used a tool to cut away the ice on the panel and opened it. Punching in the code, he opened the door and entered as he turns on a flashlight.**

Everyone paled.

**Entering a filing room, Zemo found a drawer for December 1991 and opened it before walking up to a higher level, where he found the five Winter Soldiers in cryo sleep.**

"Oh no!" Peter said.

**Tony is in his chopper, got clearance to land as The Raft rose out of the ocean.**

"What the hell is that?" Thor asked as he stared at the screen.

"That is The Raft, Ross' prison for enhanced/powered individuals or really anyone who breaks The Accords." Tony said grimly.

"The guy has his own prison for people who break The Accords? This can't be legal." Bruce said horrified.

Clint clenched his fists as Wanda was pale, remembering how the sadistic guards shocked her for even breathing wrong.

**Tony landed the chopper and met Ross as he got out. Tony wanted to use the satellites to find Zemo but Ross was no longer listening to him and had half a mind to put him in one of the cells in The Raft.**

"And of course Secretary Jackass doesn't care about Zemo. Why would he when he's got all the power?" Bruce sneered as he glared at the screen.

Tony gulped, realizing his own messy situation.

**As Tony was led by Ross into the prison, they entered the security room. Tony paused as he saw footage of Wanda in a cell, in a strait jacket, a collar around her neck with a look in her eye that said she was far from alright.**

Wanda paled as Vision put an arm around her.

**Tony moved on, entering a room with cells, Clint, Sam, and Scott each occupying one. Seeing him enter, Clint sarcastically clapped, calling Tony 'the Futurist', deciding he knew best for everyone else.**

Tony flinched.

**Tony walked up to Clint's cell, claiming he didn't know they'd be put here but Clint angrily pointed out he knew they'd be put somewhere.**

Tony avoided looking at anyone, feeling guilt.

**Tony argues he didn't know they'd be put here, saying it was a place for maniacs but trailed off before he could finish. Clint finished for him, knowing he was about to say criminals. Clint pointed out that 'criminals' didn't used to mean him, Sam, or Wanda but that was where they were now.**

It was silent in the room, the atmosphere suffocating for them all. The situation was hitting them all hard, what Zemo and Ross and The UN had done to them, what they had done to each other.

**Tony got defensive, saying that Clint broke the law. Clint, done with the conversation, turned around, saying 'la la la' to block out Tony's voice as Tony accused Clint of not thinking of his wife and kids before choosing 'the wrong side'.**

The atmosphere dropped even more as Tony felt glares at him, Clint's being the hardest. While he had been forgiven for this, seeing it still angered the others for good reason.

"Should never have done that." Tony said as the glares turned back to the screen. He would make sure Ross got what he deserved to repent for working with him.

**Clint angrily got to his feet as Tony walks off, slamming his hands against the cell as he warned the guards on the raft to watch their backs with Tony because there was 'a chance he's gonna break it'.**

Everyone winced again, realizing how bad this was.

**Tony walked past Scott's cell and Scott remembered Hank telling him to never trust a Stark. Tony didn't even know who he is, to Scott's dismay.**

"I feel the love." Scott joked and everyone chuckled as he had lightened the mood a bit.

**As he reached Sam's cell, Sam asked about Rhodey.**

"Thanks man." Rhodes said as he looked over at Sam, who smiled weakly.

"Don't mention it. Us military guys gotta stick together, right?" Sam joked.

"Oh we do." Logan said.

**Tony said Rhodey is being transferred to Columbia Medical before inquiring about Sam's treatment. Sam incredulously asked if Tony was playing bad cop. Tony claimed he just wanted to find out where Steve was. Sam angrily stated he'll never give them anything as Tony knocked out the audio on the security cameras. Tony warned him they had thirty seconds before they realized it's him as Ross barked at his men to fix it.**

"So now you cut the audio." Fury said and Tony sighed.

**Tony showed Sam the picture of Theo Brossard and admitted he made a mistake.**

"At least now I see reason." Tony said.

**Tony pointed out Steve was going to need all the help he could get and Sam told Tony he needs to go alone and as a friend if he told him, which Tony agreed to.** **Later, Tony was heading towards his chopper as Ross questioned him about what Sam told him. Tony lied, claiming Sam told him to go to Hell. Tony claimed he's going back to the Compound as he boarded his chopper, giving Ross a cheeky remark about putting him on hold before closing the door.**

"Now that's Tony there! The one we all know!" Bruce said.

"Yeah. First time here I look 100% reasonable." Tony said.

**Ross watched angrily as Tony's chopper lifted off. Once in the air, Tony took his arm out of the sling and activated his suit, exiting the remote piloted chopper fully decked in his suit, on his way to Siberia.**

"Wow! Nice suit!" Hill said and everyone clapped a bit because that did look cool.

"Thanks." Tony said.

**Unseen to Tony, T'Challa, in a Wakanda ship, was following closely behind.**

"Oh!" Aunt May said, realizing what was going to happen.

"Yes. Vengeance was still consuming me." T'Challa said.

"Now it's about to end." Logan said and everyone sighed, though only partially in relief because they knew what would happen before the end.

* * *

**Wasn't trying to hate on Tony or anything but that's how I believe the characters would react to him. Hope it didn't come off the wrong way or anything.**

**I didn't make a big issue of Clint's family this time because that has already been resolved now.**

**Siberia deserves its own chapter so that's next.**

**Wait! There's someone at my door.**

**Me: *Opens door and gasps on seeing cops***

**Cop: Did you attack people with fake vampire fangs?**

**Me: *Sweats* Uhhhh….I have a prob…**

**Cop: Did you drop plates on someone's ass?**

**Me: Yeah! He was pissing me off.**

**Cop: You're under arrest for aggravated assault. *Cuffs me***

**Me: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**And then I get sent to an asylum.**

***Headbangs to 'Asylum' by Disturbed.* Terror is coursing in me (Death inside of me, keeps a diligent watch on everything) Dreading the final moments (Keeps a terrible hold on my belief) When I have to dream (Just waiting for the moment when I) And feel you die In asylum (I live a lie) Don't you know I'm in love with you and I wasn't ready For asylum (Relive a lie) To let go, now it's dragging me into your grave Your asylum (Forgive the lie) Overcome by the feeling That I won't get to join you, in time For the loneliness is killing me, ah!**

**With that done, hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	70. Siberia

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now imagine I am singing the song to this movie *Headbangs to 'I Hate Everything About You' by Three Days Grace* Only when I start to think about it. I hate everything about you. Why do I love you?**

**And now I got 3 earphones for free! I am so happy now!**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes it does. Yes, this part was on both Vision and Rhodes. Bucky probably did. Thanks a lot for the support. It's just that the last two lines of the troll's review struck a nerve (as you can probably guess from my response) and someone played Justin Bieber's 'Baby' in close proximity to me yesterday. Brain was all scrambles after that. Thanks for the chaos line as well and yes, a bow would be awesome. Yes I'll make a comment. Thanks. Oh I am released now xD. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. I do like your version too. Or maybe Zemo could say the trigger words for Bucky again. That's a possibility.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. The Raft can't be legal is that it was most likely built using State Department funds. There is no way prison construction is under State Department jurisdiction, and there only two ways Ross could've gotten Congressional approval for it: either the majority of Congress is HYDRA, or he did it behind their backs. That's what I have found out.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. I think you're mostly right. Tony could have handled it better but it could have been worse too. But my condition wasn't good yesterday due to reasons I stated to Chaos Sorcerer above.**

Chapter 70- Siberia

"Reaching the final stretch here." Benjamin said.

"Just get it over with." Tony sighed, knowing what was coming.

**The scene changed to Siberia. Steve landed the Quinjet next to Zemo's Snowplow. Bucky grabbed a rifle as Steve lowered the ramp.**

"You took my gun." Natasha said as Bucky smirked.

"Other couples exchange clothes. You two exchange weapons." Hill said and everyone laughed while the two shook their heads.

**Steve and Bucky reminisced about having to ride home from Rockaway Beach in a freezer truck because Bucky had blown his money trying to win a bear for a redhead. Bucky struggled to recall her name and Steve reminds him it was Dolores, who Bucky had called 'Dot'.**

Steve and Bucky smiled sadly.

**Bucky mused she's probably a hundred and Steve jokingly pointed out so are they as he clasped Bucky on the shoulder.**

For a moment, the tension broke, everyone smiling at the banter between the two. Thor and Loki were reminded of themselves.

**Steve and Bucky exited the Quinjet and headed towards the door to the base, Steve pointing out that Zemo had already been there for a few hours. Bucky grimly noted this was enough time to activate the other Winter Soldiers.**

"Did he?" Peter asked.

"Just watch, kid." Logan said.

**Steve and Bucky entered the base and rode the elevator. Once it stopped, Steve lifted the door up and he and Bucky began to make their way through the base, looking for any sign of Zemo or the Soldiers. Suddenly, they heard a loud thud. Steve whirled around as a door starts creaking, warning Bucky to be ready. He began making his way towards the door as it opened, revealing Tony.**

"Oh! It's you!" Scott said.

"Yeah it's me." Tony sighed.

**Upon seeing Steve, Tony retracted his helmet as he began walking towards Steve, jokingly saying Steve looked defensive. Steve wearily said it's been a long day, not lowering his guard.**

"You didn't lower your guard, that's smart." Rhodey said as Tony winced.

"I learned from the best." Steve joked and Natasha smirked.

"I remember when you were a sweet, naïve superhero who trusted everyone. Now look at you. I'm so proud." Natasha said in a fake motherly voice and Steve rolled his eyes.

"You know what Romanoff!" Steve said mock threateningly as everyone chuckled at their antics.

**Tony told Bucky to be at ease because he's not after him, causing Steve to demand to know why that is. Tony admitted Steve's story might not be so crazy, which Steve simply acknowledged with 'maybe not'.**

"Well, at least the tension is gone for now." Sam said.

**Tony said Ross didn't know he's there, which Tony would like to keep secret, jokingly saying he'd have to arrest himself. Sounded like a lot of paperwork, Steve noted dryly. Steve lowered his shield as both of them acknowledged it was good to see each other.**

"So….truce?" Thor asked and they nodded.

"For now." Steve said grimly.

**Seeing Bucky still had a rifle on him, Tony pointed out there was a truce and Steve gestured at Bucky that Tony was okay. Bucky nodded, finally lowering his gun.**

"Now it's a truce." Hope said.

**The now united trio began to move through the base, looking for Zemo or the Soldiers, unaware of T'Challa trailing them.**

"You are really good at stealth." Natasha told T'Challa.

"Thank you, Miss Romanoff." He said graciously.

**Tony picked up some heat signatures. Steve asked how many and Tony said only one.**

"But how?" Aunt May asked.

"Zemo has played an intricate game. I know it." Loki said.

**The trio entered the chamber with the Soldiers, all of them seemingly still in Cryo sleep. Zemo's voice came over a speaker, assuring them that the Soldiers died in their sleep. As the trio walked further into the chamber, they saw that each Soldier had been killed execution style with a single shot through the glass into the head.**

"Holy crap." Peter said shocked as they all stared in stunned disbelief.

"He had a different plan." Fury said.

**Zemo asked the shocked Bucky if he thought he wanted more of him. But Zemo was grateful, because it brought the three of them here.**

"How did he know that right after finding out about him, Tony would've gone straight to The Raft?" Fury asked.

"And that I would've trusted him enough to tell him where Steve was going?" Sam added confused.

"Must be a lucky guy." Bruce said. [1]

**A light came on, revealing Zemo in a sealed room. The trio turned their weapons on him and Steve threw his shield. The shield harmlessly bounced off the wall and back into Steve's hand as Zemo pointed that the Soviets built the chamber to withstand the blast of UR-100 rockets. ** **Tony confidently said he could beat that. Zemo agreed, if Tony was given the time. But then, he'd never know why he came here, Zemo taunted him.**

Everyone glared at Zemo.

**Steve angrily approached the chamber, saying Zemo had killed innocent people in Vienna. This stunned T'Challa, who had entered the chamber unseen to everyone else. Zemo said he'd thought about nothing else for over a year. **

"You could have used your dedication for something better." Odinson said.

**He'd studied them, followed them, Zemo said. "But now that you're standing here...I just realized...there's a bit of green in the blue of your eyes. How nice to find a flaw." He said.**

"He still planned out a lot." Clint said.

**Steve noted that Zemo was Sokovian, asking if that's what this had been about. Zemo said Sokovia had been a failed state long before Ultron blew it to hell.**

Wanda flinched, painful memories of living in orphanages, poverty, staving for scraps of food flashed through her mind. Zemo wasn't wrong, she mused sadly.

Vision put a hand on her shoulder.

**He's here, Zemo said, because he made a promise. Steve asked if he lost someone and Zemo said he lost everything. And so will they, Zemo taunted as he pressed a button. Steve turned around as a video began to play on the TV set Zemo had set up.**

Steve, Tony and Bucky tensed, knowing what was coming.

"**An empire toppled by its enemies can rise again. But one which crumbles from within? That's dead. Forever." Zemo said. Steve and Tony walked over to the TV set, seeing it was a video of a road at night. A disbelieving Tony said he knows that road.**

Tony paled as Pepper held his hand for comfort.

**Tony looked at the date and demanded to know what this was but Zemo only smirked. The car crash from the beginning of the recording happened and The Winter Soldier rode up on his motorcycle. Steve looked at Bucky, who had shame on his face as Tony continued to watch the recording in stunned disbelief.** **In the recording, Howard Stark had fallen out of the car on his knees, begging The Soldier to help Maria.**

The room was completely silent as Tony and Bucky were both almost shaking for several reasons. Natasha and Pepper were both there for them though.

**The Soldier walked up to Howard and grabbed him by the hair, lifting him up onto his knees. Howard was shocked to see Bucky before The Soldier punched him with his robotic arm.**

Steve had a pained look on his face as Tony and Bucky let out a shaky breaths, this being difficult for them both to watch.

**Tony seemed in shock as he heard his mother call for his father. Tony looked over at Bucky, who met his gaze with a look of shock and shame. Tony turned back to the video as The Soldier punched Howard one last time before letting go. Howard's lifeless body fell to the ground as Maria continued to cry out for him. Tony had a gutted look on his face as he saw this.**

A single tear dropped from Tony's eye as Bucky was shaking while Steve held his head. Clearly, this was horrible for all three of them.

**The Soldier dragged Howard's body over to the car and placed him in the driver's seat; positioning him as though he'd been killed in the crash as Maria watched in horror. Tony then watched in horror as The Soldier walked over to the other side of the car. The Soldier reached in and grabbed Maria by the throat.**

Tony clenched his hands into fists, his entire body trembling with grief and horror as the room was completely silent. However much they may have been angry for his actions in these recordings, no one deserved to see their parents murdered in cold blood. Everyone felt their greatest sympathies going out to him.

**The Soldier then walked over and shot the Traffic Cam, covering up the crime. Steve stared at Tony, shock on his face as Tony stared at the now blank screen, shock, horror, and grief on his face. Tony moved to head towards Bucky but Steve grabbed his arm, stopping him as Bucky raised his gun on instinct. Tony turned back to Steve, "Did you know?" "I didn't know it was him-" Steve started. "Don't bullshit me, Rogers. Did you know?" Tony asked again. After some hesitation, Steve said in shame, "Yes."**

Steve could feel some looks on him. Not of anger though. Just looks. Mixed looks.

"I should have told you. You deserved to know." Steve simply said in shame as Tony managed to nod a bit.

**Tony let Steve go, stepping back as if he'd been burned, devastated. Then, Tony punched Steve, sending him flying back.**

Tony winced as everyone looked at the screen, tense.

**Bucky raised his rifle but Tony blasted it out of his hand. Bucky tried to punch him with his robotic arm but Tony stopped him with his gauntlet. Zemo smirked, leaving through a door as Tony flied Bucky across the room, slamming him onto the ground. Stepping on Bucky's robotic hand, Tony prepared to blast Bucky execution style when Steve threw his shield. It hit Tony's helmet, distracting him and causing his blast to miss Bucky's head by mere inches.**

Everyone watched the screen sadly, horror written on their features. It was impossible to take any side in this. Steve was sparing himself but Tony also had every right to know. And he was too emotional right now.

**The shield returned to Steve as he rushed Tony, tackling him and forcing him off Bucky. Tony flied back at Steve, punching the shield. The force of it sent Steve flying back and Tony then fired off some electric clamps, which clapped around Steve's ankles, restraining him. Bucky sent a punch to Tony's helmet but this didn't faze Tony. Tony then grabbed Bucky and flied him into the wall. Bucky quickly grabbed Tony's gauntlet, crushing the repulsor beam focuser. Angrily, Tony tried to fire a missile point blank but Bucky moved his hand, causing the missile to wildly hit the wall. Steve broke free of Tony's clamps as the chamber began to come down around them.**

"Damn!" Sam muttered as they all watched this, all of them growing even more horrified.

"Oh no!" Peter said.

This was worse than the airport. The airport had been about a misunderstanding, it hadn't been personal. But this, this was personal. And it was painful for everyone to watch.

**In the resulting chaos, Steve rolled out of the way of the debris as Bucky and Tony were both knocked down. Tony ended up pinned under some debris, Steve shouted at Bucky to get out of there. Bucky started to run for the exit as Tony freed himself. Tony tried to head after Bucky, shooting at him as Steve jumped in his path, standing in his way. Outside the chamber, Bucky activated a hatch, which lifted as inside, Steve attempted to reason with Tony. However, Tony was past listening to reason at this point, ordering Steve to move as he lifted into the air.**

"It wasn't you!" Tony said to Bucky, still shaking with sadness.

"I'm sorry." Bucky simply said again, feeling shame.

Tony now didn't have anyone to take out his anger on. Which made this even worse.

**Tony attempted to fly past Steve only for Steve to grab onto his leg. Steve damaged the thruster in Tony's boots with his shield before letting go and Tony landed outside the chamber. Tony then used a laser to cut out some rocks, locking Steve in the chamber as the rocks blocked the exit. Tony tried to fly after Bucky as he saw him running up towards the hatch but the damage to his thrusters had compromised his flying ability, FRIDAY alerted him. Frustrated, Tony flied up as quickly as he could and kicked Bucky down. Tony attempted to fire a blast at Bucky but Steve jumped down to Bucky, deflecting the blast back at Tony with his shield.**

Steve flinched, guilty at harming Tony filling his heart.

**Tony was knocked down to a lower level as Steve warned Bucky to leave, as Tony wasn't going to stop. Bucky began climbing onto a higher level as Steve pulled out a wire. As Tony flew up towards Bucky, Steve jumped; wrapping the wire around Tony's neck and the two fell below.**

Steve and Tony flinched at this, avoiding looking at each other.

**They landed on separate levels and Tony prepared to shoot at the hatch as Bucky neared it. Steve threw his shield at Tony but Tony blasted it, sending the shield falling down below. Tony resumed trying to blast the hatch but his targeting system had been damaged during the fight. Tony retracted his helmet, relying on his own aim. Tony fired a missile, which hit the lever, forcing the hatch closed. Bucky barely managed to avoid getting squashed as the hatch slams closed when Tony flied up to him. Bucky grabbed a metal pipe and struck Tony's helmet but Tony knocked the pipe out of his hands before putting Bucky in a choke hold.**

Everyone stared at the screen silently, horror filling them. Everyone could tell Tony was about to turn into a murdered. Tony himself too, as he was looking at the screen in horror.

"**Do you even remember them?" Tony snarled. "I remember all of them." Bucky said.**

Bucky and Clint flinched, remembering everything they had done under mind-control as everyone shot both Bucky and Tony looks of sympathy.

**Tony began flying him down and Steve jumped, tackling Tony. Tony was forced to let Bucky go and all three of them fell, Bucky landing on a level as Tony and Steve both landed on the ground. They stood up as Bucky looked down. "This isn't gonna change what happened." Steve tried to reason. "I don't care. He killed my mom." Tony said coldly.**

Tony shivered. He sounded so…cold blooded, like a murderer. The callousness of his actions and in his voice chilled Tony to the bone.

**Tony then lunged for Steve, the two of them engaging in hand to hand. Steve managed to get behind Tony and put him in a choke hold but Tony fired a repulsor beam, knocking himself and Steve back. Steve was knocked off and Tony attempted to bash Steve's face in but Steve dodged.**

Tony couldn't believe what he himself was doing.

**Bucky saw Steve's shield and picked it up. Tony was still not managing to get Steve as Bucky jumped down with a cry, striking him with the shield in the back, knocking him off Steve.**

Tony let out a breath.

**Tony sent a blast at Bucky but Bucky used the shield to block it. Bucky threw the shield to Steve and it became a two on one brawl as Tony attempted to fight them off but they managed to put him on one knee. Tony sent a blast towards Steve, which sent Steve flying into the wall. Tony and Bucky continued to fight. Bucky grabbed Tony's hand as he sent a repulsor blast, which now harmlessly shot into the stone ceiling. Bucky punched him, sending him into the wall before attempting to claw out Tony's Arc reactor. Tony then unleashed a Unibeam, which completely destroyed Bucky's robot arm from the shoulder down.**

Bucky almost couldn't watch at this point as he closed his eyes and panted while Tony was ashamed of himself.

**Bucky fell to his knees in pain before Tony fired a blast, which hit him. Steve then rushed forward, using his shield to deflect a repulsor blast as they tried to overpower each other.**

Everyone watched the scene with heavy, sad breaths.

**Outside, Zemo was listening to the message on his phone as T'Challa approached from behind. T'Challa removed his helmet, setting it on the ground as he announced his presence, declaring he almost killed the wrong man. Zemo noted Bucky was hardly innocent and T'Challa demanded if this is what he wanted, to see The Avengers tear each other apart. Zemo explained he took his wife and son to his father's when Ultron attacked Sokovia, assuring his wife they'd be safe as they were miles from the city. But he had been wrong, as his father, wife, and son had all been killed during the battle of Sokovia. It took him two days to find their bodies.**

Wanda, Tony and Bruce flinched at this, shame filling both of them.

"It's not your fault, either of you." Steve said as he looked at them.

"I helped him." Wanda said hollowly.

"And I created him. What was I thinking, plugging alien tech into an interface?" Tony said in self-loathing.

"And I helped you do it." Bruce said guiltily.

"Okay, that's enough with the martyr crap." Clint said, at his wit's end, "Yeah, you all messed up. Yeah, it had consequences. But you know what? So do all of us. None of us are perfect, so stop feeling sorry for yourselves and get off your asses or go home!"

For a moment, it was completely silent in the room, he only sound Clint's heavy breathing. Then, the silence was broken by a laugh.

"Well said Barton." Thor said before looking over at Bruce, then Wanda and then Tony, "My friends, I know guilt. Wallowing in self-pity will give you no peace. If you wish for redemption, you must earn it through action."

**Zemo knew he couldn't kill the Avengers, so he instead opted to have them kill each other.** **Zemo apologizes for T'Chaka's death. "Vengeance has consumed you. It's consuming them. I am done letting it consume me." T'Challa said, retracting his claws, "Justice will come soon enough."**

"A wise choice, Your Highness." Odinson told T'Challa who nodded, "Vengeance can be dangerous."

"**Tell that to the dead." Zemo said as was about to shoot himself. However, T'Challa placed his hand over the barrel, the suit taking the bullet. T'Challa tackled him and they landed on the ground. "The living are not done with you yet." T'Challa told Zemo as he held him in a chokehold.**

"You won't get off easy." Natasha sneered.

**Back in the facility, Steve and Tony were continuing their fight. Steve was winning as FRIDAY told Tony he couldn't win hand to hand. Tony ordered her to analyze Steve's fight patterns. Tony took a few more hits from Steve's shield as FRIDAY analyzed Steve. When she finished, Tony grabbed Steve's shield, stopping it as he said 'let's kick his ass'.**

Everyone watched with wide eyes.

**Tony blasted the shield away and exchanged a few more blows, striking Steve in the face before sending a repulsor blast to Steve's abdomen. Steve fell to his knees, overwhelmed before looking up at Tony, "He's my friend." Tony reminded coldly, "So was I."**

Tony and Steve both flinched at this, guilt and regret swelling in both of them at having it come to this.

**Tony slugged Steve twice, making Steve double over before Tony grabbed him and threw him aside. Tony ordered Steve to stay down but Steve crawls back to his feet, ready to continue, "I could do this all day."**

It was sad, seeing Steve say this line to Tony instead of Red Skull or the bully in the alley.

**Tony raised his hand to blast him again when Bucky grabbed his foot. Tony kicked Bucky and Steve pushed him. Picking Tony up, he threw Tony down and jumped on top of him. He punched Tony before picking up his shield and slamming it down on Tony's helmet. Steve knocked Tony's helmet off and raised the shield, as if to take off Tony's head. Tony raised his hands to shield himself and Steve smashed the shield into Tony's Arc reactor, completely destroying it.**

Tony had tensed; half convinced Steve was going to kill him in that moment. But he had later realized Steve only wanted to disable the suit.

**Tony stared in shock as Steve got off him, falling to his knees, exhausted before he removed the shield from Tony's suit. He climbed to his feet and walked over to Bucky, helping him up. They were about to leave, Steve supporting Bucky when Tony said, "That shield doesn't belong to you. You don't deserve it. My father made that shield!" For a moment, it was silent. Then, to the shock of Tony and Bucky, Steve dropped the shield to the floor.**

The room was completely silent, shock on the faces of almost everyone in the room. The stole exception was Steve, who seemed completely indifferent. Even those who knew Steve had left his shield seemed shocked at his reasons.

"You know I didn't mean that. I was just trying to hurt you." Tony told Steve gently.

"Doesn't mean you were wrong. I kept this from everyone Tony, even myself." Steve said with a sigh, "I became Captain America not because I wanted to, but because it's what I needed to be. The world needed a Captain America. Maybe now, it needs me to be something different."

"What are you then?" Natasha asked.

"I don't know." He said finally.

**Tony then watched as Steve and Bucky walked out.**

"Then Your Highness met us and helped us." Bucky said and all nodded.

**The scene changed to a cell at the Joint Terrorism Task Force base. Zemo, held in a container similar to the one Bucky had been held in, was greeted by Everett Ross. Everett told him he has toilet privileges twice a day and would get meals at five and eight. Everett mocked Zemo, daring him to step out of line and asked how it felt to know after all his planning, his plan failed. With a smirk, Zemo asked, "Did it?"**

The Avengers all looked at each other solemnly, knowing Zemo had a point. While no one was dead, The Avengers as a whole had been broken. And only now had they almost dressed their fatal wounds.

**At the Compound, Tony drove up and got out of his car, his wounds from Siberia still fresh. Tony stared at the Avengers symbol before taking off his glasses and walking inside. Vision was in the longue, staring solemnly at the chessboard, playing with a piece absently as Tony was walking with Rhodes, who was sporting a brace on his leg.**

Everyone relaxed as Sam sighed in relief.

**Tony and Rhodey joked about upgrades for the brace, Rhodey cracking about adding some AC before he fell.**

Everyone looked at Rhodes in sympathy again.

**Tony knelt down to help him but Rhodes waved him off. Rhodes noted he flew 138 combat missions, all of which could have been his last, but he still flew them because the fight had needed to be fought. Rhodes likened them to signing The Accords, saying he signed because it was the right thing to do, and his injury hadn't changed his mind.**

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with me?" Rhodes asked, realizing how he had the most ridiculous reasons for signing the Accords. At least Tony, Natasha and Vision had good points. He didn't.

Everyone simply chuckled.

**Their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door. Tony and Rhodes look over to see an old man with glasses in a FedEx suit, "Are you Tony Stank?"**

"Tony Stank!?" Scott said as everyone laughed.

"Oh my god, that is never going away!" Sam said in amusement as everyone snickered at Tony's expense.

"So the old Watcher agent gave us a nickname for you as well." Hope laughed.

**Rhodes was greatly amused, walking off as he declared he's never dropping that as Tony laughs.**

"Never." Rhodes said cheekily as Tony laughed for the first time in a while.

**Later in his office, Tony opened the package, finding a letter from Steve. Tony read it and Steve's voice was heard.** **"Dear Tony, I'm glad you're back at The Compound. I don't like the idea of you rattling around a mansion all by yourself. We all need family. The Avengers are yours. Maybe even more than mine." Steve said as the scene changed to The Raft, showing Wanda, Scott, Clint, and Sam in their cells, "I've been on my own since I was eighteen. I never really fit in anywhere, even the army. My faith's in people I guess. I'm happy to say, for the most part, they haven't let me down. So I can't let them down either."** **The security at The Raft was shown to all be knocked out.**

"Prison break huh!" Hope said.

"Now all we need is Lincoln and Michael." Scott joked and they all snickered, except Steve, Bucky, Thor and Loki who looked confused.

"You need to catch up on more stuff." Sam told them as he noted their expressions.

"**Locks can be replaced but, maybe they shouldn't." Steve's letter continued as the scene flashed back to Tony reading it, "I know I hurt you Tony. I guess I thought by not telling you about your parents, I was sparing you but I can see now that I was really sparing myself. And I'm sorry. Hopefully one day you can understand."**

"Well, this experience has finally made me." Tony sighed.

"**I wish we agreed on The Accords. I really do," Steve's letter continued as Tony was shown pulling a flip phone out of the package, "I know you're doing what you believe in, and that's all any of us can do. All any of us should do."** **FRIDAY alerted Tony to a call from Ross, telling him there was a breach in The Raft. Tony had FRIDAY patch him through but hung up on Ross when he did.** **"So no matter what, if you ever need us, if you need me…I'll be there," Steve's voice finished as, at the Raft, Sam smirked as Steve walks up to his cell.**

"So you saved them after all." Aunt May said.

"I had help." Steve said as he looked over at T'Challa and nodded gratefully.

"And you hung up on Ross. That was great!" Pepper said to Tony who smirked while everyone snickered.

**The scene then changes to Wakanda. Bucky was being seen by some doctors as he eyed a Cryo chamber. Steve walked over once the doctor was done, asking if Bucky was sure about this. Bucky pointed out he couldn't trust his own mind, so it's best for everyone he go back under until they could get Hydra's programing out of his head.**

"You are an honorable man, Barnes. To put yourself in prison for safety of others." Thor said to Bucky who nodded in appreciation.

**Steve then watched silently as Bucky was put in the chamber, Bucky closing his eyes as it froze.**

Steve, Natasha and Bucky all flinched at that.

**Steve was then seen staring out a window as T'Challa walked up to him. Steve thanked T'Challa, who said Bucky and T'Chaka were both victims. If he could help one of them find peace, T'Challa said. Steve pointed out if they found out Bucky's here, they'll come for him. "Let them try." T'Challa said as a statue of Black Panther was shown outside.**

"The incidents with Klaue and Killlmonger happened sometime after this." T'Challa remembered.

"Oh we're seeing them next." Logan said and everyone nodded while T'Challa sighed.

**The scene then changed to the Parker apartment. Peter, sporting a black eye, was toying with a new gadget Tony gave him.**

Steve winced, knowing he is the one who gave Peter that black eye.

**May was outside his room, asking who gave him the black eye. Peter said a guy named Steve from Brooklyn as he activated the device.**

"Not bad kid. Not exactly a lie but not the whole truth either." Clint said.

**Hearing May come in, Peter covered the device and held his black eye as if in pain. May said she hoped Peter got in a few good licks, which he said he did but his friend was 'huge'.**

"Of course." Scott said as all chuckled a bit but May gave him a glare and all shut up.

**May gave Peter ice wrapped in a towel and he put it on his eyes as she left. He asked her to close the door and she did. Peter then took the ice off and activated the device, seeing a beacon with his new mask shining on the ceiling.**

"Wow! You really gave the kid a lot of toys." Rhodes said to Tony.

"But what he needs is better training." Tony said.

"Well, now that we have seen our mistakes properly, we must never repeat them ever again." Steve said, "They are what destroyed us. If Thanos is the threat you saw Tony, we need to be together."

"Damn right we do!" Tony said, "We have to move past our issues now."

Getting up, he walked up to Steve and raising his hand asked, "Do you trust me?"

Steve got up and said, "I do."

And then they shook hands as all smiled at them happily while Benjamin, Odinson and Logan smirked at the irony.

Tony then walked back to his seat as Steve sat down.

"So now me?" T'Challa asked and Benjamin nodded.

"Your country is pretty cool." Logan said and he smirked, "And you have some nice toys."

"Let's just start it then." T'Challa said and Logan started the recording.

* * *

**[1] Zemo's plan worked because he had plot armor. Even if Zemo had known Tony would get the Intel about Zemo exactly when he did, he would have had to know Tony would go straight to The Raft and have that conversation with Sam and Sam would decide to trust him enough to tell him the truth. And there's also the part where Tony reacted exactly how he wanted him to. Imagine if he hadn't, then Zemo's plan fails. There's just no way he could've known that. Frankly, there's no way any part of Zemo's plan should have worked, because he should've been caught the moment he walked into the Task Force base.**

**And now this movie is finally done. I am so happy.**

***Dances like Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3.* **

**Frankly, I know I might get hate for saying this but when this movie came out, people loved to praise it and trash on BvS.**

**Now don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of that movie except the fight scenes, but at their core, both these movies have the same issues really. Both of them have a really weak base for the heroes to fight (Superman accidentally destroyed buildings so Batman hates him without investigating him like he would, Government said you have to sign and Tony did without even reading the Accords), both of them have some characters act OOC to move the plot (Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark) and the villain's plan works because he got lucky (Lex Luthor and Helmut Zemo). **

**The only reason this movie works is because we know and love the characters already while we don't know DCEU version of Batman or Superman much.**

**If they had done the entire movie on Bucky instead of The Accords, it would be better. Because during the Siberia part, the movie was really amazing and I wish the entire movie was this good.**

**Anyway, I still like this movie a lot more than BvS (which I don't hate as much as others do but not a huge fan either), and now this is over. **

**And now, *Headbangs to 'The Light' by Disturbed*When you think all is forsaken Listen to me now (all is not forsaken) You need never feel broken again Sometimes darkness can show you the light.**

**Once again, thank you to Stand with Ward and Queen for letting me use his writing and some of the reactions from his own watch-it fic. I appreciate it a lot.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	71. Challenge Day in Wakanda

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now we have over 800 reviews! Thanks a lot people! Your support keeps this story going!**

**Once again, thank you to Stand with Ward and Queen for letting me use his writing and some reactions for Black Panther as well. I appreciate it a lot.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes, this was tough. Yeah, here neither was right or wrong and no one was perfect. Yeah, in a way this is Zemo's fault. Oh I agree with that reviewer and now I'm thinking of a scene like that. At least Steve, Tony, Thor and Bucky should meet him. Actually both of them stopped working but now I have three nice ones for free. Damn! Sorry to hear about the ear. It happened to me too when I was writing 'The Devil Reborn.' Good to know its back now and yeah, I wish I lost my hearing for some time there. Agreed on Tony too, he learns from the mistakes in previous fights. Like when they failed to take off the Infinity Gauntlet in Infinity War, he made a suit with slots for the Stones with a lot of magnetism so they would attract the Stones in close proximity. And they say Shuri is smarter. Yes, that is ironic and they'll be shocked. Don't blame you for having higher hopes here. I find this movie a little overrated but it is still great and there is a lot of stuff I like about it. You will love the reactions. Shuri is not smarter than him in my opinion, though she comes close to him. Yes, that is right and glad to hear you're excited. Enjoy.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. Yeah, you got a point on Clint there.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Then don't. To be honest though, while Tony was reacting emotionally in the beginning, later he did sound callous too. I'm just happy to be over that movie now though.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Yeah, I hate Watts for what he did to Tony with EDITH in Far From Home. I was like, "Dude seriously? There are more characters with whom you can tell good stories. Stop kicking on Tony's corpse. It is disrespectful to him, especially after Avengers: Endgame." **

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. You're not upsetting me. I will give Tony a little flak for after the boat scene, but counting that out, it won't be much really because you got a point. Really not excited to do that movie though.**

Chapter 71- Challenge Day in Wakanda

"So, how advanced is Wakanda really?" Clint asked.

"You might get an arrow almost as good as Yondu's." T'Challa said and everyone gapped.

"Really? Damn!" Tony said in shock.

"But outside of Wakanda, you and Dr. Pym are the two with the most advanced technology." T'Challa said.

"Well, dad's suit does bend physics." Hope said.

"And the Iron Man Armor is very cutting edge." Pepper agreed.

"So, shall we being?" Logan asked and got nods.

"I think we should." Benjamin said.

"All right." Logan said and turned on the recording.

**Unseen to the viewers, a son asked his father to tell him a story. The story of home, he told his father when asked which one. With a laugh, the father began to tell the story.**

"The story of Wakanda?" Steve asked and T'Challa nodded.

**With black sand forming shapes to act out the story, the father explained that a meteorite of Vibranium had struck Africa millions of years ago, affecting the plant life. Five tribes would later settle on it, founding the country of Wakanda. The tribes would be in near constant war until a warrior shaman received a vision from the Panther Goddess Bast and found a heart shaped herb, which granted him superhuman strength, speed, and instincts.**

"So that's how you got your powers?" Peter asked and T'Challa nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Parker. That is how." T'Challa said.

"Wakanda really does have technology beyond the rest of Midgard." Thor said.

**The shaman became the king of Wakanda, and the first Black Panther. Four of the five tribes decided to live in the mountains, but the fifth, the Jabari tribe, settled in the mountains, away from the other tribes. Using the Vibranium, Wakanda would develop technology far beyond any other country.**

"And you managed to even hide it." Scott said.

"Want to work for SHIELD?" Fury asked jokingly and everyone chuckled.

"Hiding the truth for years is pretty impressive though." Natasha said.

"Yes, considering everyone thought it to be a third world country." Hill said.

"Oh I like Wakanda now." Loki said and all chuckled.

**As the outside world descended into chaos, the Wakandians, fearful of the Vibranium falling into the wrong hands, hid in plain sight. The son asked his father if they still hide, which the father confirmed. The son then asked why they hid.**

"The reasoning is pretty understandable to me." Bruce said.

"But we decided to not rule in fear anymore." T'Challa said.

**The scene changed to California, Oakland in 1992. At night, a group of kids were shown playing basketball outside an apartment as, inside, two black men were planning a raid, going over plans as rifles were seen on the table.**

"Who are they?" Peter asked, confused.

"I believe that is Zuri." T'Challa recognized his friend and felt pained, "Which means the other is N'Jobu, my uncle."

"Yes. This is what we are watching." Odinson said and T'Challa sighed.

"I believe I should see this to not repeat any mistakes." T'Challa said.

**Suddenly, they heard a faint rustling sound. One man, obviously the leader, ordered the other to 'hide the straps'. He took the guns and hid them behind a poster as the leader checked out the window, only seeing the kids playing. The other man asked him if it was the feds and the leader said no. There was a knock at the door and the other man went and looked through the peak hole. He said it was two 'Grace Jones looking chicks' who had spears.**

"The Dora Milaje." T'Challa realized.

**The leader said to let them in, simply saying they won't knock again. The other man opened the door and two members of the Dora Milaje walked in. One of them demanded to know who the leader was in Wakandian and, in English, he said he was N'Jobu, son of Azzuri.**

"So it is him." Sam said and T'Challa nodded.

"I never saw him after he left." T'Challa said.

**The guard demanded he prove he was one of them and N'Jobu lowered his lower lip, revealing his gums. Part of it was glowing a blue/purple hue.**

"Okay, what's with the magic gums?" Tony asked and T'Challa chuckled.

"All Wakandians have it." T'Challa said, briefly pulling down his lower lip to show them he did as well, "We believe that it has something to do with being born from the land where the meteorite struck Africa."

**Suddenly, the lights flicked, shrouding the room in darkness. When the lights came back on, The Black Panther stood in the room.**

Seeing his father in the suit brought him pain now.

"You people seem to have a taste for theatrics." Loki said, "I like it."

"Theatricality and deception can be powerful tools." T'Challa said simply.

**N'Jobu bowed and, after a hit in the legs, the other man followed suit. T'Chaka ordered the other man to leave but N'Jobu, introducing the other man as James, respectfully insists. T'Chaka agreed before removing his helmet.**

"He trained you then?" Rhodes asked and T'Challa nodded.

**T'Chaka and N'Jobu hugged, greeting each other warmly before T'Chaka looked around. N'Jobu asked how home was and T'Chaka informs him that it was not well.**

T'Challa knew what was coming. Still, it was hard to watch.

**T'Chaka showed a hologram of Ulysses Klaue, who stole a quarter ton of Vibranium from Wakanda and set off a bomb at the border, which took many lives.**

"Of course he would." Clint said disgusted.

"He was always after our Vibranium." T'Challa sneered.

**T'Chaka casually noted that Klaue had inside help, as he knew where to look and how to strike. Nervous, N'Jobu asked why T'Chaka was there. T'Chaka demanded his brother look him in the eye and tell him why he betrayed Wakanda.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said, not expecting that.

"My uncle betrayed the nation." T'Challa said sadly and Thor and Odinson felt sympathy for him, remembering Loki's betrayal, though he had reformed at least.

**N'Jobu denied this, so T'Chaka, in Wakandian, told 'James' to tell his brother who he really was. 'James; declared himself to be Zuri, son of Badu. N'Jobu was shocked as Zuri lowered his lips to reveal the same glowing gums.**

"Bet he didn't see that coming." Wanda said, paraphrasing her brother and all nodded.

**N'Jobu was enraged at this deception, grabbing Zuri as he demanded to know how Zuri could deceive him while Zuri sneered that N'Jobu betrayed Wakanda. Before it could escalate, T'Chaka intervened, grabbing his brother's shoulder and coolly telling him to stand down.**

"Well, you got a taste of your own medicine. And it was much worse than what I got." Loki said as he exchanged a look with Thor and they remembered when Thor had stuck the Obedience Disk on him.

**N'Jobu wisely released Zuri as T'Chaka asked him if he really thought he was the only the spy Wakanda sent.**

"Spies?" Clint asked.

"We have our own spies in the outside world called the War Dogs. They gather intelligence for us. They are like our SHIELD." T'Challa revealed and everyone was a bit disturbed.

"Motherfu-" Fury trailed off.

**Zuri handed T'Chaka the stolen Vibranium as the king declared that N'Jobu will return to Wakanda and face the judgement of the council.**

"I don't that happened." Bucky realized and T'Challa nodded.

**Outside, the kids were still playing when one looked up into the sky. Shocked, he dropped his ball and the others looked up to see a Wakandian ship fly off, back to Wakanda.**

"Is that a Wakandian plane?" Tony asked in awe and a little jealousy.

"It is the Royal Talon Fighter, the personal aircraft of the Black Panther." T'Challa said, amused at Tony's reaction. Though he had a feeling he knew who this kid was. And right now, in spite of his actions, he could feel some sympathy for him.

**The next day, a young T'Challa and Nakia were running through the catacombs of the City of the Dead when they spotted T'Chaka, seemingly in deep thought. Sensing someone was there, T'Chaka demanded they show themselves. T'Challa sent Nakia back as he stepped into his father's line of sight. T'Chaka scolded his son, telling him that he and Nakia should not play there.**

"You played in the catacombs as a kid? That's like playing in Niflheim." Thor said.

"They fascinated us as children." T'Challa said with a sheepish smile and everyone chuckled.

**Noting his father seemed distressed, T'Challa asked what was wrong and T'Chaka confided in his son that he was forced to make a difficult choice. T'Challa reminded him that he told him that every choice a king made was difficult.**

"It truly is." Thor said as him, Loki and Odinson exchanged glances, remembering the decision to cause Ragnarok to stop Hela.

**T'Chaka acknowledged this but said some choices are harder than others. T'Challa was sure his father did the right thing.**

T'Challa sighed, knowing that his father had mishandled the situation with Erik.

**He always does, T'Challa says, which is why he will always reign.**

T'Challa flinched at this**.**

**T'Chaka was amused by this, laughing as he asked about when he got old and Bast came for him. T'Challa declared that when that happens, he will be Panther and will fight off Bast so his father may live forever. T'Chaka laughed, bringing his son in for a hug.**

T'Challa sighed. He was the Panther, but he had not fought off Bast to save his father. He had fought the murderer after his death. And then found out that the person he was fighting was actually innocent. Ironical.

**In the present, T'Challa was standing in the City of the Dead, staring down sadly at his father's body.**

T'Challa sighed, feeling like a weight was being pressed down on his chest. T'Chaka was still his father in spite of his shady actions as king. Everyone, especially Steve, Tony, Wanda, Peter, Thor, Loki, Hope, Odinson and Benjamin, emphasized with him. The loss of a parent was never something that was easy and it could be crippling.

**The scene then changed to the Royal Talon Fighter in Nigeria. T'Challa was watching a news report, talking about the attack at the UN a week earlier. It mentioned T'Chaka's death and how T'Challa was expected to inherit the throne.**

"And now I have." T'Challa sighed, still feeling the burden of kingship.

**Piloting the ship, Okoye alerted T'Challa they were coming up on their destination as the ship decloaked.**

Upon seeing their true first look at the royal vessel, everyone except Steve, Bucky, Natasha, Wanda and Sam stared in awe. While for Thor, this ship was not the most impressive, it was beyond anything he had seen on earth. Tony and Peter were practically drooling over it.

"Tony, I'm pregnant." Pepper whispered just like that and he didn't even notice while the others snickered.

"Uhhhhhh…..you were saying?" Tony asked, finally getting over the drooling and everyone laughed.

**T'Challa walked over to a display of the forest below, four vehicles on the ground. T'Challa picked one up and slid his hand over the top, revealing the inside. Several people were inside, one of which glowed gold.**

"All this is Vibranium based technology?" Tony asked in awe.

"Your father did not realize what he had in his possession Mr. Stark." T'Challa said.

**Okoye picked up her spear and T'Challa told her he can handle this himself. Okoye was clearly skeptical as she put her spear back.**

T'Challa rolled his eyes as everyone else smirked, sniggered, or outright laughed, already liking Okoye.

"Met her once. She is pretty badass." Natasha said and all nodded in agreement.

**T'Challa said he will get Nakia out as quickly as possible as Okoye handed him some small, black orbs.**

"What are those?" Peter asked eagerly as T'Challa and Aunt May chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"Just watch Mr. Parker." T'Challa told him simply.

**Okoye warned him not to freeze as T'Challa claims he never froze.**

"I'm guessing you have a thing for this Nakia. So you'll freeze." Clint said and chuckled while T'Challa sighed.

**T'Challa fell through a hole that opened up underneath him. He exited the fighter and threw the orbs. Each one turned into a disk that landed on a vehicle, which then all seemed to have mechanical failure. The vehicles stopped, crashing into each other. Men with guns got out, all of them confused on why their cars suddenly lost power.**

"What are those?" Aunt May asked intrigued.

"EMB beads, designed by my sister. As the name suggests, they emit a small, electromagnetic pulse, disabling all electrical devices within range." T'Challa explained.

"Isn't your sister like seventeen?" Clint inquired.

"Yes. Though she was fifteen then." T'Challa said, stunning them all.

"She's barely older than me!" Peter exclaimed.

"She might be smarter than you Tones." Rhodes said as he looked over at Tony.

"I would not say she is smarter than Mr. Stark, she simply has more advanced technology," T'Challa mused. [1]

"Thanks…I think." Tony said, not sure whether than a compliment or not.

**The leader saw one of the disks and tried to pull it off, but it was stuck.** **He ordered defense positions and his men all took their positions. One of them tapped on the truck, which had various women in the back, who look afraid as they were told no 'funny business'.**

"Human traffickers." Sam said disgusted as everyone glared at the screen.

"The lowest scum on the face of the Earth." Clint sneered and no one disagreed.

**Hearing a dog bark up into the trees, one of them shone a flash light and spotted T'Challa, in his suit, up in the trees.**

"You guys are so screwed now." Bruce said as T'Challa chuckled.

**Nakia climbed her way to the front of the truck, peaking her head out as the man who spotted T'Challa was thrown into a jeep. The men fired into the air blindly before he landed behind them on one of the jeeps. T'Challa knocked one back as the others turned and opened fired on him. T'Challa's Vibranium suit protected him as he jumped down, beginning to engage them, slicing them with claws or kicking them off.**

"So awesome." Peter said as all found themselves clapping.

**As the others were distracted by T'Challa, Nakia grabbed a gun and walked up behind one of the men. She whacked him in the back of the head with the butt of the rifle, knocking him out.**

"I like her too." Natasha said as they all cheered for Nakia.

**T'Challa continued to engage the men, the bullets harmlessly bouncing off the suit as they continued shooting at him while he hit them with flips and claws. T'Challa used his claws to cut one of the doors off before throwing it at one of the men. It hit him, knocking him out.**

"Great." Rhodes said as all cheered.

**He approached the one shooting at him out of fear. He grabbed the barrel of the gun but, before he could do anything, Nakia stopped him, explaining the 'man' was just a boy who had been kidnapped as well.**

"And now I hate them even more." Aunt May sneered and everyone understood her reasons.

**T'Challa was completely transfixed by Nakia, nearly unable to speak when one of the men shouted, having a gun aimed at a woman. Before T'Challa could even think, Okoye was there, stabbing the man in the chest with her spear. He fell to the ground, dead, as Okoye noted T'Challa froze.**

"He can't help it. The guy's in love." Tony teased and they all snickered as T'Challa flushed.

**T'Challa removed his helmet as Nakia asked why he was there, angry that he ruined the mission. **

"He also just completed it. Um, maybe be a little grateful." Rhodey said miffed at her attitude.

"Nakia is not one to like assistance in her missions." T'Challa said with a fond smile.

**T'Challa revealed his father was dead, to her shock. He wished for her to be there when he is crowned king. After a moment, Nakia nodded.**

"Good to know." T'Challa said.

**Nakia walked over to the women, who thanked her. Nakia told them to head home and to take the boy home as well. They agreed and Nakia walked off as Okoye approached them. She told them to never speak of this day and they agreed. With a smile at them, Okoye walked off after Nakia. T'Challa, Okoye, and Nakia boarded the ship and the women watched in awe as the ship rose into the air before cloaking itself and flying off.**

"Now that is what I call badass." Tony said and all nodded.

**The next day, as Okoye piloted the ship, Nakia held T'Challa's hand, the sun rising over Wakanda.** **Okoye announced they were home and the pair joined her at the helm. They passed over some herders and two people riding on horses as T'Challa noted this 'never gets old'. The ship passed through a mountain and entered the city of Wakanda.**

All of them who hadn't seen Wakanda before gapped.

"Son of a bitch." Tony said.

"That is impressive." Vision said.

"Damn right!" Fury said.

"Vibranium technology huh!" Hill said in wonder.

**The ship landed at the palace and the trio walked off, where they were met by the Dora Milaje, as well as T'Challa's mother and sister, Ramonda and Shuri. Nakia greeted Ramonda and Shuri respectfully, offering her condolences as Ramonda greeted her warmly. Okoye ordered one of the guards to help Nakia prepare for the ceremony. The guard bowed and walked off with Nakia. Nakia glanced back at T'Challa, who was watching her go.**

T'Challa sighed as everyone looked at him in some sympathy.

**Shuri asked Okoye if T'Challa froze and Okoye confirmed he did, to T'Challa's embarrassment and exasperation as Shuri laughed.**

T'Challa rolled his eyes with fondness as everyone chuckled at Shuri.

**T'Challa asked if they were finished and Okoye tapped her spear on the ground, an action that the rest of the Dora Milaje mimicked. Okoye walked off with the rest of the guard as T'Challa teased Shuri about seeing him off on their big day. But Shuri was there for the EMP beads, as she had an idea for an upgrade. T'Challa insisted that they worked perfectly but Shuri exasperatedly asked if she had to teach him again that even something that works can be improved.**

"Thank you!" Tony said.

**T'Challa handed her the beads, asking her what she knew. More than him, she countered as she started walking off. T'Challa called out he can't wait to see her in her ceremonial outfit. Shuri showed him the finger and T'Challa made a face. Without turning around, Ramonda scolded Shuri and Shuri lowered her hand as she apologized.**

"Uhhh…Never done that." Peter said about the finger and all chuckled.

"I still haven't done it." Benjamin revealed and the laughs increased.

"I do it anytime I want. With claws." Logan said and all chuckled.

**T'Challa asked how Ramonda was and she assured him she was proud. She reminisced that she and T'Chaka would talk of this day often. She knew he was with them now, as it was T'Challa's time to be king.**

T'Challa sighed wearily.

**The scene changed to a museum in London. A man was staring at African artifacts in a glass casing as the director walked up to him. The man told her he was interested in the artifacts and heard she was the expert.**

"Him?" T'Challa snarled.

"So I guess he is the villain of this movie." Tony said and T'Challa, Benjamin, Logan and Odinson nodded.

"Erik Killmonger." T'Challa said and left it at that.

**The man asked about several of the objects and she was able to tell him where each one came from. He asked about an axe, which she claimed was from Benin. He corrected her, explaining that it was actually from Wakanda and was made of Vibranium.**

"So he has a plan then." Loki realized, "Clearly, him giving lessons in a museum isn't what we are here to see."

**He then told her he was going to take it. She told him that the objects weren't for sale but he snarled that her ancestors didn't get these artifacts by paying for them.**

"Great. One of those guys again." Tony sighed.

**She told him to leave but seemed to have trouble speaking. The man smugly told her he's been watched since coming in here, but she didn't think about what she put in her body. She glanced down at her cup of coffee, realizing it had been poisoned.**

"Shit." Rhodes swore as they all tensed.

**Security arrived to take the man away as the director collapsed, her cup spilling on the floor as the man, acting concerned, called out for help.**

"What a disgusting man." Steve said in disgust.

**At the snack stand, a barista saw two medics rushing over to where the calls were coming from. With a smirk, she announced she was taking a break before walking off.**

"So that's how they poisoned her." Natasha realized.

**The 'medics' rushed over but the director saw one of them was Klaue.**

"Klaue." T'Challa said stiffly as they all stared at him.

"And he's back." Wanda sighed, remembering how creepy he was when they had met him.

**Klaue and the other 'medic' opened fire, executing the director and two of the security guards, leaving one alive.**

Peter jumped, unnerved by the coldblooded executions. Even the adults, having witnessed those scenes often, were horrified by the callousness. No matter how many times you saw that kind of thing, it never got any easier.

**Klaue then, to the guard's great relief, told the guard he's letting him go. The guard ran and Klaue then fired, killing the guard.**

"Sick bastard." Tony snarled as they glared, disgusted by Klaue's actions.

**Erik asked why Klaue didn't just shoot him and Klaue explained to leave the crime scene more spread out, make them look like amateurs.**

"A smart criminal. That sucks." Bucky snarled.

**The security cameras were on a loop, hiding what actually happened as Klaue walked up to the display Erik had been looking at. He held up his prosthetic hand, which vibrated as a line flashed blue and the glass shattered.**

"Covering all their bases to hide what they're really doing. These guys aren't amateurs, that's for sure." Natasha noted grimly.

"They are not." T'Challa agreed, remembering his fight with Killmonger.

"And now Klaue has a weapon hand." Wanda said.

**Klaue picked up the axe and put his prosthetic hand on it. It vibrated and the dirt and rust were shaken off, revealing the Vibranium.** **Klaue laughed, gleefully telling Erik he'll be rich. Erik told him to sell it quick, and Klaue told him it's already sold, bringing the handle down on his knee to break the metal off. Erik pointed out the Wakandians will follow him wherever he traveled but Klaue saw this as killing two birds with one stone.**

T'Challa growled in a rage.

**Seeing Erik eying an African mask, Klaue asked if that's Vibranium to. Erik said no, he just liked it as he took it.** **Wheeling Erik out on a stretcher with the appearance of being two medics transporting a patient to an ambulance. They got in, Erik getting up as he and the woman began making out while Klaue laughed as he closed the door and the ambulance began driving off.**

"He really planned it out to a Z. And unlike Zemo, he wasn't even lucky." Sam said and all nodded with sighs.

**The scene changed to Wakanda. By a waterfall, Ramonda and Shuri, in her ceremonial dress, were dancing with the tribe, along with Nakia before Okoye and the Dora Milaje tapped their weapons on the boat they were on. This sent a shock wave down the river, where a drain was activated.**

"Even mountains and drains are high-tech." Tony said and all chuckled.

**The Royal Talon Fighter flew over to the waterfall, hovering over the ground as the ramp lowered. T'Challa exited, wielding a spear and shield and wearing only a pair of shorts, his chest and face coated in paint as his people sang.**

"So in your culture, that is formal?" Rhodes asked and T'Challa nodded.

**Zuri formally introduced T'Challa, who kneeled in the traditional Wakandian warrior pose while the crowd also took a pose.**

"What, did you guys rehearse that?" Scott joked and T'Challa rolled his eyes good naturedly.

"Maybe they have days to rehearse that." Hope joked and both laughed.

**Zuri then explained that T'Challa will have the power of the Black Panther stripped away from him before giving T'Challa a liquid, which he drank.**

"Can that drink really take away your powers?" Rhodey inquired and T'Challa nodded.

"It is derived from an herb that counters the effect of the Heart Shaped Herb, leaving me the same as an ordinary man." T'Challa explained.

"But why?" Peter asked confused.

"It's challenge day." T'Challa said simply.

**T'Challa seemed to gag as his veins turned black while drums were beat and his people danced. T'Challa was weakened before getting to his feet, his strength returning to him.**

"And I thought turning into Hulk was painful." Bruce said.

"This was pretty painful." T'Challa agreed.

"I can relate." Steve winced, remembering his transformation.

"Oh I got some of it very bad too." Logan said, remembering the Adamantium transfusion.

**Zuri yelled to 'praise the ancestors', which the rest of the attendees repeated. Zuri explained the rules of ritual combat before asking if anyone wanted to challenge T'Challa for the throne.**

"Anyone can challenge you for the throne?" Thor asked and T'Challa nodded.

"Anyone, but they must defeat me in ritual combat. I must prove my worth, that I can protect my people. If I cannot, I am unworthy of being king." T'Challa said firmly.

"Yes. A king who cannot protect his people isn't a good king." Thor agreed, remembering his blunder on Jotunheim.

**One by one, the Merchant, Border, River, and Mining Tribes all declined to challenge T'Challa. Zuri then asked if anyone of royal blood wished to challenge T'Challa and Shuri raised her hand.**

"She wants to fight you?" Peter asked surprised and T'Challa chuckled.

"Just watch." T'Challa smirked.

**But Shuri only wished to complain about her ceremonial outfit, to T'Challa's amusement and everyone else's exasperation.**

Everyone laughed as Benjamin said, "She has snark."

"I like her." Tony said as the laughter continued.

**Suddenly, there was chanting as everyone turned to see the source of it. Men wearing war paint exited the caverns, followed by a man wearing a monkey mask.**

"M'Baku." T'Challa said.

"Who's this guy?" Rhodey inquired.

"Leader of the Jabari Tribe." T'Challa said simply.

"The Tribe that isolated themselves in the mountains." Vision noted and T'Challa nodded.

"So they wish to challenge." Loki realized.

"Yes brother." Odinson said.

**Everyone was shocked to see the Jabari Tribe as M'Baku exited. M'Baku removed his mask once he reached Zuri, who asked him why he is there. Its challenge day, M'Baku said simply before he turned to address the crowd. He then proceeded to express his disgust that their technological advancements were overseen by Shuri, a child who scoffed at their traditions. And now, they were handing over the throne to T'Challa, a 'boy who could not keep his own father safe'.**

T'Challa glared at the screen. While him and M'Baku were on better terms now, this was still hurtful.

**M'Baku declared that the Jabari Tribe will not stand for this and T'Challa accepted his challenge before he can even formally give it. "Glory to Hanuman." M'Baku said. **

"Hanuman?" Bruce asked.

"The Hindu monkey God of strength." T'Challa said before turning to Thor, "His mace has the same requirements as your hammer. And because of his strength and the Jabbari's reverence of Gorillas, they worship him."

"I'd like to find out more about him." Thor said.

**The Jabari went to guard M'Baku while the Dora Milaje moved to guard T'Challa at T'Challa and M'Baku's orders.**

"What are the guards for?" Wanda asked curiously.

"To make sure neither side breaks the rules of combat or runs away until the challenge is finished." T'Challa explained.

**Zuri started the challenge and the two rushed each other. M'Baku parried with his spear but T'Challa blocked with his shield. However, with a powerful swing of his spear, the blow sent T'Challa falling onto his back, to the concern of Nakia and Shuri.**

"Shit, he's strong." Clint noted.

"Strength is not everything my friend." Thor pointed out as he looked at T'Challa, "This challenge has just begun."

"Right you are." Odinson agreed.

**T'Challa then stood back up and tried to strike M'Baku, who dodged. T'Challa then sent a kick to his chest, sending M'Baku falling on his back, to Zuri and W'Kabi's satisfaction.**

"Strength is not everything." T'Challa echoed with a smirk.

"You must cover all your bases." Steve agreed.

**M'Baku stood back up and T'Challa rushed him. However, M'Baku dodged and sent a powerful blow to T'Challa's shield. This knocked T'Challa off his feet and caused him to lose his weapons. His mask flew from his face as he landed on his back in the water.**

"Damn!" Sam said.

"He is a good opponent." T'Challa told everyone, "Not advisable for everyone to fight him."

**M'Baku laughed as T'Challa pulled himself to his feet, finding the Jabari pointing their weapons at him. Returning to the fight, T'Challa grabbed onto M'Baku's spear and delivered a spinning kick to his face, causing the crowd to cheer. T'Challa punched M'Baku three times and M'Baku fell to his knees.**

Everyone clapped as T'Challa gave a flattered smile.

"You definitely have the skills to compliment your strength." An impressed Bucky said.

"Thank you, Mr. Barnes." T'Challa said.

**Angrily, M'Baku got back to his feet and managed to restrain T'Challa in a bear hug. Trying to crush T'Challa with his strength, M'Baku head-butted T'Challa, taunting him that he was 'a boy not fit to lead'.** **Dazed, T'Challa heard his mother tell him to 'show him who you are'. Determination filling him, T'Challa head-butted M'Baku in return before punching him, breaking his mask. Angrily, M'Baku tried to stab T'Challa but T'Challa grabbed the spear, the tip of the head getting him below his shoulder.**

"Uh-oh." Sam said as everyone watched with wide eyes.

**With determination, T'Challa declared, "I am Prince T'Challa...son of King T'Chaka!" T'Challa pushed back, getting the spear away from him. T'Challa then grabbed the spear when M'Baku tried again and kicked him in the chest, disarming him.**

"Now who's unfit to lead, huh?" Tony said cheekily as they all cheered.

**T'Challa then tackled M'Baku, the pair landing at the edge of the waterfall. T'Challa pinned him while using his legs to put M'Baku in a choke hold, pleading with M'Baku to yield. M'Baku declared he would rather die. As the crowd chanted T'Challa's name, T'Challa pleaded with M'Baku, reasoning that his people needed him. It is this that reached M'Baku, as he tapped T'Challa's knee in a sign of surrender.**

"You are an honorable man, Your Highness." Thor said.

"Thank you." T'Challa said.

**T'Challa released M'Baku as he let out a breath. The crowd cheered as T'Challa got to his feet, raising his arm in victory. Zuri crowned him King T'Challa as he placed Bashenga's necklace around his neck. T'Challa and Zuri hugged before T'Challa greeted his people. Holding his arms in a Wakandian pose, T'Challa cried 'Wakanda Forever', a cry that was echoed by his people.**

"And I thought I handled crowds well." Tony said and all chuckled.

**The scene then changed to a cave. T'Challa was lying on a circle of red sand as, around him; the Heart Shaped Herb was prepared, turned into a liquid by some healers.**

"So that's the special herb." Clint said as T'Challa nodded.

**Once it was ready, Zuri gave it to him, telling him to let it return his powers and take him to the Ancestral Plane. Once he consumed the liquid, T'Challa groaned as his veins begin to glow purple. As Zuri called upon the spirit of T'Chaka, T'Challa remembered memories of his father.**

T'Challa stared at the screen sadly, thinking of his father.

**As T'Challa lost consciousness, Zuri said to 'praise the ancestors'. This seemed to be a signal, as the healers each picked up a shovel and begin to bury T'Challa in the red sand.**

"So this is their excuse to bury you in the sand?" Tony joked.

"Another ritual?" Steve asked and T'Challa nodded.

**As he was buried, T'Challa remembers the events of Zemo's attack on the UN, failing to save his father and putting on his father's ring. T'Challa then awakened in the ancestral plane.**

Everyone, even Thor, Loki and Odinson, were in awe as they took it all in. The ancestral plane looked beautiful; there was no other word for it.

"Baba was right." T'Challa told them.

"What are those panthers in the trees?" Hope asked.

"Past kings, past Black Panthers." T'Challa explained, "When we die, we leave our human bodies behind, take on the form of Bast, the Panther Goddess."

"Wow!" Hill said.

**Standing to his feet in a white suit, T'Challa watched as one of the panthers in the trees jumped down. It landed in front of him before the panther turned into T'Chaka.**

"Father." T'Challa sighed.

**T'Challa and T'Chaka shared an emotional hug before T'Challa grabbed his father's hand and got down on his knees, apologizing.**

"It wasn't your fault." Sam said, "It was Zemo's."

**T'Chaka commanded T'Challa to get up, reminding him that he was now king. T'Challa got to his feet and T'Chaka asked what was wrong. T'Challa said that he was not ready and T'Chaka pointed out that T'Challa had been prepared to be king his entire life. T'Challa clarified that he meant he was not ready to be without T'Chaka.**

"No one ever is." Steve said, remembering his mother's death.

"I am over 1,500 years old and yet I still was not ready for my mother's death a few years ago." Thor told T'Challa thickly, "You are never ready to lose a parent. Never."

"You really are not." Loki agreed.

"**A man who had not prepared his children for his own death has failed as a father." T'Chaka told T'Challa, "Have I ever failed you?"**

T'Challa sighed, remembering his father's shady actions again.

**Never, T'Challa said immediately. T'Challa then asked his father how to best protect Wakanda. He wanted to be a great king, just like T'Chaka, T'Challa said. **"**You're going to struggle. So you'll need to surround yourself with people you trust. You're a good man with a good heart. And it's hard for a good man to be king." T'Chaka tells him.**

"Wise words." Odinson noted.

"Is anyone else getting a 'Lion King' vibe from this?" Scott asked and all except Thor and Loki raised their hands, "Good. I thought it was only me."

"There is a Lion King?" Thor asked confused and his friends covered their mouths, attempting to stifle their snickers.

"I had no idea animals on this planet also had societies." Loki said, equally confused.

"Looks like Point Break and Reindeer Games need to see more of Earth culture." Tony said while laughing.

"Oh I have seen enough of it now. It is….entertaining." Odinson said.

**T'Challa awakened back in the real world. His head burst from the red sand, where he was greeted by Zuri. Out of breath, T'Challa told Zuri his father was there.**

"So now you have seen the plane yourself." Loki said and T'Challa nodded.

"It wasn't just a belief." T'Challa said.

"It is gonna get worse now." Logan said and everyone tensed, even T'Challa, though he knew what was coming.

* * *

**And done. While this movie is a bit overrated, I did like a lot of stuff about it. **

**[1] There is speculation that Shuri is smarter than Tony but I don't think so. She simply has access to better technology. Tony is a genius in his own right with the technology he has and his inventions are the outside world equivalent of Shuri's. Let's not forget that the Bleeding Edge Armor is more impressive than anything in Wakanda. And Tony solved time travel just like that. 'Nuff said. **

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	72. Chase in Korea

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes we have to give them props. Thanks for the corrections. Appreciate it. Yeah Fury would be. Yeah, I was annoyed too. Yes Black Panther is and glad you loved the Tony part. It was a joke. I don't think Pepper was pregnant until after Infinity War. Thanks for the suggestion and I'll add it. Oh Andy Serkis did and agreed on Lion King stuff. No Shuri is smart but Tony is smarter. Enjoy.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Glad it was great. It is Homecoming, Doctor Strange and Ragnarok.**

**V: Thanks for the review. No, they won't be a couple.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. I will do Infinity War first so everyone knows what happened at the end of Ant-Man and The Wasp.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Bucky actually has a prototype metal arm in this.**

**Nora-11: Thanks for the review. No, it will be Homecoming and then Doctor Strange. Glad it was good.**

Chapter 72- Chase in Korea

"So now you're King then. Congrats." Tony said.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark." T'Challa said gratefully.

**Later, after the healers had left, T'Challa sat and talked with Zuri. T'Challa reminisced about seeing T'Chaka in the Black Panther suit and how his father had passed the mantle onto him to simply be king. Zuri said T'Chaka had told him in confidence he was too fat to fit the suit anymore, causing them both to laugh.**

Everyone managed to laugh a bit as T'Challa smiled. Odinson didn't laugh though.

**T'Challa remembered telling his father not to speak at the UN, as well as T'Chaka's teachings that the outside world could not be trusted.**

"He is not wrong to hold those sentiments." Natasha said.

"Especially with people like Ross out there." Clint added, "Thaddeus Ross. Not Everett."

**T'Challa asked why his father changed his views, and Zuri said simply time has a way of making you look back at what you have done.**

T'Challa now knew why his father had changed his views as he frowned.

**T'Challa asked if Zuri looked back at his time as a War Dog, which Zuri denied. The outside world was too unpredictable for an old man, Zuri said.**

"Oh it is." Steve said, taking a crack at himself as all chuckled.

"But Wakanda is pretty good for old men." Bucky said about his own experience and all chuckled more as he smiled appreciatively at T'Challa for his hospitality.

**The scene then changed to T'Challa and Nakia walking the streets of Wakanda.**

"It's still shocking how different Wakanda is from what we thought." Rhodes said, "In a good way."

**T'Challa asked her to come home and she regretfully said she can't. While she had come home to support him, she had found her calling out in the outside world, unable to turn a blind eye to suffering.**

Steve could get the feeling.

**T'Challa asked what she would ask him to do about it. She said Wakanda could offer aid, technological advancement and offer refuge like other countries. T'Challa regretfully pointed out they were not like other counties. If the world found out the truth about them, they could lose their way of life.**

"Sounds like a very hard decision." Thor said.

"I had to pass through fire and death to make the decision." T'Challa said.

"Still, considering people like Klaue, I understand the isolationist policy." Wanda said.

**Nakia argued that they could protect their way of life and help the outside world. T'Challa jokingly said she would make a great queen if she wasn't so stubborn. Nakia countered that she would make a great queen because she was stubborn. If that was what she wanted, she quickly added.**

T'Challa sighed.

**The scene then changed to the area of the Border Tribe. T'Challa was talking to W'Kabi as his friend fed the White Rhinoceros on the land. W'Kabi asked about Nakia, which T'Challa didn't answer. W'Kabi, picking up that something was off, asked what was wrong. T'Challa told him what Nakia suggested and W'Kabi pointed out that if they brought refugees to Wakanda, they would bring their problems there.**

"He does bring a good point." Loki said.

**W'Kabi add edif T'Challa ordered the Border Tribe to clean up the world, they would do it. T'Challa then pointed out waging war had never been Wakanda's way.**

"Like my father used to say, "A wise king never seeks out war but he must always be ready for it."" Odinson said and all nodded.

**T'Challa and W'Kabi's Kimoyo Beads went off, signaling they both had a message. W'Kabi joked they're in trouble as they put the beads together and a hologram of Okoye appeared.**

"Man this is almost like Star Wars level technology." An awed Peter said as T'Challa smirked.

**She greeted them, calling W'Kabi 'my love' before telling them someone had appeared on their radar.**

"Relationship?" Sam asked.

"Marriage." T'Challa corrected him.

**The scene changed to the palace. A meeting was held of Wakanda's council. Okoye informed the council that Klaue intended to sell the Vibranium artifact he stole form the Museum to an American in South Korea the following night.**

"Why do I have a feeling the buyer might be a spy?" Hill wondered.

"You will see." T'Challa told her.

**T'Challa noted his father's greatest regret was that he was unable to capture Klaue before T'Challa expressed his desire to bring Klaue to Wakanda to stand trial for his crimes. The Merchant Tribe representative argued that Wakanda needed a king, not a warrior. W'Kabi pointed out his parents were killed when Klaue attacked them, something which haunted him even now.**

"Klaue is a monster." Logan snarled and all nodded.

**Okoye added that it was too great an opportunity to waste. W'Kabi pleaded with T'Challa to take him along so they could kill Klaue together. T'Challa denied this, saying he needed W'Kabi in Wakanda. W'Kabi relented, but asked that T'Challa either kill Klaue or bring him back to Wakanda. T'Challa promised to do so.**

"As a king, you shouldn't make huge promises as there is a chance you fail to keep them and that will be seen as a weakness by your people." Thor said and T'Challa considered before realizing his point and nodded.

**The scene changed to Shuri's lab. T'Challa walked in as the Dora Milaje stood by. T'Challa made a Wakandian pose, which his guards mimicked before he walked over to Shuri. Shuri bowed, mockingly greeting him as 'My king'.**

T'Challa rolled his eyes as the others snickered.

**T'Challa, amused, told her to stop and the pair do a handshake followed by a Wakandan pose. As T'Challa was led into the lab, Shuri explained a car had been set ahead to Busan. She asked who was taking with him on his mission and T'Challa said Okoye and Nakia. Shuri expressed doubts that it was a good idea to bring his ex on a mission.**

"If you both can stay focused, not a bad idea. Otherwise, it is." Hope said and all nodded in agreement.

**T'Challa assured her they would be fine and, if they needed back up, she would be on call, to Shuri's excitement. Shuri then showed him his communication devices, updated with surveillance, and Remote Access Kimoyo Beads.**

As Tony and Peter drooled over the tech, Natasha asked, "Should I make a video?"

Everyone laughed at their expense.

"Oh please do and send it to me." Pepper said and the laughter increased.

**T'Challa walked over to some equipment, asking about it but Shuri was briefly distracted by T'Challa wearing sandals. Shuri made fun of him but T'Challa but T'Challa simply said he decided to go 'old school' for his first day. Shuri then showed him what seem to be two ordinary flip-flops. T'Challa put them on and flip-flops turned into shows, covering his feet.**

"I'm sure there is more." Scott said.

"Considering what we have seen, I believe that to be true." Vision said.

"It is." T'Challa said.

**Shuri said they were fully automated, like the 'old American movie' T'Chaka had watched.**

"So your dad is a Back to the future fan, huh? Well, he has good taste," Scott said and T'Challa shrugged.

**Shuri also explained they were sound absorbent, which T'Challa tested by tapping his feet but nothing happened.**

"That would make stealth missions a piece of cake." An impressed Fury said.

**T'Challa was impressed by this and Shuri told him they're called 'Sneakers'.**

Everyone snickered at her antics.

**T'Challa simply raised an eyebrow and an exasperated Shuri simply lead him over to three suit displays. One held T'Challa's suit while two others held two white suits, one with a silver necklace and one with a gold necklace. T'Challa became offended when Shuri called his suit 'old tech'.**

"Teenagers." Clint said as all snickered.

"I can relate." Aunt May muttered as Peter sighed.

**Shuri placated him by calling it 'functional but old'. She began mocking him about having to put on his helmet when being shot at and an exasperated T'Challa told her to stop. She told him to pick one of the new suits, gesturing to the one with the golden necklace. T'Challa liked it but, given he did not want to be noticed while on a mission, T'Challa went with the one with the silver necklace. Shuri held the Kimoyo Beads up to her brother's head and they glowed. She told him to 'tell it to go on'. After a moment, the white on the model was replaced by the Black Panther suit.**

"Whoa!" Peter breathed as all watched in awe.

"Yeah, that looks awesome." Benjamin agreed.

"Can your new one top this, Tony?" Bruce asked.

"Well, this does remind me of it." Tony said, "Though mine has more features."

"Oh it will be shown here and it did look great." Logan said.

**The entire suit fit within the necklace, Shuri explained. She then ordered him to strike it.**

"This is embarrassing." T'Challa muttered.

**T'Challa kicked the model in the abdomen, sending it flying across the room. Shuri yelled at him as she went to retrieve it. They bickered as Shuri brought the model back over before T'Challa noticed the area he had struck was now glowing a purple hue.**

"What is that?" Pepper asked.

"Just watch." T'Challa said.

**Shuri explained that the Nanites absorbed the kinetic energy and used it for redistribution, impressing T'Challa.**

"So basically, they'll just be attacking themselves." Rhodes said as they were all impressed by this.

"Wow. She is good." Tony admitted.

**Shuri then ordered him to strike it again. A suspicious T'Challa noticed she was recording it.**

"Why that?" T'Challa muttered as everyone knew Shuri was up to something.

**She claimed it was for research purposes. A cautious T'Challa kicked the model in the same spot and was thrown back by a purple energy wave, landing on his back as Shuri laughed.**

Several laughs broke out as T'Challa sighed.

"I really like her." Clint chuckled.

"Yeah, she knows how to embarrass." Benjamin laughed.

**A disgruntled T'Challa ordered her to delete that footage.**

"I do not think she will." T'Challa said.

"You thought right." Logan said.

**The scene then changed to Busan, South Korea. T'Challa, Nakia, and Okoye (In a dress and wig) got out of a car.** **Okoye complained about being forced to wear a wig as Nakia teasingly told her to 'whip it back and forth'. A disgruntled Okoye called it a disgrace as they reached a woman at a food stand.**

"The Dora Milaje consider their shaved heads a sign of honor which is why Okoye is not happy about wearing a wig." T'Challa explained and they nodded.

**Nakia greeted the woman in Korean, calling her Sophia. Sophia asked about T'Challa and Okoye, who Nakia claimed were rich friends from Kenya. They were good, Nakia insisted and Sophia asked if that meant good for trouble, like her.**

"So she has gotten into something." Tony muttered.

**T'Challa and Okoye exchanged a look as Nakia frowned. However, Sophia let them in regardless. The trio entered through a secret door, passing through metal detectors before two guards opened the doors for them and they entered a casino.**

"Casinos. Not seen one of those for almost 10 years." Tony said.

"Oh those places are pretty unsavory." Pepper said.

**T'Challa ordered them to spread out in an effort to locate the buyer, who likely had already arrived. As Okoye walked over to the balcony, Nakia took T'Challa's arm as they walked down the stairs.**

"He might already be here like you all said." Natasha agreed with them.

**T'Challa inquired about what Sophia had said outside and Nakia admitted she got into some trouble with some ivory traders. T'Challa coyly asked if there will be trouble tonight and Nakia said it depended on how quickly they finished the mission.**

"So finish it quickly then." Clint noted.

"Yes. That sounds about right." Fury agreed.

"Which is not something that happens for any of us." T'Challa said to everyone's amusement as well as agreement.

**Okoye told them to focus over the Comms and T'Challa and Nakia walked off. Nakia walked up to the bar, ordering a whisky. Nakia spotted three Americans and alerted T'Challa and Okoye. From the balcony, Okoye spotted two more while T'Challa spotted Everett Ross by the tables.**

"Ah! The more sensible Ross." Tony said.

"The reasonable one." Hill agreed.

"He is the buyer." Wanda said.

"Yes. There is no other reason for a man like him to be in an underground casino in South Korea." Steve said in agreement.

"Like T'Challa said in the recording, things just got a lot more complicated." Logan said and all nodded.

**T'Challa walked up to Everett and they greeted each other politely. T'Challa noted Everett was the buyer as he placed some chips on the table. Everett said whatever he was doing was none of T'Challa's business.**

"Well, basically, both of you are in each other's way now." Sam said and all agreed with his observation.

"Like he said, this is a lot more complicated now." Bucky said.

**T'Challa pointed out he gave him Zemo and Everett argued that him keeping T'Challa's secret makes them even. Everett told him to leave but T'Challa told him that he won't leave without Klaue before walking off. The next roll, T'Challa won but he has walked off by now. An elderly man with black glasses walked over and took T'Challa's chips, "You know what? I think I'll just take these. Bring them over here, and hold on for safekeeping."**

"And now he's stalking you Your Highness." Rhodey noted as they all frowned.

"Well, he has a job to do as well." T'Challa said, remembering he was a Watcher agent.

**Everett followed after T'Challa and alerted his team to T'Challa's presence. Once he caught up with him, Everett explained Vibranium from the Battle of Sokovia linked back to someone he's not at liberty to say, "When the dust settles, you and me can work something out."**

"I don't think that will fly with you." Scott said.

"Not for now." T'Challa said.

"**I'm not here to make a deal." T'Challa said.**

"As predicted by you." Hope agreed.

**Outside, three cars pulled up to the entrance. Klaue and several mercenaries got out.**

"And he is here." Steve said.

"So we could have him face justice." T'Challa said, "But things happen we do not consider at times."

**Klaue walked over to the entrance, greeting Sophia with a kiss on the cheek. He walked through the metal detector and the alarms went off but the guards didn't even move.**

"How are they not even reacting to their alarms going off?" Scott asked stunned.

"They probably know him. From the way he greeted Sophia, he's a regular there." Natasha noted.

**Spotting Klaue and his crew, Nakia alerted T'Challa and Okoye. T'Challa checked in with Okoye and she confirmed she was in position. She didn't see the Vibranium and confirmed Klaue and his crew were armed, despite the casino supposedly having a no weapons policy.**

"Nobody cares about policies anymore." Sam said.

**Klaue met Everett down on the ground floor. Everett noted Klaue had a lot of people with him, jokingly asking if Klaue had a mix tape coming out. Klaue confirmed he does, offering to get him a sample and even telling one of his men to give Everett a sample before Everett turned him down.**

"He is even more psychotic than before." Wanda noted.

"Maybe Ultron damaged his mind as well when he cut off his arm." Tony said.

"Yeah. That makes a lot of sense." Thor said.

"Traumatizing events can change us." Odinson said with a shudder, remembering the five years after the Decimation again.

"Well, he didn't seem that stable to begin with." Clint said.

"It's like the One Ring has poisoned his mind." Pepper said and all chuckled at the reference, though it made sense. [1]

**Everett pointed out Klaue had a lot of people with him. Klaue laughed, assuring Everett they weren't for him, placing a hand on Everett's shoulder. Okoye saw six more men enter the casino and alerted T'Challa and Nakia that it was a set up.**

"So he planned to kill Ross and take the money." Rhodes said in disgust.

"That's what war mongers do." Steve said grimly.

**Klaue asked if Everett had the diamonds and Everett removed Klaue's hand from his shoulder. Okoye said they needed to move on Klaue as Klaue's men began moving into position but T'Challa did not want to get into a shootout.**

"You might not have a choice." Sam pointed out and T'Challa sighed.

"Right you are, Mr. Wilson." T'Challa acknowledged.

**Everett asked about the Vibranium and Klaue pulled it out, slamming it onto the table wrapped in brown paper with the word 'fragile' written on it.**

"I was expecting something more." Scott said.

"You're not the only one." Hope told him.

**Klaue joked about saving money on a fancy briefcase. Nakia intended to move on Klaue but Okoye ordereded her to stand down in Wakandan. Unfortunately, this was heard by one of Klaue's men.**

Everyone tensed as they realized what was going to happen.

**The man walked towards her and Okoye, realizing her cover was blown, pulled out her spear and whirled her weapon. She struck one in the neck before stabbing the second one in the foot. She then ripped off her wig and threw it in the first man's face before pushing him off the balcony with her spear. The man landed on one of the tables, causing panic. Realizing the Wakandans were there, Klaue pulled out a gun and tried to shoot Everett but Everett blocked with a steel briefcase.**

"Of course he was going to deceive Ross. I knew it." Loki said, being a deceiver himself.

**A shootout broke out and T'Challa pushed a table on its side as he and Everett took cover behind it. Klaue ordered his men to get the diamonds from Everett but T'Challa engaged them, kicking one in the chest, sending the man flying. T'Challa kicked another in the knees and engaged another as Everett made his escape. Meanwhile, Nakia engaged some of Klaue's men, slamming one down onto a table before picking off one of her heels and throwing it at another, all while pinning the first man to the table. She then tossed the first man onto the floor, still holding his arm, and took his gun, which she then fired up at the balcony.**

"Man you people are real badasses, you know that?" Tony asked.

"All of us are trained in the art of war and martial arts." T'Challa told him, "Because that is what we need if we are to engage with the uglier side of the world."

**Nakia's shots got two of the men Okoye was fighting. Okoye used her spear to flip a man over before she struck one in the face with it, knocking him out. She then whirled around, engaging a third man. She tried to strike him but he grabbed the spear with surprising strength. Okoye kicked him in the abdomen and he went through the railing, falling to the ground floor. Okoye jumped down and then struck him in the face with her spear, knocking him out. **

"She's a badass." Scott said what they were all thinking.

"She is the best warrior in Wakanda. She did not get that title by sitting around." T'Challa said with a smirk.

"I can see that." Natasha said.

**T'Challa punched a man, knocking him out and saw Klaue rushing up the stairs. Determined not to let Klaue get away, T'Challa jumped onto the table, using it as a stepping stool as he jumped onto the balcony, holding onto the railing and pulling himself up as Klaue reached the top.**

"This is the second time you have climbed the stairs like that." Bucky joked as all chuckled.

"I believe I do not have the patience." T'Challa joked back and all chuckled.

**T'Challa called out and Klaue turned to him. Seeing T'Challa, Klaue tried to shoot him but his gun was empty. Klaue mocked T'Challa about looking like his father before his hand split as he activated the sonic cannon. T'Challa grabbed a nearby table, using it as a shield as Klaue fired. The table was destroyed by the blast as T'Challa was thrown back, going through the railing and landing hard on a table below.**

"That looks like it hurt." Peter said.

"A sonic canon." T'Challa told everyone and they looked over at him, "It is an older Wakandian weapon. Likely left over from when Klaue attacked Wakanda."

**As money fell to the ground floor, Klaue laughed at how he had 'made it rain' before one of his men grabbed him and pulled him out. Klaue ranted about how 'awesome' that was as he and his men exited the casino before getting in their cars and driving off.**

"He really is crazy." Sam muttered.

**Nakia and Okoye then rushed out, Nakia asking about T'Challa. Okoye said he'll have to catch up as she dropped an EMP bead on a car.**

"Um, why'd she put the bead on there? It's already stopped." Rhodes asked and T'Challa smirked.

"An EMP Bead has more than one use." T'Challa said, sparking their interest.

"Definitely need to see that." Bruce said with a smirk.

**Nakia and Okoye got in the car they arrived in and took off after Klaue. T'Challa then ran out, calling Shuri.** **In Wakanda, an excited Shuri rushed over as the EMP Bead did a scan of the car and created a holographic version of the car.**

"So you can take control of a car with one?" Peter asked in awe and T'Challa chuckled.

"Yes Mr. Parker." T'Challa said.

"Awesome!" Peter said.

"We gotta get one of those." Sam said impressed.

**Getting inside, Shuri asked which side of the road it's on before an annoyed T'Challa shouted at her to just drive. Shuri began to drive the car as T'Challa changed into his suit, jumping onto the roof of the car.** **Klaue told his driver to put on some music and the driver turns on some rap music.**

"Rap music in a car chase. We're in an eighties movie now." Tony joked.

**Klaue ordered his men to split up to confuse them. Nakia and Okoye took the two heading right as T'Challa and Shuri took the other two, Shuri saying she knew a shortcut. T'Challa and Shuri pursued their two cars, who weaved into open traffic, causing four cars to crash into each other, creating a traffic jam. Shuri said they weren't going to make it but T'Challa ordered her to keep going. Using his claws, T'Challa stcuk them into the ground, lifting the car slightly, allowing them to pass through the jam without hitting any of the cars.**

"Whoa." Peter said impressed.

"That was so strong." Scott said.

"I remember I used my claws to puncture a car once." Logan said, "The flip looked like it was an action movie."

Everyone chuckled.

**T'Challa lowered the car back to the ground and jumped onto the hood. One of Klaue's men in the car in front of them opened fire out the back window but the bullets bounced harmlessly off T'Challa's suit. T'Challa jumped from the hood onto the back window. Climbing up, he used his claws to open the roof.**

"Those must be among the sharpest claws." Benjamin said.

"I have always wondered what is stronger, Vibranium or Adamantium?" Logan smirked.

"Both are pretty unbreakable though." Bucky said.

**T'Challa saw Klaue was not there and, out of terror, the driver jumped from the car. He landed in the path of Shuri's car and she ran over him.**

The good mood plummeted as T'Challa snarled at how Klaue's madness had also taken away his little sister's innocence from her.

**Shuri asked what that was and T'Challa told her not to worry about it before jumping back onto her car as the van crashed while they pursued the other car.**

"Have you told her?" Natasha asked.

"Not yet." T'Challa said sadly, "I do not want her to lose her innocence."

"I have found out in the worst way possible what keeping secrets can really do." Steve said as him and Tony exchanged a look, "You should tell her sometime."

T'Challa frowned, considering Steve's words as the recording continued.

**With Nakia and Okoye, one of Klaue's men was firing at their car but the bullets bounced off harmlessly. Okoye dismissed guns as 'primitive'.**

"Well excuse us, not all of us grew up with the most advanced weapons on the planet." Sam said angrily.

"Some of us have to make use with what is available to us." Natasha said stiffly as T'Challa winced.

"I apologize if her remarks offended you," T'Challa said.

"You're not the one who offended us." Rhodey said and T'Challa nodded.

"I wanna show them my new suit." Tony joked randomly and all chuckled a bit at his antics.

**Klaue yelled over the radio that bullets won't penetrate Vibranium as Okoye climbed up onto the roof of the car, to Nakia's confusion. **

"What's she doing?" Scott asked confused.

"Something really badass I'm sure." Hope said.

"Right you are, Miss van Dyne." T'Challa said, his lips twitching into the beginning of a smirk.

**Okoye stabbed her spear through the roof of the car, to Nakia's surprise. Nakia continued to weave through traffic as Okoye waited before pulling the spear out and throwing it. It went through the windshield of the car and landed in front of it. The car slammed into it and crashed like it was another car.**

"Holy crap!" Peter exclaimed shocked.

"Shit." Clint said as they all stared, stunned.

"Son of a bitch." Tony breathed.

"Motherfu-" Fury trailed off.

"Those spears are quiet strong." Thor said, impressed as T'Challa chuckled at their reactions.

"Indeed." T'Challa agreed.

"That's Vibranium for you." Steve said and they nodded.

**Back with T'Challa and Shuri, they were pursuing their car as one of Klaue's men continued firing at them. They headed onto a bridge as Shuri pointed out T'Challa's suit had been charged with kinetic energy with all the bullets and T'Challa ordered her to go around the truck near them. Shuri complied as she swerved around the truck, disappearing from view. When she came around the truck, T'Challa was gone.**

The smirk on T'Challa's face quelled any reaction The Avengers and the other viewers had, wondering what he was up to.

**Klaue's men wondered where he went before T'Challa jumped onto the hood of their car. T'Challa slammed his hands down and the kinetic energy activated, sending out a wave. He jumped as the energy flipped the car into the air. The car came down behind them as T'Challa jumped back onto Shuri's car. Shuri chuckled as she called him a show-off.**

"That was awesome!" Peter exclaimed as all of them, stared at the screen, impressed.

"Both you and your sister are impressive." Rhodes said.

"Yeah. She made the tech and you used it nicely with her help." Tony agreed as T'Challa smiled gracefully.

**With three of the four cars taken down, Nakia and Okoye realized they had Klaue in their sights. Nakia told Okoye to hold on before she sped up. As they drove after him, Klaue decided to 'have some fun'. As they went down a hill, Klaue poked his head out the window and aimed his Sonic Canon at Nakia and Okoye's car. He fired and the blast hit the car full force.**

"Oh no!" Aunt May said in horror.

"Shit!" Sam said at the same time.

**The car was completely destroyed and Okoye went flying. Seeing a sheet of metal, Okoye whirled her spear and stabbed it, coming down on the ground. The sheet skidded to a stop in front of Nakia, who had stayed in the seat and was thankfully unharmed.**

Everyone sighed in relief, happy they were both unharmed.

"They got lucky." Natasha noted.

"Lucky? I'd say that's an understatement." Clint muttered.

**Everett then rolled up in a car, telling them to get in but awkwardly told Okoye to put her spear in the trunk.**

Everyone couldn't help but laugh at the way Everett said that, the tension in the room momentarily broken.

"Wow! He has a sense of humor and is not uptight." Hill said, reminded a bit of herself. She had a sense of humor but appeared uptight to everyone around due to the nature of her job. Just like Steve himself. Maybe that's why she was attracted to him.

"Why couldn't he have been more like this in the last recording?" Tony asked with a laugh.

"Stressed out by how politics got involved in his job." Rhodes said.

**Shuri drove onto the road Klaue is on, in hot pursuit. T'Challa barked at her to go faster but she shot back at him she's already going as fast as she could. Klaue ordered his man to take a right and, when Shuri did as well to keep up with them, Klaue fired his sonic canon. Shuri was unable to avoid the blast and the car was destroyed as, in Wakanda, the hologram faded and Shuri falls to the floor.**

"Shit." Scott swore as the tension returned.

"Damn it!" Hope said at the same time.

**T'Challa was sent flying but landed on his feet on the side of the building. Rushing down, T'Challa jumped and landed on the roof of Klaue's car. Using his claws, T'Challa yanked one of the wheels off before jumping off. Klaue's car flipped and slides across the road.**

"Well, looks like I'm not the only one who flipped cars with claws." Logan said as T'Challa smirked.

**T'Challa stalked over as Klaue limply got out of the car. T'Challa angrily called Klaue's name, asking if he thought they'd forget what he did as he deployed his claws. Klaue fired at him but the suit simply absorbed it.**

"Yeah, that's not gonna work this time." Scott said smugly while T'Challa winced, knowing this was about to go downhill soon.

**T'Challa took advantage of Klaue's confusion and yanked the sonic cannon off his stump of an arm. T'Challa then kicked him, sending him head first into the car, where he bashed his head. Klaue crumpled to the ground as T'Challa demanded to know where he got the sonic cannon and Klaue sneered that 'you savages' didn't deserve it.**

"You are the savage here." Wanda said coolly.

"People like him are huge hypocrites." Fury said.

**T'Challa angrily grabbed him by the throat and Klaue mockingly begged for mercy.** **"Every breath you take is mercy from me." T'Challa sneered as he prepared to end it.**

"It is." T'Challa sneered.

**However, he was interrupted by the arrival of Okoye and Nakia. Okoye pointed out that the world is watching, bringing T'Challa's attention to the fact that a crowd had arrived and was filming this. Everett told them they needed to go and Klaue smiled smugly as T'Challa realized he couldn't kill Klaue yet.**

"Yeah, no one is gonna take that well." Rhodes noted.

"I do realize that." T'Challa said, "Which is why I am king."

**Later, at the CIA South Korean Black Site, a restrained Klaue laughed and muttered how he could see his own reflection and made kissing noises.**

"I believe he has a disorder of some kind." Vision noted and all nodded in agreement, creeped out by his behavior.

**Ross suggested to play 'good cop, bad cop' but Okoye said in Xhosa they couldn't let him speak to Klaue alone while T'Challa said they should instead of making a scene. He told Ross they would take him back to Wakanda after questioning but he refused, playfully tapping T'Challa's shoulder as Okoye glared and said in Xhosa she'd impale him to the desk if he touched T'Challa again. Ross asked if she spoke English and she said only when she wanted to.**

"She doesn't seem to like him much." Natasha said.

"She is not very fond of strangers at first glance." T'Challa said.

**T'Challa said he appreciated Ross' help in Busan and he told Okoye that was diplomacy as he walked inside while T'Challa told her to play nice and she muttered 'Americans.'**

"Not all of us are bad." Steve said.

"I'm guessing she has a certain opinion about the entire country." Tony said.

"She did. Not she knows not to judge everyone just because of a single person." T'Challa told them.

**Ross sat in front of Klaue who was singing 'What is Love.'**

"I'm pretty sure a lot of people want to hurt you." Clint said.

**Klaue told him not to trust Wakandans as Ross said he didn't trust anyone and inquired about the arm cannon. Klaue explained and said he could get him one and Ross asked the supplier's name, with Klaue stating he was right outside, with a shocked Ross realizing the weapon was from Wakanda.**

"Playing a game of riddles I see. I like it." Loki smirked. [2]

**Klaue said what Ross knew about Wakanda was just a front and it was El Dorado, the Golden City, which existed in Africa the entire time.**

"Very accurate description." Fury said.

**Klaue said it was all built on a mound of Vibranium and they made his sonic cannon look like a leaf blower. Ross scoffed, asserting Wakanda was a third world country and he had stolen all their Vibranium and he laughed hysterically before acting like he would break his restraints, saying he had taken a tiny piece while they had a mountain due to mining it for thousands of years. He was the only outsider who had seen it and gotten out alive, telling him to ask T'Challa what his suit was made off.**

"Well, looks like he has spilled the beans." Hope said.

"Yes he has." T'Challa sighed.

**Ross picked up a latte and walked out as Nakia noticed a truck moving which she had seen earlier. Inside were Killmonger's allies, including the woman.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said as all looked shocked.

**Nakia moved to the cameras as Ross told T'Challa that according to T'Chaka, Klaue had stolen their Vibranium while T'Challa said he was believing an arms dealer strapped to a chair. Outside, Killmonger walked out of the truck and put a device on the wall before wearing an African mask.**

"Shit!" Rhodes said.

"This is getting really bad now." Steve said.

"Yes, Captain Rogers." T'Challa agreed.

**Ross asked what more was T'Challa hiding when Nakia burst in to warn them but the wall exploded and Killmonger and the others started firing, making everyone take cover as Klaue laughed.**

"Damn it!" Tony said.

"Klaue is such a sicko." Benjamin noted.

**Ross pushed Nakia out of the way as some of the men took a laughing Klaue away. Killmonger threw a grenade and T'Challa leapt on it, absorbing the kinetic energy. He looked up to see Klaue was gone and rushed out as the truck sped away. He leapt up only for Killmonger to fire a grenade launcher, making him fall down. He looked up to see a Wakandan Royal Ring around Killmonger's neck and hesitated, allowing them to get away.**

"Damn! That sucks!" Sam said.

"Yeah, they got away unfortunately." Pepper said.

"Why did you hesitate?" Aunt May asked.

"I believe you will see the answer soon." T'Challa said.

"Yeah." Logan agreed.

**Okoye ran up next to him and they ran back inside, with Ross on the ground as Nakia said he had jumped in front of her.**

"He is a good man." Steve said, "To risk your life for others is a noble thing to do."

He looked at Tony as he said that and Tony smiled in appreciation.

**The bullet had hit his spine and Nakia said he wouldn't make it there. T'Challa took a Kimoyo Bead from her and used it to stabilize Ross for the moment.**

"Man those beads are something!" Bruce said, impressed by their medical properties.

"We have a lot of innovative technology." T'Challa simply said.

**T'Challa asked the agents to give Ross to them as they could save him as they all considered.**

"Now you are spilling your own beans." Hope said, "For a good cause."

T'Challa nodded as Odinson said, "But this situation will get worse soon."

"We can see that." Tony said as the recording continued.

* * *

**And done. Once again, thanks to Stand with Ward and Queen for letting me use the writing and some reactions from his watch-it fic. **

**[1] A reference to The Lord of the Rings Trilogy where Andy Serkis played Gollum/Smeagol who was corrupted by the One Ring. Klaue's instability reminded me of Gollum a bit.**

**[2] A reference to Bilbo's and Gollum's game of riddles in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Ross and Klaue sure reminded me of that, especially since the characters are played by the same actors. Yeah, I love LOTR and Hobbit references.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	73. Killmonger

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. I was too. Glad that part was funny. Yes, Okoye is Wakanda's best warrior but even I didn't buy her beating Glaive with just a stab. He is stronger than that. Yes, I'm not a fan of that scene either. Yes, Everett Ross is a good guy. Shuri is more of a lab person though and was 15 in this movie (according to me) so I don't think she has killed before. Glad you like the banter and yeah, stairs are evil to most. But I actually prefer them to elevators for some reason, even when I have to climb 4 floors. Gotcha on the Panther Habit. Yeah, I remember that on Adamantium. Thanks for the correction again. Yeah, the reveal. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Obviously, the past will be changed after this.**

**Nora-11: Thanks for the review. Glad it was great. Yes I have seen it and I liked it a lot.**

**Panther-10: Thanks for the review. No, he doesn't have the beard here. Beards can grow to that length in a week as well, so him not having the beard isn't really a plot-hole or anything. Glad it was amazing and glad to hear it. Enjoy.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. When they decided to make Far From Home part of Phase 3 for reasons I still can't fathom, I decided to show it too. I'll just edit it to make 23 in Chapter 1 instead.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. I can understand disagreeing but you cannot call my opinion entirely wrong. No opinion is wrong or right. There is only 'my opinion' and 'your opinion.' Thanks for the good luck.**

Chapter 73- Killmonger

"I believe this has gotten complicated for all involved." Tony said.

"Yes." T'Challa said.

**Okoye said they had failed in their mission and were now bringing a foreign intelligence operative into their borders. Nakia said he had taken a bullet for her but Okoye said that was his choice. Okoye said it was his duty to report back to his country and T'Challa's to protect theirs. T'Challa said he was aware of his duties but couldn't let him die.**

"After what he did for Nakia, I don't think you can." Steve said.

**Ross was wheeled into Shuri's lab who excitedly said they had another white boy to fix.**

"I was the first." Bucky said.

**Later, Ross was on the bed as Shuri said he'd live. The Beads trilled and she said W'Kabi was here. T'Challa walked up to stop W'Kabi from coming in and he asked about Klaue. T'Challa regretfully said he had slipped past their hands, angering W'Kabi who said T'Chaka had done nothing when he was in power and he had though it would be different with T'Challa, but it was the same. He walked off, leaving T'Challa behind.**

"Looks like I was right about that." Thor said.

"Yes." T'Challa agreed.

"As a king, you must be absolutely sure about the promises you make." Odinson said and all agreed.

**Killmonger, Klaue and the others got out near their plane as Klaue assured said he'd lay low and assured they would be paid in time. Killmonger asked him to drop him in Wakanda, shocking Klaue. He then suddenly brandished his gun and shot down one man.**

"What the hell?" A shocked Rhodes said as all watched in shock.

"He is turning on the others." Sam said.

"Clearly, he has other plans." Natasha said.

"And those plans involve the others dying." Clint finished for her as they all watched in shock.

"Bad guys always betray each other." Fury said as all nodded in agreement.

**Klaue put Erik's lover in the way as she apologized and he shot her as well while Klaue ran off.**

Everyone watched in horror and disgust as Peter asked, "But why?"

"He loved her but he loves his plan more." Hill explained to the boy.

**Klaue took cover behind wreckage as him and Erik exchanged fire but he was hit on the shoulder and fell down. Klaue said Wakandans were savages and showing his brand, said this was what they did to people like them.**

"Well, your own savagery was asking for it." Loki said.

**Erik said he wasn't worried as he showed his own scars, saying each was for a kill. Klaue said he was still an outsider when Erik revealed his glowing gums, shocking him.**

"He is Wakandan?" Scott asked in shock.

"Yes. He was supposed to be." T'Challa said cryptically.

**Klaue laughed and said he had just thought of him as a crazy American but was shot dead.**

Everyone flinched at Erik's brutality as Wanda said, "At least Klaue is gone now."

"Yes, that's the bright side of it." Hope said.

"But Erik has other plans." Vision said.

"Very bad plans." Benjamin agreed.

**T'Challa walked to Zuri in the gardens as the others left them. He asked about N'Jobu, saying his father had told him he disappeared. He then said he had seen a man wearing a ring identical to his own. Zuri said it wasn't possible as T'Challa said the man had helped Klaue escape and was wearing his grandfather's ring, demanding the truth. Zuri said some truths were too much to bear but T'Challa was undeterred. He said he had promised the king to keep it a secret but T'Challa roared he was his king now.**

"So he will tell?" Aunt May asked.

"Yes, he will tell the truth now." T'Challa said thickly.

**Zuri said N'Jobu had taken a War Dog assignment in America and he had been assigned to watch, unbeknownst to N'Jobu. N'Jobu had fell in love with an American woman and had a child with her but the hardships he had seen had radicalized him.**

Everyone listened with interest.

**The scene from the beginning was shown again as N'Jobu justified his actions to T'Chaka, saying the people could overthrow governments with Vibranium weapons and Wakanda could rule the right way. Zuri said in the present T'Chaka wouldn't support him which is why N'Jobu had betrayed them. The flashback showed T'Chaka telling N'Jobu he'd pay for his crimes when he drew a gun to fire at Zuri but T'Chaka blocked and killed N'Jobu with his claws.**

Everyone watched in shock and horror, feeling some sympathy for T'Chaka and T'Challa both.

"I'm sorry." Steve said to him but he was transfixed, the pain of that truth still a bit too much for him.

**Zuri said T'Chaka had killed his own brother to save him as T'Chaka told Zuri in the flashback to keep this a secret. T'Challa asked about the child and Zuri said they had left him to maintain the lie as the flashback showed one of the children, who none other than Erik, looking up in shock.**

"What?" Tony demanded, outraged.

"How could he do that?" Bruce asked.

"Your father left a boy just like that?" Loki asked, now feeling a little thankful to Odin for not leaving him at least.

"My father was wrong to do that." T'Challa said in agreement, "There is a chance Erik may not have gone down the path he did if he was with us. Just a chance really."

"Maybe." Logan said.

"But my father didn't do what was humane in this case." T'Challa agreed, still angry at his father for what he had done to Erik.

**At Wakanda's borders, Erik dragged Klaue's corpse in a body bag as W'Kabi and some others arrived. He said this was just a little gift as he opened the bag to show Klaue's corpse while W'Kabi asked in Xhosa who he was.**

"Why do I have a bad feeling about W'Kabi?" Pepper asked.

"Because something bad is about to happen, Miss Potts." T'Challa said.

**Everett woke up in the lab and realized his back was fine now.**

"You really have great medical technology." Bruce said.

**He asked where he was and a startled Shuri told him not to scare her like that, calling him 'colonizer.'**

"Uhhhhh….that is very prejudiced and racist." Rhodes said.

"Yes. Her behavior sometimes could be very disappointing." T'Challa said.

"We can see that." Logan said.

"Well, I'm sure her behavior will improve when she grows up a bit." Clint said.

"Oh it has, mostly." T'Challa said, "But I feel I need to talk to her about this when we get back."

**Everett introduced himself and asked if this was Wakanda. She joked it was Kansas as he asked how long ago was Korea. She said it was yesterday to Everett's disbelief as bullet wounds didn't heal overnight. Shuri said they did here by technology. Everett looked around, awed by the technology, realizing the trains moved by magnetic levitation and was told the light panels were sonic stabilizers as Vibranium was too dangerous to be transported at that speed and that was her way to deactivate it. Vibranium was all around him.**

"Damn man! How smart is she?!" Scott asked in shock.

"Really smart for her age." Hope said, "A few more years and she will easily be in the top 5 geniuses of the planet."

"If she wasn't so busy, I'd hire her." Tony said.

"I believe she likes it more in Wakanda." T'Challa said.

"That tech is so awesome." Peter drooled.

"Yes it still is." Benjamin said.

**Okoye then contacted Shuri through Kimoyo Beads, saying T'Challa's were deactivated and a man was at the border, claiming to have killed Klaue. W'Kabi was transporting him to the palace so they needed to find T'Challa. A hologram of the man appeared and Okoye said he was a Wakandan but Everett said he was one of theirs.**

"He was part of JSOC." T'Challa explained to the shocked viewers.

"Very dangerous, those people." Fury said.

**T'Challa sat with Nakia overlooking a valley, telling her his father had killed his brother and left a child behind. Nakia said no man was perfect as T'Challa said he hadn't even given him a proper burial and created something worse than N'Jobu.**

"Yes. That he did." Hill agreed.

**Nakia told T'Challa to look at her and when he did, she said, "You can't let your father's mistakes define who you are. You get to decide what kind of king you are going to be."**

"Yes. Only you can decide that." Thor said in agreement.

**As T'Challa considered, his Beads suddenly activated and Shuri told him to get there. **

"Weren't they deactivated?" Tony asked, "Let me guess- Shuri is smart."

"Yes." T'Challa said.

**T'Challa, Shuri and Nakia stood together as Everett told them the man was Erik Stevens who had graduated Annapolis at 19. It was MIT for grad school. He had gone to Afghanistan, wrapped up confirmed kills like video games. He was called Killmonger and after joining JSOC, he could drop off the grid to commit assassinations.**

"He is a formidable opponent." Steve said.

"And he managed to raise himself through the ranks pretty well." Sam said, impressed by that.

"Yes. But his overall vision was still not good for the world." T'Challa said and they agreed.

**Shuri said he had a War Dog tattoo but they had no record of him. Later, all of them were at court as W'Kabi led Erik in, saying he had served justice to the man who had killed their people and stolen their Vibranium when their king hadn't. T'Challa said the only reason he wasn't dead was because he knew who he was and asked what he wanted. He said he wanted the throne.**

"I knew it!" Tony said, "He is playing the Game of Thrones now."

"Nice comparison." Rhodes agreed.

**The Elders laughed as he said they were comfortable while 2 billion people in the world had harder lives and Wakanda's weapons could liberate them all. T'Challa said their weapons won't be used for war. Erik said life started on this continent so all people were his people. He said he was King of Wakanda and he wouldn't let its weapons fall into his hands.**

"Yeah. That'll be tragedy." Bruce said.

**Ramonda asked T'Challa to reject Erik's request as Shuri said he was Erik Stevens, an American black operative and a mercenary. Erik asked to ask again as T'Challa asked guards to take him away but he announced in Xhosa he was N'Jadaka, son of Prince N'Jobu, shocking everyone as he said T'Challa was the son of a murderer. Ramonda said he was a liar when W'Kabi revealed the necklace, shocking them all to silence.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said.

"Now this is gonna be even worse." Scott said.

**Erik said he was exercising his blood right to challenge for the mantle of king and Black Panther. An Elder said it was within his rights and T'Challa accepted the challenge.**

"You aren't all up there though. So accepting the challenge in that condition doesn't seem wise." Steve said.

"No. It wasn't a wise decision looking back." T'Challa agreed sadly.

**Later, T'Challa was prepared for the challenge again as the tribal dance was done. Shuri was confident T'Challa would win. T'Challa's power was stripped away as Nakia arrived and told Okoye she had locked Ross in the office. T'Challa offered Erik one last chance and he threw down his weapons, only to take off his vest and shirt, revealing his scars, "I lived my entire life waitin' for this moment. I trained, I lied, I killed...just to get here. I killed in America, Afghanistan...Iraq. I took life from my own brothers and sisters right here on this continent. And all this death...just so I could kill you."**

"So much anger and hatred." Natasha said, disturbed.

"There are always people like that." Clint said.

**They fought as T'Challa wielded spear and shield and Erik wielded sword and spear. They were evenly matched, though T'Challa was taken aback by his skill and speed. They were in a deadlock before they continued fighting, T'Challa blocking Erik's blows before tripping him.**

"Tell me you won." Aunt May said but T'Challa didn't say a word.

**T'Challa asked Erik to yield but he got up and they continued as T'Challa grazed his cheek a bit. As the fight continued, T'Challa was kicked down. He got back up but was grazed on the thigh and then on the wrist, disarming him to everyone's shock. He tried to attack but was stabbed on the side of the abdomen while everyone gasped.**

All the viewers gasped as well while T'Challa watched with tense breaths.

**Erik ripped the sword out and punched T'Challa down, about to kill him for his father when Zuri stopped him, saying he was the reason and to kill him.**

"Oh no!" Hill said as everyone realized what was coming.

**Erik said he'd kill them both and stabbed him to everyone's horror. He died as T'Challa screamed in agony.**

T'Challa closed his eyes as a tear dropped, remembering his good friend.

"I am sorry." Steve said as all looked at him in sympathy.

**T'Challa attacked in a rage but was beaten down again as Erik said their king and Black Panther was nothing. He attacked again but Erik lifted him up and carrying him to the waterfall, threw him down as Ramonda, Shuri, Nakia and Okoye all watched in horror and the former screamed.**

"Oh God!" Steve said as all watched with dropped jaws.

"How did you beat him then?" Tony asked.

"Throwing me off was a mistake." T'Challa said.

"No body, so there's always a chance." Odinson said and they nodded.

**Nakia led Ramonda and Shuri away as a conflicted Okoye watched. Erik said he was king now as one Elder put a necklace around him. Everyone then saluted to him.**

"That's not good at all." Bucky said.

"Nope!" Sam said.

"Like Your Highness said, his vision is not good for the world." Logan said.

"No kidding." Bruce agreed.

**Later, Nakia and Okoye hugged in a room as the former confirmed Ramonda and Shuri were safe. Nakia wanted Okoye to come with them but she said while her heart was with them, she was loyal to the throne and pointed out Erik was of royal blood and had killed T'Challa in ritual combat, infuriating Nakia.**

"She is conflicted." Steve said.

"Many who are under a bad king face such conflicts." Thor said, "Will you remain loyal to the king or do the greater good?"

"Well, I'd just play Jaime Lannister in such a situation." Tony said.

"The choice is never easy." Pepper said.

"No, it is not." T'Challa agreed, holding no ill will towards Okoye, especially since the Dora Milaje had fought against Erik in the end.

**Nakia said Okoye was Wakanda's greatest warrior and asked help in overthrowing Erik but she said she wasn't a spy and was loyal to the throne, no matter who sat upon it. Nakia said she'd save her country and walked away.**

"What are they going to do now?" Peter asked.

"Something even I didn't expect." T'Challa said.

**Nakia walked to Everett and told him T'Challa was dead before tossing him a shawl and asking him to come with her. He wore the shawl and they walked away.**

"Now he got involved in the entire mess too. Poor guy." Fury said.

**Erik was lying in the red sand as the Heart-Shaped Herb was prepared.**

"Now he is undergoing the rituals." Bucky sighed, "Wonder if his father is on the ancestral plane."

**Ramonda and Shuri were in the forest as the latter burst into tears, missing T'Chaka and T'Challa. Ramonda heard a sound and drew her dagger but saw it was Nakia with Everett. Nakia said Everett was T'Challa's friend and had saved her life so Ramonda lowered her dagger and was told Okoye and the Dora Milaje would serve the new king of Wakanda, to her and Shuri's shock. Nakia asked them to wait and ran further while Ramonda mused what had happened to Wakanda.**

"Lot of bad shit, unfortunately." Sam said.

**The Shaman gave Erik the Heart-Shaped Herb to give him the Black Panther's powers and to send him to the ancestral plane as he was buried in the red sand. He closed his eyes, remembering the Wakandan jet flying off. He had run into the apartment, only to see his father dead. He remembered sobbing and cradling his dead body.**

Everyone could feel sympathy for Erik right now. Even if what he was doing was wrong, they could understand why he was doing it. And everyone who had lost a parent found themselves relating to Erik there.

The only reason they hadn't fallen like him was because they had a support system, unlike him.

**Erik then found himself in front of the same apartment and walked inside, finding a book. He turned the pages to see words written in Xhosa as well as English until he found the ring and wore it. N'Jobu was then on the table, asking him what he had told him about going through his things. Erik was suddenly a little child again.**

"I had no idea the ancestral plane could work like that." T'Challa said, shocked at how Erik was in Oakland instead of Africa.

"It works in many ways most people do not know." Odinson said, knowing he'd have to explain to the others that the dimension the Masters of the Mystic Arts tapped into was actually this Astral Plane.

**Erik said he'd found N'Jobu's home and N'Jobu said he'd given him the key, hoping he'd find it. Erik showed his gums as N'Jobu said the sunsets there were beautiful but he wouldn't be welcome there as they'd consider him lost, though he was right here. N'Jobu asked if there'd be no tears for him and Erik said everybody died and that was life around them.**

"Hardships have made him pretty wise." Odinson said sadly, "If only he was just a little wiser."

"Yes." T'Challa agreed.

**And then Erik was an adult again, the king of Wakanda. N'Jobu said he should have taken him back long ago but they were abandoned now. Erik said his home was the one that was lost which is why they couldn't find them.**

Everyone could still feel some sympathy for Erik in spite of his actions.

**Erik then awoke with gasps and got out of the sand as the Shaman told him to calm down. He was told the Heart-Shaped Herb did all of that so it'd be ready when the time for another king came. He told her to burn it all and when she protested, he lifted her by the throat, telling her he meant it.**

"What the hell?" Rhodes asked as everyone watched in shock.

"He doesn't want opposition." Loki told him, "Which is why he's doing that."

**Nakia watched from a tunnel in the corner and sneaking towards the garden, took one Heart-Shaped Herb while it was burnt as Erik watched.**

"There goes down our old Wakanda." T'Challa said.

**Erik then walked into the throne room and sat down, saying black folk never had fire power to fight oppression where he was from.**

Sam and Rhodes could understand where he was coming from. But the answer to oppression was never more oppression.

**Erik said they'd give Vibranium weapons to the War Dogs who would arm the people against those in power. Everyone would know the truth about them and the world would start over with them on top. The sun would never set on Wakanda. Okoye protested, saying Wakanda had survived by fighting only when necessary.**

"Like father used to say." Odinson said and all nodded.

**W'Kabi said the world was changing and catching up and soon, they'd be conquerors or conquered. He'd rather be the former. He told the others to get to it.**

"He's siding with that guy?" Wanda asked in shock.

"He gave him Klaue. I didn't. Vengeance has consumed him, just like it almost consumed me." T'Challa said.

**Nakia, Ramonda, Shuri and Everett walked together as the former said they were taking the Heart-Shaped Herb to Jabariland.**

"To the Jabbari?" Steve asked and nods followed.

"They had no other choice." T'Challa said.

**Nakia explained the Herb's properties to Everett as Ramonda said they'd create a bigger monster by giving the Herb to M'Baku and she should take it but she was a spy without an army so she'd be no use.**

"People can always surprise you." T'Challa said, thinking of M'Baku while the others wondered.

**That was when several of the Jabbari arrived. Nakia told Everett to look down and he did as the Jabbari surrounded the four of them.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said.

"Damn it!" Sam said.

"This doesn't look good." Rhodes said.

"That's where they were headed anyway." Tony looked at the bright side.

"Now they have to convince them." Steve said.

"It's gonna get pretty complicated now." Logan said, "And then uncomplicated."

Everyone continued watching the recording.

* * *

**And done. I think I might finish this movie with one more chapter.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	74. I am not dead!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. I have no idea why that wasn't pointed out. W'Kabi really is a traitor then. Yes, T'Challa would have destroyed Erik if he wasn't conflicted in the moment due to the revelation. Yes, but the characters don't know how the ancestral plane works. The Astral Plane from Doctor Strange actually is the Ancestral Plane in this movie. Guess so. Glad you liked the GOT reference and I thought that too on Tywin's line. No, Killmonger isn't. Thanks for the correction. Yes, W'Kabi is an awful friend. Yes, onto the ending. Enjoy.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Yes, I'm thinking of a joke like that.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. Probably angry. Especially since T'Chaka was collateral damage in the bombing. If I was Erik, I'd sure be angry at Zemo. **

Chapter 74- I am not dead!

"He's gonna be hard to convince." Tony said.

"Let us see, Mr. Stark." T'Challa said.

**The four were brought to M'Baku as Ramonda told him T'Challa was murdered in ritual combat. M'Baku said it was a defeat instead of a murder. Shuri told him not rub their noses but M'Baku silenced her.**

"Please, do not make fun of him, little sister." T'Challa said in worry, knowing the Jabbari didn't like being insulted much.

"She's like you." Pepper said to Tony and both chuckled.

**Everett tried to explain about Erik but was silenced too by the entire tribe as M'Baku said he'd be fed to his children if he said another word.**

"Really?" Steve asked as the others looked shocked and disgusted.

"No one in Wakanda practices cannibalism. Not even the Jabbari." T'Challa said.

"So he's joking." Peter realized.

"Just scaring him." Logan said.

**M'Baku said he was kidding and they were vegetarians, followed by hysterical laughter.**

Everyone laughed weirdly as Scott said, "Worst fake laugh ever by me."

"Better than mine." Hope said.

**Nakia kneeled and presented him the Heart-Shaped Herb, saying only he could stop the outsider. Ramonda kneeled too followed by Everett and Shuri. M'Baku stood up and told them to come with him as he walked past them.**

"Looks like he's got something." Fury said.

"Oh he has." T'Challa smirked.

"Something very awesome." Benjamin said.

**He led them to a tent outside where to their shock, T'Challa lay in the snow.**

"What?" Sam asked.

"Damn!" Rhodes said.

"Wow!" Peter said.

"How did you….?" Tony trailed off.

"Yes, they saved me." T'Challa said.

"Which means M'Baku isn't all bad after all." Bucky said.

"Shocking, but nice to know." Aunt May said.

"And then there is me." Loki joked and all chuckled.

"You'll see how he survived." Odinson said.

**They kneeled close to him as M'Baku said he was in a coma and a fisherman of theirs had found him and brought him here. He was in the snow because that was the only thing keeping him alive. He'd be dead in seconds if taken out. **

"Bummer." Hill said.

"They have something." Thor pointed out.

**Nakia handed the Heart-Shaped Herb to Ramonda who managed to grind it and calling upon the ancestors, fed it to him as M'Baku looked at Everett who looked away nervously.**

Everyone chuckled a bit.

**They buried him in the snow and chanted 'Praise the ancestors' in Xhosa.**

"I hope that works." Natasha said.

**T'Challa suddenly found himself in the ancestral plane again, wearing a white kingly robe with black stripes on it. T'Chaka arrived and said it was time for them to be reunited. The other ancestors were there too.**

"This is gonna be interesting." Clint muttered to himself.

**T'Challa said T'Chaka was wrong to abandon Erik. T'Chaka said he had chosen his people and omitted Erik. He was about to defend himself more when T'Challa exploded, "YOU WERE WRONG! ALL OF YOU WERE WRONG! To turn your backs on the rest of the world! We let the fear of our discovery stop us from doing what is right! No more! I cannot stay here with you. I cannot rest while he sits on the throne. He is a monster of our own making. I must take the mantle back. I must! I must right these wrongs."**

Everyone's eyes were wide and shining with respect for T'Challa. It took a lot of courage to tell an entire line of ancestors that they were wrong about something.

"Okay, please don't take this the wrong way, Your Highness." Tony said respectfully, "But you had globes of Vibranium to do that."

Everyone chuckled a bit but found his comparison agreeable as T'Challa smiled, "Thank you, Mr. Stark. I am flattered."

"No really, what you did took a lot of courage. Standing up to them all wouldn't have been easy." Steve said too with respect shining in his eyes.

"Even I never had the courage to do something like that." Thor said, "At least not to my father's face."

"Just one thing though, doesn't abandoning Erik endanger the isolationist policy?" Scott pointed out and everyone realized he was right.

"Another reason why my father should have taken him in." T'Challa said. [1]

**T'Challa awoke with gasps as Ramonda, Shuri and Nakia gasped in joy and hugged him while M'Baku nodded with head lowered. T'Challa asked for a blanket and they went off to get it happily.**

Everyone clapped happily as Bruce said, "Yes!"

"Erik is going down now." Bucky said.

"Damn right!" Fury agreed.

**Ramonda, Shuri, Nakia and Everett explained the situation with Killmonger to T'Challa and he told Everett to get Ramonda and Shuri out of Wakanda while he will continue the challenge. Ramonda said they wouldn't leave Wakanda and Shuri said no one will be safe if Killmonger gets his hands on their technology. She then took out the silver necklace and put it around his neck.**

"Oh she is resourceful. I really like her." Loki said.

"Yes. Now you have what you need." Natasha agreed.

"And we have to go back." T'Challa said.

"**The Black Panther lives. And when he fights for the fate of Wakanda...I will be right there beside him." Shuri said. "As will I." Nakia said. "I'm in, too." Everett said as they turned to him, "What? You're gonna need all the help you can get." M'Baku yawned loudly and asked if they were done.**

Everyone laughed at his antics.

**The others walked out as T'Challa thanked M'Baku who said he repaid T'Challa for sparing him. T'Challa requested him to let Ramonda stay and he agreed but refused to give his army when T'Challa asked. T'Challa said it was for all of them but M'Baku pointed out he was the first king to come there in centuries. T'Challa said he wouldn't speak for past kings but an enemy was on the throne and if Killmonger got the Vibranium, he'd come for Jabariland next. M'Baku still refused and T'Challa walked away.**

Everyone sighed as Hill said, "That sucks."

"I'm expecting some kind of entry now." Tony said and T'Challa smirked.

**In Wakanda, the weapons were put into jets as W'Kabi said the War Dogs in Hong Kong, London and New York were ready. Erik said they'll strike there first and commented on the handheld sonic cannon that could stop a tank and was untraceable by metal detectors. They had many of those and the world would find out who they were soon as a jet flew off but soon, exploded and fell on the ground in pieces as the others looked in shock.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said.

"Looks like someone is here." Scott said.

"They're gonna get their asses kicked." Logan said.

"Right you are." T'Challa said.

"Can't wait." Wanda smiled.

**From the wreckage, T'Challa climbed out in his Panther Habit and retracted the mask, overjoying Okoye. He called out to Erik, calling him N'Jadaka. Erik greeted him and he declared, "I never yielded! And as you can see, I am not dead!"**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily as Bucky said, "And now Erik is gonna get his!"

"Finally!" Hope said.

"He still needs an army." Thor pointed out and the atmosphere was a bit tense again.

"Just watch." T'Challa said.

**Erik said the challenge was over and he was king, ordering the others to get the jets in the air. They did as commanded as Shuri, Nakia and Everett snuck into the lab in disguise. Okoye pointed out the challenge wasn't complete but W'Kabi ordered the Border Tribe to charge at T'Challa and they did.**

"Vengeance really has consumed him." Steve said.

"Sadly." T'Challa said.

**Okoye told Erik his heart was full of hatred and he was unworthy to be king. Erik's own Black Panther suit with the golden necklace appeared around him.**

"Man, that suit is awesome!" Tony said.

"Reminds me of your new suit." Benjamin said and he smirked.

**Okoye told Ayo to help T'Challa and she and some other Dora Milaje charged as the rest engaged Erik who managed to hold his own with his Panther Habit and Vibranium swords. The jet fired at T'Challa as the Border Tribe activated their shields but T'Challa leapt into the air and landing on the ground, punched hard, with the kinetic energy taking everyone down. He then grabbed a spear and threw it at the jet, taking it down too.**

Everyone clapped as Clint said, "I really want that bow."

Everyone chuckled at his antics.

**The Dora Milaje engaged the Border Tribe, taking them down as T'Challa disarmed W'Kabi and kicked him away, begging him to stop. But he climbed a rock and blew a horn and then White Rhinoceros arrived and charged.**

"Motherfu-" Fury trailed off again.

"Damn man!" Scott said.

"They got the big guns." Steve sighed.

**T'Challa avoided a charging Rhino as W'Kabi jumped on it while the others threw Dora Milaje around. Nakia, Shuri and Everett reached the lab as Shuri handed Everett the Kimoyo Beads to control the Royal Talon and gave him comms, telling him she'd guide him and said it was like riding a hoverbike.**

"You really have one? How does it work?" Peter asked.

"I will tell you sometime, Mr. Parker." T'Challa said.

**In spite of Nakia's protests, Shuri made her wear Dora Milaje armor and they ran out, wishing Everett luck.**

"You're gonna need it." Hill said.

**The Dora Milaje continued fighting Erik until he grabbed one and held his sword to her throat. She said 'Wakanda Forever' and he sliced her throat, killing her.**

Everyone looked saddened as T'Challa closed his eyes and sent up a prayer for her.

**Okoye roared in grief and rage and they continued fighting Erik as Shuri and Nakia, now dressed in Dora Milaje armor, ran out and Shuri used her Vibranium gauntlets to send two men flying.**

"Wow!" Peter said as the others clapped.

**She then threw a Remote Access Kimoyo Bead at the Royal Talon and it activated as Everett took his auto-pilot seat, being told it was made American style for him. He started the Royal Talon and it flew off as Nakia and Shuri cheered.**

"Yes!" Tony said as all cheered again.

**T'Challa grabbed a Rhino's horn and managed to flip it down as the Dora Milaje trapped Erik between their spears and electrocuted him, sending him to his knees, trying to get the necklace off, but he used his kinetic energy output to send them all flying and they fell in the battlefield.**

"Shit!" Sam said as the others sighed.

"They fought well." T'Challa said.

**Nakia then declared 'Wakanda Forever' and charged Erik with her chakrams though he avoided and then Shuri fired her gauntlets, sending him back. Everett took one jet down but the others turned towards him and started firing at him. T'Challa took more men down but a charging Rhino sent him flying off. Nakia hit Erik with her chakams and disarmed him of one sword but he hit her thigh with his claws.**

T'Challa gasped and tensed as the others watched with bated breaths.

**Erik threw her off as Shuri fired a powerful blast at him, sending him to his knees but he picked up a broken spear and hit her gauntlets, damaging them and threw her down as T'Challa was hit by more men but on seeing Shuri down with Erik standing over her, he used his kinetic energy to send them all down. Shuri told Erik he won't be a true king and then T'Challa leapt at him, sending them both into the mines as they landed down while exchanging blows.**

"So it begins." Steve said as the others watched, tense again.

**They fought as Erik threw T'Challa away but he clung on with his claws on the sonic stabilizer to save himself and managed to leap back down.**

"Okay, now you're just copying me." Logan said as Benjamin and Odinson chuckled.

"You did something like that?" T'Challa asked.

"Yes. On the Statue of Liberty's crown." Logan said all seemed shocked at that. [2]

**The two punched each other and the kinetic energy sent them both flying back. T'Challa told Shuri to call the train. Shuri said the stabilizer would deactivate his suit but T'Challa said it would deactivate Erik's too.**

"Smart. Both of you." Tony said as T'Challa smirked.

**Shuri called the train as T'Challa kicked Erik to the other side. The suits deactivated as Erik said he didn't need a suit to kill T'Challa and his reign was over. T'Challa said he wanted them to become like the people he hated so much and divide and conquer.**

"I faced racism for half of my life." Sam said as the others looked at him in sympathy, "I didn't turn into a homicidal maniac."

"Amen brother." Rhodes said and the two smiled at each other as the others had respect for the two in their eyes.

**Erik said he learnt from his enemies as T'Challa said he had become them and was going to destroy the world. Erik said the world had taken everything from him and he would track down anyone loyal to T'Challa and put them in the dirt next to Zuri. The two roared as the train passed and rushed each other.**

"It's on." Loki said.

**Shuri ran to Nakia and both were still good to go so they rejoined the fight while a jet attacked the lab so the hologram was deactivated and the glass integrity was just 50%. Everett asked to be put back in in spite of Shuri's protests and continued fighting the jets.**

"He's brave." Hill muttered.

**Nakia and Shuri joined the fight, taking down some of the Border Tribe but then they were all surrounded along with Okoye and the Dora Milaje between the Border Tribe's energy shields. W'Kabi gave them three seconds to stand down but was cut off by howling in the distance.**

"Are they who I think they are?" Scott asked as the others realized who had come.

"Right you are, Mr. Lang." T'Challa smiled.

**M'Baku lifted W'Kabi off his Rhino and announced, "Witness the might of the Jabbari, first hand!" He threw W'Kabi away as the Jabbari Tribe attacked, taking down the Border Tribe swiftly.**

Everyone clapped as T'Challa said, "Finally!"

**T'Challa and Erik fought as another train arrived and the former was kicked to the other side as their suits deactivated again momentarily. As the train passed, Erik picked the broken spear and the two charged again while Everett was still in the lab. Glass integrity was just 15% now. Two jets attached grapple hooks to the Royal Talon to stop Everett and on Shuri's instructions, he made an 'X' with his arms and broke it, causing an explosion that destroyed the two jets.**

Everyone clapped as Peter said, "That was awesome!"

"Yup." Benjamin agreed.

**The system managed to reboot just before the Royal Talon fell and Everett rammed it into the last jet, destroying both the aircrafts as the glass was destroyed and he ran off. **

Everyone sighed in relief as Steve said, "At least the weapons are dealt with."

"Which leaves the bad guys inside." Tony said.

**M'Baku was beating down his foes as W'Kabi charged him on a Rhino but Okoye stepped in the way and recognizing her, it stopped and licked her face.**

Everyone sighed in relief as Scott said, "Advantages of having pets."

Everyone chuckled at his joke.

**W'Kabi got down and Okoye asked him to drop his weapon. He asked if she'd kill him. "For Wakanda?" She asked and then pointed her spear at him, "Without question."**

Everyone's eyes were shining with respect for Okoye. Ready to stand against her own husband whom she loved for her country? That took a lot of courage.

"She is not just a warrior due to her skill. But also due to her heart and sense of duty." Thor said and everyone nodded in agreement.

"She'd be a great shield-maiden for Asgard." Odinson said and they all agreed.

"Her and Sif would get along pretty well too." Loki said and everyone agreed again.

**W'Kabi looked around at all the fighting and realizing how much he had fallen, dropped his weapon and got on his knees. Seeing that, his army surrendered.**

Everyone sighed in relief again as Steve said, "Now that just leaves Erik."

"Yeah." Logan said.

**T'Challa and Erik fought as another train arrived. T'Challa grabbed Erik's hand and they struggled for the spear. T'Challa was almost pushed to the edge but just as the train passed, he pushed Erik back and as they flipped, the spear flew into the air. T'Challa managed to catch it and just before Erik's suit could reactivate, he stabbed him near the heart and he gasped.**

Everyone watched, tense.

**They retracted their masks as Erik said it was one hell of a move and said his father had promised to show him Wakanda one day. T'Challa helped him up and moved him outside on a hill where they saw a sunset. "It's beautiful." Erik said. T'Challa said they could heal him but he didn't want to be held prisoner. He wanted to be buried in the ocean like his ancestors who had jumped from ships because they knew death was better than bondage. With that, he breathed his last and died. T'Challa kneeled close to him and put his body in the position of a dead warrior.**

"That was an honorable thing to do." Thor said, "Respecting the dying wish of your opponent."

T'Challa nodded in appreciation, "Wakanda still believes in the old ways."

"So does Asgard." Odinson said.

**Soon, everything was back to normal. Farmers worked in their farms. Villagers worked near their homes. T'Challa walked into his court and everyone stood up on seeing him, including M'Baku, while the Dora Milaje did their salute.**

"The Return of the King." Hope said and all cheered and clapped as T'Challa smiled.

**T'Challa and Nakia were in a village later as he thanked her for saving everyone but she said it was her duty to fight for what she loved. T'Challa then kissed her and she kissed back. He asked her to stay and they kissed again passionately.**

"Finally!" Tony said as all cheered while T'Challa blushed.

**Later, near the same apartment where N'Jobu and Erik used to live, some others kids played basketball as Shuri said she'd thought T'Challa would take her to Disneyland. T'Challa said this was where T'Chaka had killed N'Jobu. Shuri said they were tearing it down but T'Challa said he had bought it and other buildings in the vicinity.**

"Why? Trying to be me or something?" Tony asked and all chuckled.

"No Mr. Stark." T'Challa said.

**T'Challa said this was to be the first Wakandan International Outreach Center. Nakia would oversee the social outreach and Shuri would spearhead the science and information exchange, overjoying her as she thought he was joking but he wasn't. T'Challa pressed the Kimoyo Beads and the Wakandan jet appeared, awing the kids who wondered what to do with it. T'Challa and Shuri did the salute as the latter walked towards the jet, telling the kids about it as one kid who resembled a young Erik asked T'Challa if it was his. He nodded and the kid was awed before asking who he was. T'Challa smirked as the screen went black.**

"And soon, Wakanda will be out in the open." Steve said.

"Yes. It will be." T'Challa said.

"Man that was something!" Tony said.

**In the United Nations, Vienna, Austria, T'Challa, Okoye, Nakia and Ayo walked together to give a speech. Everett watched from behind and smirked as T'Challa gave his speech, "My name is King T'Challa...son of King T'Chaka. I am the sovereign ruler of the nation of Wakanda. And for the first time in our history...we will be sharing our knowledge and resources...with the outside world. Wakanda will no longer watch from the shadows. We cannot. We must not. We will work to be an example of how we...as brothers and sisters on this earth...should treat each other. Now, more than ever...the illusions of division threaten our very existence. We all know the truth. More connects us than separates us. But in times of crisis...the wise build bridges...while the foolish build barriers. We must find a way...to look after one another...as if we were one, single tribe." One world leader asked what a nation of farmers could offer the rest of the world. The others all discussed in murmurs as the four Wakandans and Everett smirked while pictures were clicked. The screen went black.**

"Oh a lot of stuff you never even dreamt of in your wildest dreams." Pepper said.

"I have to say though, I did believe there will be some negative consequences to this." T'Challa said.

"There might be." Steve said.

"I know." T'Challa said, "Let them come."

"Now one more scene." Benjamin said.

**Three children with painted faces looked down on someone. As he stirred, they ran out to Shuri who asked if they were playing with that man again. She told them not to tease him as he must rest and sent them somewhere else as the man, who was none other than the one-armed Bucky Barnes, walked out. "Good morning, Sergeant Barnes." She said as they looked at the water. "Bucky." He said politely. "How are you feeling?" She asked. "Good." He said, "Thank you." She chuckled softly and said, "Come. Much more for you to learn." She walked past him as he continued looking at the water. The screen went black.**

"So I made a cameo after all." Bucky joked and all snickered.

"I'll have to thank Shuri when I meet her." Steve said.

"Oh me too." Natasha smiled.

"So that ends my journey I believe." T'Challa said.

"Yes, Your Highness." Logan said.

"So who is next then?" Vision asked.

"Me." Benjamin said before turning to Peter, "Us."

"Really?" Peter asked, feeling a bit nervous.

"Oh don't be shy." Aunt May said and he smiled.

"We are all here to support you, kid." Tony said, "And don't pay attention to my earlier treatment of you. I can treat you much better than that."

"You can." Benjamin agreed, remembering he had treated him far better during Thanos' attack.

"Well then, let's begin." Odinson said.

"With pleasure." Logan said as he turned on the recording.

* * *

**And done. Got to admit, I can understand why this movie managed to become such a cultural phenomenon. It did deal with deep, serious themes after all.**

**[1] Wakanda had an isolationist policy, and leaving Erik just like that only endangers it. Is T'Chaka an idiot or something?**

**[2] Remember that scene in the first X-Men where Sabretooth threw Logan away and he used his claws to cling onto the Statue of Liberty's crown and climb back up? Was I the only one who was reminded of that by T'Challa clinging onto the sonic stabilizer with his claws? Just me? Okay.**

**With that done, we will move on to…..*Smashes head on glass till glass shatters* Spider-Man: Homecoming. Well, hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with that movie.**


	75. Peter Parker

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And with this chapter, we begin with Spider-Man: Homecoming, the MCU's first Spider-Man movie and the sixth one overall.**

**Well, here goes.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. I think First Class would have happened and the 1****st**** two movies would have happened differently. The Wolverine may or may not have happened.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. No, Tony isn't responsible for Toomes being a criminal. That's on him. Though Toomes did have legal right to compensation. But turning into a criminal is on Toomes, not Tony.**

**Guestie: Thanks for the review. Yes, I'd love those movies too.**

**Knox: Thanks for the review. Me too.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. You will see. Glad it was great. Batman might be too on the nose so I will refer to another of Keaton's movie roles.**

Chapter 75- Peter Parker

"So, my origins or anything?" Peter asked.

"We already told our origins here." Benjamin reminded.

"So….no origins then." Peter sighed.

"Oh you're gonna be so popular people won't even need to find out about your origins." Tony said and he smiled.

"Let's get started." Logan said and started the recording.

**A man looked at a drawing of the six Avengers by his daughter fighting the Chitauri and said things would never be the same with all the things happening. When he was a kid, he used to draw cowboys.**

"Good ol' days." Natasha said as she looked at the drawing and the others chuckled.

"Yeah. Now I miss 'em." Steve said.

"You never know what you have till it's gone." Clint said.

"No kidding." Bruce agreed.

"We can have it all back. And even better than before." Thor assured.

"Oh I hope you do." Odinson said.

**The man's face was revealed.**

"Oh! Him!" Peter said.

"Adrian Toomes." Tony sighed.

"The Vulture." Pepper said.

"Man, this guy looks like that Dogberry from the Much Ado About Nothing movie." Sam said and all noted the resemblance.

"Yeah, I see it too." Rhodes said.

"Unfortunately, he is not stupid like Dogberry." Aunt May said.

**Adrian's friend commented his kid had a future as he oversaw cleanup work near the damaged Stark Tower, telling one guy he couldn't saw through the Chitauri Chariot and to use their tech. One guy arrived late and he blamed his alarm when a woman arrived with other people, saying cleanup was under their jurisdiction now.**

"Uh-oh." Scott said.

"So, jobs gone?" Hope asked.

With a sigh, Tony said, "Yeah."

**She said they were qualified personnel. Toomes begged, saying he had a city contract and they all had families to feed. The woman simply apologized and asked them to turn over any alien materials they had.**

"As if anyone would do that." Fury said.

**One man told Toomes not to overextend himself, only to get a punch to the face.**

"Never make fun of a desperate guy." Hill said.

**The others with the woman pointed guns at him as the woman told him to take up grievances with their superiors. Adrian asked who they were.**

"Me." Tony said.

**Later, they watched the news as it said a joint venture between Stark Industries and the government had formed the Department of Damage Control to oversee collection and storage of alien and other exotic materials. Adrian then got up and said they'd keep the alien technology as the world was changing.**

"And here goes." Peter said.

"Don't blame yourself too much Tony." Steve said on noticing his expression.

"Yes, don't." Pepper said, "You should have compensated them as they had every right to compensation. But them turning into criminals is not on you."

Tony smiled and nodded in appreciation.

**4 years later, the workers were all criminals now as they worked on the weapons, sent them around to sell and tested them. A man flew down, wearing an Exo-Suit with wings. He landed and the suit went down to reveal Adrian Toomes.**

"Man! I am jealous!" Sam said and the others snickered at his reaction.

"Well, they used alien technology. Yours was human." Bucky pointed out.

"Right." Sam said, "Wonder who'll win between us."

**Adrian said business was good.**

"Of course." Benjamin said.

**And then appeared the words- 'A Film By Peter Parker.'**

"By you?" Wanda asked.

"Uhhhh….yeah." Peter said.

**Someone was shown recording a video on phone and said New York, Queens was home in spite of being a rough borough. Someone asked him who he was talking to. It was Happy Hogan, who was driving. Peter said he was just making a video of the trip.**

"Ah!" Bucky said, "Nice kid."

"Thanks." Peter said.

**Happy asked why he was narrating when he couldn't show anyone and he said it was fun.**

Everyone chuckled as Benjamin said, "Yeah, I do a lot of stuff for fun."

**Peter asked why they called him Happy but he put the mirror in their center.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Later, they went into a private plane and Happy said a bathroom was on it. They walked in and Peter was amazed by it not needing pilot. Later, as Happy slept, Peter stood over him and startled him.**

Everyone burst into laughter as Tony said, "Nice one, kid."

**Later, Peter was brought into a hotel where he said he had no idea why he was there and it was just something about Captain America going crazy.**

"Uhhhh….you told him I was crazy?" Steve asked Tony.

"No. I just said Cap's wrong, he thinks he's right, and that makes him dangerous." Tony said.

"I was exaggerating. Sorry." Peter said to Steve.

**Later, Peter was let into a room next to Happy and later, he was in his own homemade suit, saying he'd got this. Happy then arrived and led him through a secret closet to another room where there was a case and it opened to reveal his new suit, which he found the coolest thing ever.**

Everyone chuckled at his excitement as Benjamin said, "The suit was pretty awesome so thanks for that."

Tony shrugged.

**Later, Peter was hidden behind a crate in the airport as Tony, Natasha, Rhodes and T'Challa confronted Steve and an excited Peter looked at them, though he didn't know T'Challa.**

"The Black Panther. Newcomer." T'Challa smiled.

**Then Tony called out to him and he said he had to go as he leapt up and used his webbing to take Steve's shield, "Hey everyone."**

"Very nice, kid." Steve said and he blushed.

**Later, Peter was swinging around as he excitedly said he had stolen Steve's shield and thrown it back at him. He then looked behind to see Scott in his Giant-Man form holding Rhodes and said he was big now before swinging away as Scott threw Rhodes.**

"Yeah. I'm really big now." Scott said.

"This is embarrassing." Rhodes muttered and everyone snickered.

**Later, Peter was in his room, excitedly telling everyone about his role at the airport fight when Happy arrived. Peter flipped off the bed.**

"Wow!" Wanda said.

"Uhhhh….enhanced abilities." Peter blushed.

"You're great at what you do, kid." Sam told him.

**Happy said they had thin walls. Later, Peter was in the car with Tony who noticed the video diary and said he'd do the same thing. He said they should do an alibi video and then said he hoped May was wearing something skimpy.**

Tony realized he was being glared at by almost everyone in the room, May's being the hardest.

"You're hitting on her in front of her nephew?" Rhodes asked, "Dude, that's creepy."

"You're right. Sorry May." Tony said but she wasn't convinced as he turned back to the recording.

**Tony said it was inappropriate and they restarted, with him telling May how everyone was impressed by Peter at the internship and as the car skidded a bit, Tony said Happy was his driver before becoming head of security but Happy said he didn't like joking about this.**

Everyone chuckled as Pepper said, "Poor Happy."

**They stopped near his apartment as Happy took Peter's case but he said he'd take it himself. Tony told Peter Happy was his point guy and not to stress him out. He told Peter not do anything he would or wouldn't do and operate in the grey area in the middle. Peter excitedly asked if he was an Avenger but Tony said he wasn't yet. Peter asked when the next mission was and Tony said someone would call him before proceeding to give him what looked like a hug. Peter hugged back but was told this wasn't a hug and he was just opening the door for him as they weren't there yet. Peter walked out as Tony bid farewell and Happy drove off as Peter excitedly said they'd call him.**

"They're not going to call me." Peter said, "And I shouldn't have thought about it either."

"Yeah, we let being an Avenger get to our heads." Benjamin said.

"Just like I let being a king get to mine." Odinson sighed.

"Yeah. But no more." Thor said.

**2 months later, Peter was in public transport as he messaged Happy about the new mission. He had sent him several messages, numbering almost 100 in the last two months.**

"And now you've stressed him out." Loki joked.

**Peter walked to Midtown High, avoiding a car driven by his bully, Flash Thompson, who called him Penis Parker.**

Aunt May glared at Flash as everyone felt sympathy for Peter.

**In Midtown News, Jason Ionello and Betty Brant talked about the Homecoming and he asked her if she had a date, to which she said she had and he looked awkward.**

Everyone chuckled as Scott said, "Teenagers."

**Peter walked up to his locker and opened it, only for a Darth Sidious LEGO to appear behind him as someone asked him to join him to build the LEGO Death Star together. Peter turned to see Ned and they were both overjoyed.**

"Ned." Aunt May said, "Sweet boy."

"Yeah." Peter and Benjamin said.

**Ned asked if they could build it tonight but Peter lied about the internship and they hoped it'd get him a real job. As Ned talked, Peter stared at Liz in the front, not listening to Ned.**

Everyone chuckled as Hope said, "Someone's got a crush."

Peter blushed as all chuckled good-naturedly.

**They were in a class as the teacher asked a question. Flash gave an answer which was wrong. Peter was watching a video of Spider-Man on YouTube but when asked, gave the right answer as the teacher told Flash being the fastest wasn't the best.**

"His name means he has to be fast though." Tony joked and all chuckled.

**In the lab, Peter used chemicals to make his webbing but the chemical overflowed so he threw it away.**

"Still impressive, Mr. Parker." T'Challa said and he was overjoyed again.

**Later, Peter and Ned were staring at Liz putting up the Homecoming sign as Peter asked if she was wearing a new top but Ned said it was her skirt. Peter said they shouldn't stare as it'd look creepy but Michelle said they were losers. They asked why she sat with them and it was because she didn't have friends.**

Everyone chuckled as Hope said, "Yeah. I was also the odd one as a teenager."

"I knew it!" Scott said.

**At the Decathlon rehearsal, Liz asked questions as Peter told Roger Harrington he couldn't make it.**

"Ah! Your teacher! The guy I gave a pizza." Bruce said and Peter smiled.

"Yes. Small world." Peter said.

**Flash commented how Peter was never in the same room as Tony Stark.**

"False." Tony said and all chuckled.

**Everyone was bummed Peter wasn't going to Washington as Michelle said he'd already quit marching band and robotics lab. Everyone stared at her as she said she wasn't obsessed, just observant.**

"Oh really?" Benjamin asked and all snickered.

**Liz said Flash was his stand-in but he joked he had a hot date with Black Widow coming up as Abraham pressed the bell and said false but was told by Roger not to use it for comedic purposes.**

"In your dreams, kid." Natasha said and all chuckled again.

**Peter later walked out and leapt over the gate, going to a grocery and greeting Mr. Delmar, asking for a sandwich. He asked how his aunt was, calling her a hot Italian woman in Italian. Peter asked in Italian how his daughter was and he shut up.**

Everyone laughed as Aunt May said, "I'm so proud."

"Thanks." Peter said.

**Peter was asked for 10 dollars due to the comment but said he was joking and gave him 5, petting his cat and said school was boring. Delmar told him to stay in school or he'd end up like him. Peter said this was great as he had the best sandwiches in Queens and taking one, ran into an alley. He took off his clothes there and taking out his suit, put it on.**

"Uhhhhhh, kid, anyone can see you changing in there." Steve said and he gapped.

"Uhhhh…..stupid mistake." Peter said, "Won't make it again."

**Peter realized the configuration was haywire and corrected it before leaping up, jumping and swinging.**

"Good morning, New York." Benjamin said.

**Peter jumped in front of a thief who was getting away on a bicycle and jokingly asked him to hold his web before it hung him in the air as he asked everyone whose bike it was and when no one answered, he took a pen and put a note, telling the owner to take the bike and if no one came, then steal it.**

Everyone laughed as Hill said, "You're funny."

**He leapt around, doing a flip on one citizen's request. He showed directions to an old lady and as someone walked to a car, he webbed his head and slammed it into it before webbing his hand, telling him not to steal cars but the man said it was his car as the neighbors started yelling at him from windows and an elderly man said, "Don't make me come down there, punk." He then asked another neighbor how her mother was.**

"Man, I annoyed even our old friend." Peter said about the elderly man who had appeared in the recording again.

"Think before you leap next time, kid." Bucky advised.

**Peter later swung but fell and getting up, said he was okay. He later sat on a roof and sent a message to Happy's voice mail, telling him what he had done and again asked about the mission again before cutting the call. He almost dropped a piece of tech but caught it.**

"Good save." Tony said.

"And I'm treating my job as a chore." Peter sighed.

"Yeah, we were always supposed to look after the little guy. The big stuff is occasional." Benjamin said.

**Peter then saw thieves getting into a bank and was excited. The four put on masks of Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and Hulk and used alien technology to saw through the vault when Peter appeared behind them and got their attention with a polite cough, jokingly calling them the Avengers.**

Everyone chuckled as Loki said, "Well, the Avengers are done for."

**Peter joked about them, throwing 'Thor' and 'Hulk' off.**

"Never mess with the kid." Bruce joked and all laughed.

"Nope." Thor said.

**He hung upside and joked 'Iron Man' would be more handsome in person before throwing him into 'Hulk' when 'Captain America' fired the weapon and it held Peter in place before throwing him into the others, shocking him.**

"Oh no!" Sam said as the others gapped.

"They have Chitauri technology." Vision said.

**Peter was stopped by the weapon again but used webbing to pull a shelf into 'Captain America' knocking him down as Delmar called the police and said Spider-Man was fighting the 'Avengers' before Peter webbed up 'Iron Man' but the weapon shattered the place as well as Delmar's grocery in the front. A shocked Peter jumped into the grocery and helped Delmar and his cat out before looking in shock at what had happened.**

"Think before you leap." Peter repeated Bucky's advice.

"Yup." Benjamin said.

**Happy was overseeing work with men and bots when Peter called him and tried to explain what had happened but Happy said he didn't have time for this as he was moving due to Tony having sold Avengers Tower and he hoped in the new upstate facility call service was worse.**

"Why?" Clint asked.

"Too many memories." Tony simply said.

**Happy said he was responsible for making sure Peter was when the boy realized his backpack was gone from where he had hidden it, with Happy saying it didn't sound responsible and said he was free not to call him.**

"With great power comes great responsibility." Aunt May told Peter the same thing Uncle Ben had.

"Yes. I'll follow it." Peter agreed with a nod.

"Why didn't Happy listen to you though?" Scott asked.

"Have you heard the story of the boy who used to shout that there was a wolf after his herd even when there wasn't?" T'Challa asked and they nodded, "The Elders were so fed up that when an actual wolf came, they didn't bother. Now you weren't lying or anything, Mr. Parker. But in your excitement to be an Avenger, you hounded Mr. Hogan so much he grew fed up, just like the elders in the story, and didn't listen to the real threat."

Peter nodded, realizing he was also at fault to an extent here.

**Peter snuck back into his room from the window, taking off his mask. But when he landed and turned, he saw Ned behind him who dropped his Death Star LEGO model in shock, breaking it.**

"Busted." Hope finally said.

"Can't believe I didn't notice him." Peter said.

"Got better after that." Benjamin said.

"Well, at least the Death Star is gone." Tony joked and all laughed.

**Ned was shocked as he realized Peter was Spider-Man from YouTube as Peter asked what Ned was doing in his room and he reminded about the Death Star LEGO, only for Peter to tell him he couldn't bust into his room as he took off the suit. May arrived and said the turkey meatloaf recipe was a disaster and asked if Ned would like Thai but they said he had a thing to do so she left and told Peter to put on clothes. Ned realized she didn't know.**

"No not right now." May said.

"Sorry." Peter said.

**Peter said only Tony Stark knew as he had made the suit and Ned was overjoyed that Stark had made the suit for him as he asked if Peter was an Avenger and he said he basically was, begging Ned to keep it a secret as May would freak out and he didn't want this to happen to her after everything.**

Aunt May patted Peter's head, knowing he meant well at the end.

**Ned still couldn't believe it and asked about the suit as Peter said he'd explain the next day at school and let him out. Ned asked how he managed this and the Stark Industries Internship and Peter said this was the Internship. Ned's head lit up in realization as Peter let him out.**

"Well, now he knows." Pepper said.

**Peter and May were at a Thai restaurant later as she asked if his larb was too larby or not larby enough.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Peter said he was stressed about the Internship as she told him she wasn't a fan of Tony Stark as he had got Peter in the head.**

"Don't blame you." Tony said.

**Peter and May then looked at the news of the ATM robbery he had tried to foil and they said the Delmar Grocery had been destroyed accidentally.**

"Look! A news report that is not biased! Wow!" Clint said and all agreed. If only the same had been done for Wanda.

**May told Peter to turn the other way if he saw something like that as it was just 6 blocks away from them. Peter then said he needed a new backpack, shocking May as this was his 5****th**** one.**

"Really kid?" Steve asked.

"Stupid me." Peter said.

**The waiter brought sticky rice pudding for May even though she hadn't ordered it, saying it was open house. As he walked off, Peter said he larbed her.**

Everyone laughed as Aunt May said, "What is it about me?"

**Next day, Peter and Ned were walking together in school as Peter said he had been bitten by a spider and Ned asked how much it had hurt, saying he'd have let it but Peter said the spider was dead. They saw the destroyed Delmar Grocery, shocking Ned. Throughout the day in classes, Ned asked if Peter could lay eggs, spit venom and summon an army of spiders and an embarrassed Peter said 'no' to all.**

"Lays eggs?" Hope asked in amusement and all were amused.

**In another class, Ned asked how far he could shoot his webs and he told him to shut up. Later, in gym, a video of Captain America was shown, telling them fitness could be the difference between success and failure.**

"That!" Steve said in embarrassment.

"More dirt on you." Natasha said and all laughed.

"Why did you do it though? You hated stuff like that." Bucky said.

"The principal is Morita's grandson." Steve said and all nodded.

**The instructor said Captain America was a war criminal of some kind but he was still going to show this video by taste. Ned asked if he knew him and Peter whispered he had stolen his shield.**

Everyone laughed as Steve said, "Yeah you did."

**Ned kept asking questions as they exercised and asked if he could be his guy in the chair with the headset and all that. Peter said he didn't need a guy in the chair as the coach said he looked good. The girls were discussing who to f, marry and kill in Avengers. Betty said she'd f Thor, marry Iron Man and kill Hulk.**

"Really? What's wrong with me?" Bruce asked.

"She said kill Hulk. Not Bruce." Natasha told him.

"Ironic as her name is also Betty." Benjamin said and Bruce sighed.

"Well, I must be popular." Tony joked and all chuckled.

"You're popular too, brother." Loki said to Thor as him and Odinson shook their heads.

**Liz asked about Spider-Man, telling them about his fight with the robbers. The girls said it was gross as he might be over 30.**

"And we aren't?" Tony asked.

**They said he might be seriously burnt but Liz said she'd love him for who he's inside and Ned spoke up that Peter knew Spider-Man and they were friends. Flash mocked them and said they should invite him to Liz's party in spite of Peter's protests. Liz didn't mind but Flash now wanted Peter to be there. As they all walked off, Peter asked Ned what he was doing and he said he was helping him out. He was an Avenger and the only one with a chance with a senior girl.**

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Peter said.

**May dropped Peter and Ned, joking she was jealous of house party in the suburbs and said how some hats wore men to Ned who was wearing one. Peter wanted to go back but May said he should try to fit in. They got out as May told Peter to have fun and drove away.**

"Now the party." Logan said.

**Peter wore the suit under his clothes as they walked in and Ned told him of the plan to get Spidey in. Michelle said she couldn't believe they were at this lame party. Ned said she was too but she made a quip and walked off as Liz greeted them. She said they had pizza and drinks and could help themselves.**

"Pizza time." Peter quipped and all chuckled.

**They complimented the party when the sound of glass breaking was heard and she said her parents would kill her if something was broken and walked off as Ned asked Peter to spider it up but he said Spider-Man wasn't a party trick and he had to be himself. Flash, who was DJ, mocked Peter and Ned on the mic, with everyone laughing. **

"Tough luck, kid." Steve said, reminded of himself, as all looked at Peter in sympathy.

**Peter changed behind the party later, muttering to himself. He was about to swing in when he saw a blue glow in the distance.**

"Duty calls." Peter joked.

**He swung there instead but then realized there were no buildings to swing from in the vicinity so he ran instead.**

"Yeah, it sucks." Odinson said.

**Some dealers showed a man alien weapons, one of them reclaimed from a sub-Ultron arm from Sokovia.**

"They must have connections everywhere." Wanda mused.

**They tested the weapons as a hidden Peter watched, realizing this was where the ATM robbers had got their weapons. His phone then rang, alerting them as they first turned on the buyer but Peter leapt down with hands raised, telling them to shoot at him. One pointed a gun at him but he snatched it with webbing and rushed the other but he used a weapon gauntlet to knock him away.**

"Oh no!" Aunt May said, tense as the others tensed too.

"Will switch off my phone next time." Peter said.

**As Peter got up, they fled in cars but Peter attached webbing to one and was dragged with them, crashing into bins as one fired a weapon which he managed to avoid though the door broke. The driver called Toomes who was notified.**

"Uh-oh!" Rhodes said.

**Peter crashed into more stuff, eventually losing the van. He tried to fire more webbing but the door broke so he ran around into houses, telling two people their table tennis game was good. He then swung more as a dog tried to lick him but he threw a ball for him to fetch.**

Everyone laughed as Natasha said, "Sweet."

**Peter crashed into more places, splashed into a pool, wetting the people partying there, and crashed near a tent, scaring the girls.**

"Sucks." Tony said.

**Peter jumped around on more houses as Ned tried to call. He was about to jump on the vehicle when Vulture grabbed him and flew up.**

"Shit!" Sam said as all paled, especially Aunt May.

**The suit suddenly produced a parachute and helped Peter down into the water.**

"The suit did save me." Benjamin said.

"Thank you." Aunt May said to Stark.

**Peter was drowning when Iron Man flew in and helped him out.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

**Iron Man helped him down as he talked about Vulture and the weapons and asked if he had put a tracker in his suit. Tony said he had put everything including a heater which activated and relaxed Peter. Peter said he didn't have to come all this way but Stark said he hadn't as the suit opened to reveal he wasn't inside. Tony was at an Indian wedding, thankful the place had Wi-Fi as he was given drinks and a garland was put on him.**

"India?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. India loves me." Tony said.

**Tony told Peter to be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. Peter said he was ready for more than that but Tony said he wasn't, saying Cap would have laid him out if he wanted to.**

"Thank God you didn't." Peter said.

"I figured out you were a kid so I didn't." Steve said.

**Tony walked into a car to drive and said to call Happy if he found out anything about the weapons, telling him to think about college. Peter wanted to talk more Tony disconnected the call and the suit flew off.**

"And that's why I should be friendly neighborhood Spider-Man." Peter said.

"Yup." Benjamin told him.

**Peter later found a piece of the weapon and picked it up. Ned called and he said he was on his way but Ned said he shouldn't come as Flash and the others were singing 'Penis Parker.'**

Everyone looked at Peter in sympathy as Scott asked, "What's wrong with the guy?"

"Bullies always have some story behind them." Hope said.

**Ned said they were still losers and decided to see each other tomorrow.**

"That's bad." Tony said.

"Oh it's gonna get worse." Logan said.

* * *

**And the end of this one. **

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	76. Decathlon disaster

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Glad it was amazing. Will think about Bird Man but the body swapping joke can be made in a break.**

**Nora-11: Thanks for the review. They haven't figured out yet. Uhhh...Smart Hulk was part of this story up until the end of Iron Man 2. I'm guessing you forgot or you didn't read those parts.**

**Panther-10: Thanks for the review. Never tell an LOTR fanboy that you prefer someone over an LOTR actor/actress. It's not advisable xD. Though Cate Blanchett was better in the role than I can imagine Angelina being in any way.**

Chapter 76- Decathlon disaster

"Well, he got away." Steve said.

"Unfortunate. I know." Logan said.

**Adrian's men were working when he flew down and took off his suit, fuming. One man said his wife kept texting him and was reprimanded for looking into his phone. The man said it was out and he was curious by nature.**

"Curiosity killed the cat." Tony joked and all chuckled.

**He said he had finished designing the high-altitude vacuum seal but was told it wasn't required. Then the two dealers Peter had intercepted arrived. Adrian reprimanded Brice for firing weapons out in the open, reminding him that they dealt under the radar and weren't supposed to bring the Avengers and Damage Control down here. He reprimanded him for gong around, calling himself the Shocker.**

"The Shocker? That is really unoriginal." Scott said.

**Brice said Adrian didn't give a crap but he said he did but was annoyed by his attitude.**

"He's pissing off the big guy." Hope said.

"Big mistake." Hill agreed.

**Adrian told him to get out as he was off the team because he couldn't afford his bullshit.**

"You two called it!" Benjamin said.

**Brice threatened Adrian discreetly, saying he wondered if he could afford him out there with all that information, saying his wife might find out where he got his money from. **

"Big mistake, idiot." Loki said, "I'd kill you at this point."

"What do you think he'll do?" Odinson asked.

**Adrian said he couldn't afford that and then shot him down with his gun, disintegrating him.**

"Oh God!" Aunt May said in horror as the others flinched.

"He tried to go against his own crime boss. There are consequences for that." T'Challa said.

"Damn right!" Fury said, "Simple-minded folk."

**Adrian said he had thought this to be the anti-gravity gun but was told it was kept somewhere else.**

"So….he killed him by mistake?" Thor asked as everyone was shocked.

"Looks like it." Sam said.

**Adrian walked to his ashes and picked up the gauntlet, tossing it to Herman, "Now you're the Shocker. Go out there and find that weapon he lost."**

"And here comes the other one." Peter sighed.

**Next day in the lab, Peter was working on the gauntlet he had got and Ned arrived, a bit pissed but Peter showed him the weapon and said someone had almost vaporized him with it, awing him before he said it was totally uncool of the guy and terrifying.**

Everyone laughed as Bruce said, "Yeah. Some teenagers are like that."

**Peter examined it, figuring out it was a power source while Ned saw the inductive charging plate. Peter realized whoever was making this was combining alien tech with theirs.**

"You are smart. Both of you." Pepper complimented and Peter blushed.

**Ned started thanking Peter for letting him help when they dropped the gauntlet accidentally and looked back but the teacher hadn't noticed and just said to keep their hands off the blade.**

"Ah! Inattentive teachers. You got quite a few of those." Rhodes said to Tony and both chuckled.

"Oh I was smarter than them all." Tony said.

**Peter and Ned did a signature teenager handshake.**

"I really don't think teenagers did that in our time." Bruce said.

"Nope. I don't think they did." Clint said.

"Well, times change." Natasha said.

"I don't think all teenagers do this." Peter said.

"It's not a thing these days to be honest." Benjamin said.

**Later, Peter and Ned walked across the hallway, discussing what to do with the tech when they saw Herman and another man in the front and Peter quickly hid, with Ned soon following. Peter told him Herman was one of the men who had tried to kill, him shocking him, as he said they needed to get out.**

"What are they doing there?" Aunt May asked.

"They tracked the weapon's energy signature." Benjamin revealed to her shock.

**Peter said he'd follow them to the guy who trapped him in the lake and went off. There was a class behind where they were hidden and one boy asked what Ned was doing. A startled Ned said nothing and asked if he was good. He said they were playing chess.**

Everyone chuckled.

**Peter followed the two and hid as they looked for the weapon. They heard a chair wobbling but looked to see no one was there.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

**They walked up, giving up the search, while Peter stuck to the bottom of a table to save himself.**

"That's a very good way to hide." Logan said.

**As they walked up, Peter fired a Spider-Tracer that crawled up Herman's leg while he left.**

"You made it?" Wanda asked Tony.

"Yeah." He said.

"It was pretty good." Peter said.

**Later, Peter and Ned were in the former's room as they used the tracer to track Herman, all the while working or eating. Eventually, they were asleep when the tracer working woke Ned up while he was wearing Peter's mask.**

Everyone chuckled at the funny site.

**Peter hung upside down as they saw he was in Maryland and Peter concluded they had an evil lair.**

"Kid. None of the villains except Red Skull, Malekith and Ultron had an evil lair so far. Me included." Loki said and all chuckled.

**It was 300 miles away but Peter looked at the Decathlon poster and said it wasn't far from Washington DC.**

"And that happened." Peter said.

**Next day, Peter ran up to the bus asking to rejoin, though Flash refused but Harrington welcomed him back.**

"Of course I can be welcomed back." Benjamin said and all chuckled.

**Flash was back to being alternate as Michelle asked if she could protest in front of an embassy before dinner and Harrington said it was patriotic.**

"Only if you have a cause." Steve said, "Protesting just because it's a phase is pointless."

"And stupid." Natasha added.

**On the bus, everyone rehearsed for the Decathlon, with Peter getting answers correct as Peter took a call from Happy, who said he was out of New York. Peter said it was a school trip and nothing more and called Happy tracking him without permission a violation of privacy.**

"It is violation of privacy!" Aunt May said.

"I overstepped!" Tony said, "And so did he! It was a mistake."

**Ned reminded they were tracking someone too but Peter said it was different and said it was no big deal. Happy said he decided if it was no big deal.**

"No you don't." Aunt May said.

**Happy then said it was no big deal but he was going to watch him.**

"And I'm watching you." Aunt May said.

**Later, they reached the Decathlon and in the room, Ned activated the laptop and helped Peter remove the tracker on his suit, saying he didn't want Stark following and Ned realized he was lying to Iron Man now, though he said he didn't get what he could do.**

"Only you can get yourself." Tony told him.

**Ned noticed there were several subsystems disabled by the Training Wheels Protocol.**

"Okay, has your intelligence taken such a nosedive that a 15 year old with a laptop can hack through the database?" Pepper asked Tony who gapped.

"Uhhh…..I have no idea how that happened." Tony said.

"Ned is pretty smart." Peter told him.

"Looks like I didn't work hard enough." Tony said, "I work hardest on my own stuff."

"Now if anyone hacks my suit, I'm gonna shoot you." Rhodes said to Tony and all chuckled.

**Peter said he didn't need training as he was sick of being treated like a kid. Ned said he was still one but he said he could stop a bus with his bare hands.**

"Not a great point. That makes supervision even more necessary." Steve said, "But responsible supervision."

**Peter then told Ned he was his guy in the chair and a flattered Ned eventually disabled the protocol as the suit glowed for a bit.**

"Damn! Now it's gone!" Tony said.

**Peter then put a hoodie on top of his suit as Ned stayed inside. He snuck out but saw Liz in a swimsuit with a towel running to the pool with other kids. The other kids ran, with Flash smacking Peter's butt.**

"Oh I've got my eyes on you too now." Aunt May said.

**Peter said he was gonna study in the business center but Liz said he didn't need to as he was the smartest guy she had ever met and a rebellious group activity a day before competition was good for morale, citing a TED Talk. She told him to get his trunks on and come on. Later, all of the kids were having fun at the pool as Peter watched from above in his suit but eventually got up and wore his mask.**

"Duty first huh." Tony said.

**Suddenly, a female voice greeted Peter, startling him and congratulating him on completing the Training Wheels Protocol as several new features appeared.**

"Damn! Another AI?" Sam asked.

"Yeah. Viz's girlfriend." Tony joked and all chuckled while Vision didn't get the joke. [1]

"Not a problem." Wanda muttered.

**As the AI asked where to take him, he talked about the tracker which was located and said he needed to get back for the Decathlon in time.**

"Something tells me that is not going to happen." Thor said.

**Peter swung on his web and jumped on a vehicle before jumping to the side when the AI told him to. He ran forward and was told to stop in front of a gas station as 3 individuals were detected. He found it lame that the lair was in a gas station.**

Everyone chuckled as Bucky said, "Or maybe they're just hanging out."

**The AI asked if he wished to hear what they were saying and he did so enhanced configuration was turned on, allowing him to hear about the messes from the government that was making them rich.**

"It's like I'm Spider-Man and Daredevil." Benjamin joked and all chuckled.

**Peter wanted to catch them red-handed and the AI asked if he wanted to engage Enhanced Combat Mode. He said he did and Instant Kill was activated as the suit's eyelids turned red but he told the AI to switch it off, saying he didn't want to kill anyone.**

"Why did you put a kill feature in my suit?" Peter asked.

"I had no idea your friend would disable everything!" Tony said.

**Peter swung down but fell as the others heard him. He hid, being told he had over 500 web combinations to choose from and muttered how Stark overdid it.**

"Yeah you really did." Pepper said.

**Herman was about to get out as Peter fired one web combination but activated the gas sign by accident as he freed the web and ran off before climbing up, being told it was a taser web, which he didn't want. The AI asked if he wanted a refresher course as he seemed to be unfamiliar with his settings when a convoy passed by at a distance. Adrian then flew over it to Peter's shock.**

"And he is here again." Wanda sighed.

**He deployed anchors and landed on one vehicle before using blue spheres to create a hole as he jumped into it. He started putting weapons in a bag as Peter arrived above him and touched the purple glow, realizing he had matter phase shifter.**

"That is some really high-level tech in the hands of a criminal." Fury said.

**Adrian flew back up when Peter snatched the bag with his web, telling him it didn't belong to him. Adrian then put on his wings and tried to take it bag as a random web line was fired due to Peter having told the AI to choose. Peter told the AI to put everything back to normal as he struggled with Adrian and in the struggle, fell into the truck. He tried to jump back up but the matter phase shifter was deactivated and he hit his head, knocking himself out.**

"Tough luck, kid." Steve said as everyone sighed.

"At least you got the weapons." Sam looked at the bright side.

**Peter woke up and was told he had a concussion. He thought the bad guys had hijacked the truck and taken him to their evil lair, deciding to fight their way out of this. He then broke the truck doors and as he looked around, he was told he was in the Damage Control Deep Storage vault.**

"Now that sucks." Tony said.

"Yeah. The place is really secure." Clint said.

**He was told the door would remain closed until morning so he formed some kind of hanging bed with his webs, lying on it and saying he felt bad for calling the AI 'suit lady' and wondered other names, like Liz, but then said it was too weird.**

Everyone chuckled as Natasha said, "Yes it is."

**Later, as he was hanging upside down reading a book, he decided to call her Karen and the AI agreed. He asked what else could the suit do and web wings were formed to his surprise.**

"That was surprising." Aunt May said.

**He decided to run the refresher course, firing a ricochet web that ricocheted off the wall.**

"And I thought my shield ricocheted." Steve joked and all laughed.

**Then there was a splitter web which split into two on being fired followed by a web grenade that exploded into one big web.**

"That is a cool suit." Hope said.

**He then did skipping, using his web as a skipping rope.**

Everyone chuckled good-naturedly.

**Peter then lay wearing the Decathlon uniform, wondering if he should tell Liz he was Spider-Man, telling Karen about her and saying she might be disappointed as she would be expecting some like Tony Stark. Karen said if it was her, she wouldn't be disappointed and Peter thanked her, saying it was good to have someone to talk to.**

"Better than talking to myself." Peter said.

**He asked how long they had been there and was told just 37 minutes to his shock and getting up, threw off his uniform, deciding to find a way to get out.**

"It seemed longer than that." Scott said.

"Yeah. Bummer." Benjamin said.

**Peter looked at the weapons, finding the glowing Chitauri thing he had and was told it was an explosive energy core, realizing him and Ned had been carrying a bomb the entire time.**

"What the hell?" Sam said.

"I know. It sucks." Peter said.

"Do not pick up anything you find!" Aunt May said.

**He tried to call Ned but it failed as he used his webs to leap onto the doors, asking Karen to help him override the time lock as they worked on combinations together, trying to go through all of them.**

"That'd take a lot of time." Thor said.

"Not with that AI it won't." Tony said.

**Ned left for the Decathlon, taking the core with him.**

"Damn it!" Bruce said.

**Peter managed to get the right code and jumped onto a truck, telling Karen he needed to get to the Decathlon as soon as possible as Ned and the others managed to reach on time and gave up their cell phones while Peter tried to call.**

"And now it's even worse." Pepper said.

**Peter jumped onto another vehicle as the last round was reached and Michelle pressed the bell, giving the right answer as all cheered and Ned hugged Michelle, Midtown High having won.**

Everyone sighed in relief as Peter said, "At least she handled it."

"Yeah, if she wasn't there to pick up the slack, I'd be dead." Benjamin said.

**Later, Harrington and Michelle met as she said she didn't want to enjoy something built by slaves and Harrington told her to enjoy her book.**

"Get over this phase." Aunt May said.

**Peter was rushing back as he called Ned, trying to tell him about the bomb but failing as Ned said it was safe and he had missed the Decathlon. Liz took the phone from Ned, telling Peter she wasn't mad but worried about what was going on with him as he asked her to give the phone back to Ned while Karen told him to confess his feelings.**

"That is some really bad luck." Sam said.

"Parker Luck." Peter corrected.

"I wish it stood for better stuff." Benjamin said.

**The phone was then put on the conveyor as they all walked into the elevator while Peter rushed back just as the grenade exploded to his and Michelle's shock. Karen said it had caused structural damage to the elevator as Michelle said her friends were up there and Peter jumped up, climbing. The female guide said they were fine and security systems were working while Karen told Peter the security had failed and all were in mortal danger.**

"Shit!" Rhodes said as all tensed.

**Two workers opened the doors above as everyone started climbing the hatch, with only 125 seconds until catastrophic failure due to the movement making it unstable. He wondered how to get up there when a reconnaissance drone was activated to find an optimal entry point, eventually finding out.**

"How much stuff did you put in it? I never got all that." Rhodes said as Tony groaned.

**Peter reached the south-west window but didn't go in as he never had been this high before. He tried kicking the window but failed as it was 4-inch ballistic glass and he needed more momentum so he attached webbing and swung, breaking the glass slowly but police arrived on helicopter, telling him to get on the ground.**

"Man, Parker Luck really sucks." Sam said as the others sighed.

**Flash was climbing up now with the trophy as Peter climbed higher and jumping off, activated his wings, flying past the helicopter and attaching webbing to it before swinging hard enough to shatter the glass just as Flash climbed up and the elevator fell down, catching it with webbing and slowly pulling it back up as the fire brigade arrived outside.**

"You are strong and dedicated. When you become more experienced and responsible, you may just be among the best heroes ever." T'Challa said to Peter who blushed again.

"T-Thanks." He said, trying to not have a meltdown.

**He managed to pull the elevator back up as everyone got out but it fell down with Liz still in it so he caught her with webbing and helped her up, telling her she was okay as Karen said this was his chance but then his webbing detached and he fell down, with Flash asking if he was really friends with Peter Parker.**

"No. I am Peter Parker." Peter said.

"Good save kid. Impressive." Steve complimented and he nodded, while still shy.

**Adrian and his men were discussing another job as Herman tested his gauntlet. He was pissed at Spider-Man, wanting to kill him, when he saw the news of Spider-Man crawling up Washington Monument and saving the Academic Decathlon Team from Queens. His identity was still unknown.**

"I hope it remains that way." Aunt May said while Benjamin sighed, knowing they would see what would happen about that later.

**The kids all got out of the bus sometime later and were hugged by their parents as Aunt May also hugged Peter tightly, while Harrington watched.**

"He cares about his children a lot." Steve said, noticing his expression.

"Parker Luck ruins everything." Benjamin said.

"No kidding." Peter agreed.

"Well, let's continue to see more Parker Luck in action." Logan said as the recording continued.

* * *

**And done. **

**[1] Jennifer Connelly, who voiced Karen, is the wife of Paul Bettany, who plays Vision.**

**Man Tony was written badly in this movie. Whoever wrote him here deserves to be beaten. Fortunately, Infinity War onwards, he was written like he was used to before Civil War again.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	77. Vulture revealed

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now we got over 900 reviews! Thank you all! I love you all for this support!**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. This chapter, I'll go into detail. Yes, this movie did show Peter's struggles well. Good to know I'm not the only one who noticed. Tony might have but that's a stupid thing. I will reference some stuff for sure. Yeah, Peter needs to learn and no kidding on Tony. He isn't good with the little people but his treatment of Peter was almost appalling. I was pissed off at the movie's writers really bad. I was pissed too when they first re-casted Spider-Man but Tom won me over for the very reasons you stated. But my favorite is Andrew because I relate to him the most. I like all of them to be honest, even Spider-Man 3 and TASM 2. Enjoy.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Glad it was great.**

**Nora-11: Thanks for the review. Glad it was amazing. That's one of those movie mistakes which are noticeable but not that jarring. Some people think the Galaga guy was noobmaster69.**

**Panther-10: Thanks for the review. Yes, I will reference Venom sometime. Yes this is.**

Chapter 77- Vulture revealed

"I'm guessing Spider-Man is really popular now." Steve.

"Like you have no idea." Peter said.

**In Midtown News, Betty and Jason spoke how Midtown High beat the country's best to get the championship as well as death, with other students giving interviews about the experience and Roger saying he couldn't lose a student on a trip again.**

Everyone looked at him in sympathy, realizing how that incident had made him care for students even more than before.

**Everyone thanked Spider-Man, with the Spider-Mania sweeping the school. Peter walked past the people watching the news with a smile on his face.**

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. For now." Peter said.

"Attention isn't always the positive kind." Benjamin sighed.

**Peter met Ned, who asked how it felt to be famous when nobody knew him and he found it crazy, though he refused to tell anyone. Ned said they'd be late to class but Peter said he wasn't going. Ned said he was already in trouble for ditching the Decathlon while Peter said the wingset guy was stealing from Damage Control and that's how they'd catch him. Ned said they had a Spanish quiz but Peter said he won't come back here as Mr. Stark was moving upstate.**

"That is not up to you!" Aunt May said to Peter.

"I was dreaming high and being delusional, like most teenagers." Benjamin said.

**Ned asked if he wanted to be a high school dropout and he said he was beyond high school.**

"No one is beyond high school." Hope said.

**That was when Principal Morita arrived and told Peter he had detention in his office.**

"You screwed up this time, didn't you?" Steve asked and Peter nodded, "All of us do."

**Peter was then in detention with two other boys and Michelle as a discipline video of Captain America was shown, saying the kids knew they had done wrong and were just trying to be cool, so they should take it from a guy who has been frozen in ice for 65 years that to be cool you just have to follow the rules.**

Everyone laughed as Steve said, "Yeah, this is really embarrassing for me."

"If the principal wasn't Morita's grandkid, you won't even do it." Bucky said.

"Yeah, seems no different from a dancing monkey." Sam agreed.

"It's pretty ironic I'm telling them to follow the rules." Steve said and all laughed again.

**Peter got up and walked out while the coach noticed too late.**

"Kid, are you asking for suspension or something?" Pepper asked and Peter sighed.

"Teenager." Aunt May sighed.

"Yeah, take it from a guy who lives in a school where teenagers have discovered superpowers, they are your worst nightmare." Logan said.

**He asked Michelle why she was there and she said she liked sketching people in crisis, showing him his own sketch and laughing.**

"The rebellious phase. Been through that." Hope said.

"Yeah. Me too." Tony said.

**Peter later took web fluid and returned home, wearing his suit and asking Karen to help in finding the guys he fought under the bridge. She said she could run facial recognition from footage as she recorded everything she saw, calling it Baby Monitor Protocol.**

Everyone chuckled as Scott said, "That is a cute name."

"For a sweet boy's suit's protocol." Natasha said and Peter blushed. The Black Widow of all people had called him sweet. Which everyone except him knew he was.

**Peter asked her to roll it back to last Friday and was shown a clip of him in his mask, pretending to tell Liz in front of a mirror as Spider-Man how he was Peter's friend.**

Everyone laughed as Peter blushed and Clint said, "Kids do a lot of embarrassing stuff."

**Peter told her to go further and this time he was holding a cosplay hammer, posing as Thor.**

Everyone laughed as Loki said, "Spot on impression."

"What did you say?" Thor asked.

"Nothing." Loki said.

"Sorry." Peter said to Thor and Odinson.

**He asked her to fast forward to the bridge fight and asked about the men. Two of them were not found in records but one of them was identified as Aaron Davis who had a criminal record along with an address in Queens.**

"Oh! Aaron!" Benjamin said.

"You know the guy?" Fury asked.

"I know his nephew. He also has Spider-powers." Benjamin revealed to everyone's shock, "His name is Miles Morales. Great kid."

"And what about Aaron?" Hill asked.

"Unfortunately, he became a supervillain called Prowler who me and Miles put into prison all the time." Benjamin said.

"Tough luck." Sam said.

**Peter decided to pay him a visit as Karen asked to turn on the Enhanced Interrogation Protocol and he agreed.**

"Shouldn't have." Peter said.

**Later, Aaron opened the hood of his car only to be webbed to it as Peter arrived, talking in a deep voice, telling him to give him information. It was actually the Enhanced Interrogation Protocol.**

Everyone laughed as Logan said, "That thing is making you sound like a Daredevil wannabe."

"Yeah. It's embarrassing." Benjamin said.

**Aaron asked what had happened to his voice, saying he had heard him by the bridge and knew what a girl sounded like. Peter said he wasn't a girl but a man.**

Everyone laughed as Peter asked, "Do I really sound like a girl?"

**Peter asked for names when Aaron simply shut the hood and he backed off, with Aaron realizing he had never done this before so he deactivated interrogation mode.**

"Better." Aunt May said.

**Peter said the weapons could be dangerous and one of them had cut Delmar's in half, with Aaron knowing the place as both of them discussed the sandwiches.**

"Yeah. Those were great." Aunt May said.

**Peter told Karen never to the mode again as Aaron said Peter asking the man to shoot him was brave and said he didn't want those weapons in the neighborhood either, saying he had a nephew there.**

"Miles?" Peter asked.

"Miles." Benjamin confirmed.

**Peter asked about the guy with the wings but Aaron simply said he was a psychopath dressed like a demon but he did know where he was gonna be. He knew someone who was going to deal with him and an overjoyed Peter started walking away, until Aaron pointed out he had not given the location.**

"You really are bad at this, aren't you?" Hill asked.

"It's pretty hard to be a pro at this part." Steve said, "Even I can't do it."

**Peter came back as Aaron told him he needed to be better at this part of the job.**

"He's right." Natasha said.

**Peter protested he was intimidating.**

Everyone chuckled at that as Peter looked around in shock, "What? I am?"

"And Daredevil can see with his eyes." Odinson joked and laughter increased.

**The location was Staten Island Ferry, 11. Peter walked away, saying the web would dissolve in 2 hours. Aaron protested, saying he had ice cream but Peter said he was a criminal who deserved that much.**

"Well, that can be intimidating." Tony joked and all chuckled.

**Peter later flew to the ferry with Spider wings and hung on the side, activating Reconnaissance mode, with the spider drone flying and finding Herman and Adrian both, though he didn't know Adrian.**

"Oh I will soon." Peter said.

**A call from Aunt May came but he said he couldn't talk right now and would call back later.**

"Sorry." Peter said but Aunt May just shook her head.

**The drone also found a guy called Mac Gargan who had an extensive criminal record including homicide.**

"Oh no!" Aunt May said.

**Karen asked to activate Instant Kill but Peter refused again and asked the drone to scan for a white pickup truck, which it eventually found along with the men and weapons and Peter realized this was perfect as he had the weapons, buyers and sellers in one place.**

"Life is never perfect, kid." Thor said.

**Then a call came from Tony Stark and Karen picked up in spite of his protests, with Tony asking if he had a sec. Peter said he was at school as Tony complimented him for DC and said his father never given him support and he was trying to break the cycle of shame. Peter said he was in the middle of something and Tony asked not to cut him off when he was complimenting him.**

"All this because I never contacted you when I should have." Tony sighed.

**Tony was about to say something when a buzzing sound was heard and Peter said he was at band practice, which Tony found odd as he had quit 6 weeks ago but Peter cut the call in spite of Tony's protests.**

"And now I'm in trouble." Peter said.

**Peter used webbing to snatch one guy's key and jumped down, joking the deal was at 10:30 and they had missed it before wrapping their guns in webbing and pulling them back. He then flipped and kicked a guy away, making him on to the edge.**

"You're doing good." Steve complimented.

**Peter then dodged Herman's gauntlet and webbed his hand as Herman told Adrian via comms Spider-guy had come. The two men he had thrown tried to get up but he webbed bike and hit them with it, jokingly asking if they were okay and saying it was hard.**

Everyone laughed as Clint said, "I think only you should be allowed to talk in fights."

"Yeah. I'll annoy the other guy enough to surrender." Benjamin said and all laughed.

**Peter told Herman the other guy was way better with the gauntlet while throwing a web grenade which knocked out the guy behind.**

Everyone clapped as Sam said, "Impressive."

**Then Adrian arrived, knocking out one guy by bashing his head on the truck and him and Peter looked at each other before FBI arrived, shocking Peter who wondered what they were doing there. **

"Oh no!" Pepper said.

"Parker Luck for you." Logan said.

**Adrian then emerged in his suit and fired his gun, throwing a car at the FBI as Peter barely pushed them off and he flew up, freeing Herman with the gun and telling him they were getting out. Peter tried to catch Herman but he ran off so he fired a web at Adrian as the FBI fired. Adrian fired his gun as several people almost avoided it.**

"Oh no!" Bucky said as everyone tensed.

**Peter attached another line to a car to help himself and then leapt up to avoid another shot before attaching another web to Adrian and used it to swing away. Dodging more shots, he leapt back onto the ship and fired a web, struggling with Adrian. He then activated a taser web and Adrian was shocked enough to let the gun go.**

Most people sighed in relief.

"Not yet." Benjamin said.

**The gun started firing randomly, destroying bits of the ship as Peter wrapped it in webbing. Adrian told him not to mess with things he didn't understand as the gun caused an explosion that slowly started splitting the ship in half, filling it with water while Herman jumped off and escaped with Adrian.**

"Shit!" Sam and Rhodes said as all tensed again, worse than before.

**Peter asked for an X-Ray of the boat with a target for the strongest points and on getting it, fired web grenades at all of them, slowly managing to stabilize the breaking with all the webbing.**

Everyone clapped as Hill said, "Good job."

Peter and Benjamin were tense though. So was Tony.

**Karen said he was 98% successful and then he saw he had missed a point. As a man clapped for Spider-Man, the webbing broke apart and the ship started falling apart again, with the people falling and cars being submerged.**

"No!" Natasha sighed as the others watched in horror.

**A shocked Peter jumped off and grabbed a broken web line before firing another, trying to hold the two halves together with all of his strength.**

Those who didn't know the outcome watched with bated breath, praying Peter succeeded as he was good kid trying to do good.

**The ship suddenly started rejoining itself as Peter jumped back down, wondering what had happened. It was Iron Man, pushing the halves back together, with several mini-thrusters joining him. He greeted Spider-Man as the man clapped for him and applause broke out.**

"Now that sucks for you." Logan said to Benjamin.

**Peter swung around as Tony used his lasers to weld the ship's halves together. As Tony flew up, Peter asked if he could help but Tony said he had done enough. At Adrian's lair, he said he was now he was on Iron Man's radar and asked Mason to get the high-altitude seal, which Mason said Adrian wouldn't regret.**

"That's not good." Fury said.

"Nope." Bruce agreed.

**Peter was sitting alone when Tony flew by, mocking him by saying 'Last time on Peter screws the pooch.' He said he had told him to stay away and instead he had hacked multibillion dollar suit to sneak behind his back.**

"Because I didn't put the security properly!" Tony said, knowing this time he was gonna get a reality check for his treatment of Peter.

**Peter asked if everyone was okay and Tony said no thanks to him.**

"So….you have never messed up?" Logan asked Tony who sighed.

**Peter got up and said the weapons were out there and he had tried to tell him but he hadn't listened. None of this would have happened if he had just listened to him. The suit opened and Tony walked out, saying he had listen and called the FBI and saying he was the only one who had believed in him while everyone else said he was crazy to recruit a 14-year old.**

"What are you talking about?" Rhodes asked, "We never knew you recruited a kid."

"So…..you lied right there?" Peter asked but got no answer, which was answer enough.

**Peter said he was 15 but Tony told him to zip it as the adult was talking, asking if somebody had died and that'd be on him. "And if you died….I feel like that's on me. I don't need that on my conscience." Tony said.**

"I get that you do care for him. But your treatment of Peter is unacceptable here." Steve told Tony who winced in shame.

"We didn't ask you to recruit him and give him military grade weapons. You did that." May said.

"You said you had called the FBI." Fury said, "But you never contacted the kid after dumping him on Happy. Only twice. So you never kept him in the loop. If you talked to him just once a month, this would have been avoided, Stark."

"Peter is not blameless as he did look into stuff that shouldn't have been his concern. But you are not blameless either." Hill told Tony.

"This wasn't working out….because I ignored you kid." Tony said to Peter in shame.

"Let the scene end first." Logan said.

**Peter apologized but Tony said sorry didn't cut it. Peter said he had wanted to be like him and Tony said he had wanted him to be better. It wasn't working out so he'd need the suit back forever. Peter begged him to not take it away saying, "I'm nothing without this suit." Tony said, "If you're nothing without this suit, then you shouldn't have it."**

"If that's how you treat him, he's better off without it." Fury said.

"I get the lesson you're trying to teach but your way and reasons are way off." Clint told Tony.

**Tony said he sounded like his dad.**

"Much worse." Tony said, now seeing for himself how bad his treatment of Peter was.

**Peter said he didn't have any other clothes and Tony said they'd sort it out.**

"So….you're the one that sorted it out?" May asked Tony as she pressed her hand into a fist while he paled.

"Y…yes." Tony paled.

"You made him dumpster dive again after mocking him for that!" May said angrily while Tony looked down in shame, "Couldn't you have bought him clothes?"

Tony didn't answer, knowing there was no defense for this.

"I get you were upset after the breaking of the Avengers and all that but you shouldn't have treated Peter the way you did." Pepper said.

"I'm sorry kid." Tony simply said to Peter and Benjamin both, "Both of you. You didn't deserve to be treated like that. You messed up yes. But so did I."

Peter didn't answer at all, feeling a bit angry at Stark now for his behavior, now himself realizing how he was way off base there. Benjamin simply nodded as he was a more mature man and they continued the recording.

**Peter returned home in clothes he had gotten from dumpster diving. May opened it, looking furious. As Peter sat down, she said she had called all day and he hadn't answered which was unacceptable. She had called 5 police stations, 5 of his friends and Ned's mother. Peter said he was fine but May told him to cut the bullshit, saying she knew he had left detention as well as his hotel room in Washington and that he snuck out of house every night and it wasn't fine.**

Everyone watched the scene, feeling a lot of emotions due to the emotional scene.

**She asked Peter to lay it out and he said he had lost the Stark Internship, equating it to losing the suit. He said he had thought he could work too hard but screwed up. She hugged him to comfort him as he apologized for making her worry. May said she used to sneak out too and sniffed him, telling him to take a shower as he smelt like garbage.**

Peter looked like he was about to cry from all the emotions and May hugged him for comfort as he hugged back.

**Next day, Peter was in front of Morita who told him he was a good and smart kid and should keep his head straight, to which he nodded and then got out. Ned asked if he was expelled and going to the school with the crossbow principal while Peter said it was an urban myth.**

"Yeah. We got a lot of those." Bucky said as the mood lightened a bit.

**Peter later sat in detention as Michelle drew a picture of him and laughed.**

"Okay. I wasn't that bad." Hope said.

"Trust me, I was really shocked when she started behaving like a normal person." Benjamin said.

**Peter later gave a correct answer in Spanish class and finished the Death Star LEGO with Ned as they did the teenager handshake and fist bump.**

This time everyone smiled at the sweetness of the scene due to Peter's condition.

**As Peter was walking, he found Liz in the way and said she had calculus 5****th**** period to which she said she was doing Homecoming stuff. Peter apologized for the Decathlon but she said it was most important last week and then she had almost died. He said it wasn't cool and then confessed to liking her, which she knew to his shock and said he was terrible at keeping secrets.**

Everyone laughed as Vision, "That is ironic."

**Peter then stuttered, saying they should hang out and all that.**

"Don't worry kid. You're better than me." Steve told him.

**He said she'd already have a date for homecoming but she said she was so busy planning it she had never gotten around to that part. He asked if she'd like to go with him and she agreed, with both agreeing it was cool.**

"Congratulations." Wanda smiled, amused by his awkwardness which was really sweet.

"T-Thanks." Peter blushed.

"First time Parker Luck got good." Benjamin said.

**Peter backed a bit before saying he was going the other way and the two walked past each other, now seeming happy.**

"Good for you, kid." Scott said.

**Peter returned home and told May he needed her help. Later, they picked a party suit for Peter as he wiped his shoe with cloth. May then kept down a corsage while Peter opened a deodorant but it was empty. He later watched a video with May, learning to tie the Windsor knot while May also did the movements. He managed to do it and she complimented him. He was later in a suit as the two danced a bit to music.**

"You are awesome, you know that?" Hope told May who smiled.

**Later, May drove Peter in front of Liz's house and asked about his plan. He said he'd open the door for her, tell her she looked nice but not too much as it'd be creepy, to which she agreed and when he'd dance with her, he'd put his hands on her hips so he'd got this.**

"More than Steve ever did." Bucky said and all laughed while Steve sighed in embarrassment.

**He walked out and the two kissed each other's cheek as May drove away. He knocked on the door and someone opened it. He was shocked to see that someone was Adrian.**

"Wait what?" Sam asked in shock as everyone else was also shocked.

"Is he….?" Natasha trailed off, easily connecting the pieces, which wasn't hard for anyone.

**Adrian said he must be Peter and said he was Liz's dad.**

"Twist of the century." Tony joked for the first time since the boat scene and all agreed.

"Yeah. One hell of a twist." Fury said.

"And I thought Vader being Luke's dad was a twist." Benjamin joked to lighten the mood but it was too tense now.

"I don't think you have this now." Bucky said.

"Nope." Peter said.

**The two shook hands as Adrian complimented Peter's grip and led him in, where Liz's mom said he looked handsome. She went to get Liz as Adrian asked why he was so pale.**

"Because he's standing in the same room as a criminal." Hill said.

**Adrian asked if Peter would like something to drink but Peter said he wasn't old enough to drink, which was the right answer. And then Liz arrived in her dress, with Adrian saying she looked beautiful. Peter said she looked really good and Adrian said it was the right answer again. Peter gave Liz the corsage as Adrian said he'd be the chauffer but Liz's mom wanted to take pictures and asked Peter to smile. He smiled as best as he could while the pictures were taken.**

"No one's gonna smile under those conditions." Wanda said.

**Peter said Adrian didn't need to come but Adrian said he was going out of town so he'd drop them while his wife said he always came and went.**

"Because of his criminal dealings." Loki said.

**Adrian kissed his wife goodbye as they all walked out and later Peter was in the car with Liz as Adrian drove, asking Peter what he'd do. He was startled but calmed down when Adrian asked after graduation and he said he didn't know. Liz asked Adrian not to grill Peter as Adrian said kids going to Midtown High had their lives planned out. Peter said he was a sophomore and Liz said he had an internship with Stark.**

"Bad idea." Logan said.

**Peter said he didn't intern for him anymore as it got boring, shocking Liz as he got to hang out with Spider-Man.**

"If there's one thing Tony isn't, it's boring." Pepper said and all chuckled.

**Adrian asked how he was and Peter said he was nice as Liz showed him a photo which he found cute. As they stopped due to traffic lights, Adrian asked if he had seen Peter somewhere due to recognizing the voice and Liz said Peter had done the Academic Decathlon with her and was at the party. Peter said it was a great party with lots of windows but Liz said he'd been there for 2 seconds and disappeared, like at DC. Adrian said the event in DC was terrible and that Peter would have been glad when he showed up. Peter said he had watched it from the ground as he wasn't in the elevator. "Good old Spider-Man." Adrian said as the green light glowed on his face.**

"Uh-oh. He has it figured out." Scott said.

"Which is really bad." Thor said.

**Liz told him about the light and he drove again, reaching the school as she kissed him and he joked he'd give Peter the 'dad' talk. She told Peter not to be intimidated and walked out, greeting her friends.**

"More like the 'bad guy' talk." Odinson said.

**Adrian took out a gun and hid it from Peter's view, asking if Liz knew. When Peter asked what, Adrian realized she didn't and said he admired that because he had secrets of his own. He said nothing was more important to him than family and told Peter he had saved his daughter's life which he'd never forget so he'd give him one chance. He'd walk through the door, pretend none of this happened, and never interfere in his work or he'd kill him and his family to protect his.**

Everyone watched, tense. This was one of the tensest moments any of them had seen, which said a lot. They were unable to even comment.

**Adrian said he'd just saved his life so Peter thanked him. He told Peter to go in there and show his daughter a good time, not too good though. Peter got out, looking conflicted as Adrian drove off.**

"What'll you do now." Wanda asked.

"Just watch." Peter asked.

**Peter walked in as Ned waved to him and Michelle gave him the finger.**

"What's wrong with her?" Scott wondered.

**He walked in and told Liz, to her shock, that he was going, and that she deserved better. With that, he ran off, leaving her behind.**

"That took courage." Steve complimented Peter as all looked at him in sympathy, "You are a good kid. You got heart."

"T-Thank you." Peter said as humbly as he could.

**Peter ran off, throwing away his clothes and getting his homemade suit. As he ran out, a gauntlet knocked him down and it was Herman, telling him he had chosen wrong.**

"And this guy is here." Fury sighed as all paled.

**Peter realized his web shooters were thrown away and tried to run to them but Herman knocked a bus into him, knocking him into another. He got up as Herman knocked him into another.**

Everyone cringed at the painful scene as Aunt May grasped Peter's hand tightly.

**Herman then knocked that bus down and Peter fell out of shattered glass. Before Herman could finish him, a web wrapped on his hand. It was Ned.**

Everyone clapped as Hope said, "Go kid!"

**Peter complimented his shot and taking the shooter, webbed Herman to a bus.**

"And he's dealt with." Tony said.

**Peter told Ned the guy with the wings was Liz's dad, shocking him and said he needed to tell Tony, asking Ned to call Happy and get a computer to track his phone. Ned asked if he'd 'e okay and Peter said they needed to catch him before he left town and swung away.**

"Well kid, now you're gonna go to a fight." Sam said.

"Yeah. Big fight." Peter said, "And he wouldn't hold back like you guys did."

"Nope." Benjamin said.

"Good luck." Wanda said and he smiled and nodded in appreciation.

"Let's continue." Logan said.

* * *

**I looked at the ferry scene from every possible angle and this is always my conclusion at the end of it. I was fuming angrily when I was writing it. I wasn't angry at Tony. I was furious at the writers because of how they wrote him in this movie and especially this scene. I wanted to hit something in that moment. Whose idea was it to put Tony in this movie? Is it so hard to understand that you shouldn't use a character if you don't know what kind of person he is?**

**Wait! RDJ plays Tony. So his presence means more money. Got it now! **

**Anyway, onto lighter matters. I always say I relate to Garfield's Peter the most but there was one time I related to Holland's version a lot and that was when he asked out Liz to Homecoming. Well, same thing happened with me.**

**The difference? I was rejected. In the coldest, cruelest way possible. Not exaggerating. That, coupled with several other misfortunes over the past 4 years messed me up really bad for almost the entire 2018.**

**Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter where I end this movie. In the meantime, I will listen to Controlling the Iron Beast to calm my nerves.**


	78. Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now we have 500 follows! Thanks a lot to everyone!**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Yes he will and you'll see on the eye.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. The extended version probably for reasons you stated.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Yeah I noticed on Doctor Strange too later but I'm gonna edit it a little and go with what I said instead.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. This was the last time really and this was needed because no matter how many times I looked at the scene from all angles, this was my final conclusion. Oh there will be tears in Endgame. Yes, those were the best things about this movie and no, Tony didn't create Scorpion. Jonah probably will. I'm saying Tony should have kept Peter in the loop so he knew the FBI were already there. There's a chance he may not even interfere after that. Still, like I said, this was the last time and I am happy to be over all of this. Infinity War and Endgame Tony is amazing and we got our pre-Civil War Tony back.**

Chapter 78- Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man

"Now you need to catch him." Tony said.

"Yeah. I will." Peter said.

**Flash was in his car with his date, apologizing about dinner, saying he knew when branzino was fresh and that wasn't. Then Peter jumped on the car and said in a deep voice he needed Flash's car.**

Everyone chuckled as Natasha said, "At least he is intimidated."

"He isn't hard to scare." Benjamin said.

**Flash stuttered that it was his dad's car but later, Peter drove it away as Flash and his date watched. He bumped into some bicycles, making Flash gasp as Peter drove away.**

"Stole your bully's car. Never done that." Steve joked and all chuckled.

**Peter called Ned, who picked up and asked to track his phone, which was in Adrian's car.**

"That was smart, kid." Clint said to Peter as everyone looked impressed, "Great work."

"T-Thanks." Peter said. Being praised by the original Avengers was too good for him to bear at this point.

**Ned tracked it down as Peter drove around, trying to turn on the headlights, telling Ned he was in Flash's car. As the speakerphone was turned on, Ned found Peter stealing Flash's car awesome. Peter avoided a bus in the way, saying he had only driven with May in parking lots and this was a huge step-up.**

"Oh it is. It is." Aunt May said in a worried tone.

**Peter asked if Ned had called Happy and he said he was working on the backdoor phone system, happy that he was the guy in the chair.**

"Yeah. Very nice guy in the chair." Bruce said.

**Adrian got out near his base.**

"Need to go faster." Sam said.

**Ned managed to get through to Happy, who didn't know him. Ned said he was an associate of Peter and tried to explain but Happy didn't listen and cut the call, to Ned's disappointment.**

"Happy does need a better level of patience." Pepper said.

"Yeah he does." Tony agreed.

**Ned told Peter the headlights were on round knob to left of steering wheel which he must turn clockwise. Peter did and the headlights turned on as Ned said his phone had stopped outside an old industrial park in Brooklyn, which made no sense to Peter as he had said he was going out of town.**

"He could be lying." Scott said.

**Ned then said he had reached out to Happy who didn't seem to like him much and was catching a flight, surrounded by many boxes. Peter realized it was moving day and Adrian was gonna rob that plane.**

"Oh no!" Hope said.

"Yeah. Sounds about right." Rhodes said.

**Happy was making the men load up the remaining stuff- Hulkbuster armor, prototype for Cap's new shield and Thor's magic belt, which he failed to pronounce.**

"It's Megingjörð." Thor said.

"I don't think mortals can pronounce it." Loki said.

**Peter was told to turn right so he used webbing on a pole to help himself as the car skidded and almost hit a pole but stopped and straightened.**

"Damaged his car. Nice." Bucky joked and all chuckled.

**Ned asked if Peter was fine and was told to keep trying to get through to Happy as he said it had been an honor when a teacher turned on the light and asked why he was here as there was a dance. Ned stuttered and said he was looking at porn.**

Everyone chuckled as Logan said, "And now he's in trouble."

**Peter climbed into the warehouse, looking at monitors and swung further in to find Adrian, who put on a coat and said he admired Peter's grit. He could see why Liz liked him, saying he got it now. Peter asked how he could do this to her but he said he was doing this for her. Peter webbed his hand and he said Peter was young and didn't understand how the world worked. Peter said he knew selling weapons to criminals was wrong. Adrian said that was how Stark had made his tower. The rich and powerful could do whatever they wanted whole guys like them had to pick after them and eat their table scraps. Peter asked why he was telling him this. Adrian said he wanted him to understand and because the suit took some time to get airborne as he took out a knife.**

"Uh-oh." Sam said as all tensed.

**Adrian cut off the webbing as the Vulture suit flew in. Peter avoided with a flip as it crashed into columns, breaking them. Peter flipped around to avoid and Adrian apologized. Peter asked what for as he wasn't even hit yet and Adrian said the suit wasn't trying to. It hit the columns instead, breaking them and collapsing debris on Peter.**

"NO!" May yelled as she held Peter's hand so tight his knuckles turned pale while everyone else glared daggers into Adrian.

**Adrian said on phone he was coming and walked out, looking at the tower and wearing his suit before flying off as the plane flew while Happy watched.**

"Damn it!" Rhodes said.

**Peter was buried under debris, unable to even move his head as he grew afraid and called for help, saying he was stuck down there. It looked like he was going to cry.**

Everyone was watching in horror. Peter had powers yes. But at the end he was still a kid and this was exactly how he would react to such a situation.

Peter's knuckles were getting more and more pale every second with how tight a horrified May grasped his hand.

**He then saw the suit's reflection and remembered Tony saying, "If you're nothing without this suit, then you shouldn't have it." That gave Peter determination as he said repeatedly, "Come on, Spider-Man!" And with that, he started moving the debris back with his head.**

Everyone watched with wide eyes, shocked by how strong and determined he was.

**He managed to push the debris back and then lifted it with his hands, finally pushing it off.**

"And I thought Steve was stubborn." Bucky said as they simply stared, too awed to even clap.

May finally released Peter's hand and sighed in relief.

"You have a warrior's heart, Mr. Parker." T'Challa said.

**Peter leapt off as the retro-reflective panels were engaged on the plane and attached webbing to Adrian who flew at the plane.**

"At this point, your determination should make him surrender." Sam said.

**Adrian flew at the plane as Peter hung onto him. Adrian used the matter phase shifter to get inside as Peter just hung onto the plane. Happy was told they had launched the decoy jet and seemed satisfied.**

"Don't be yet." Tony said.

**Adrian walked around the jet, looking at the weapons and throwing an Iron Man helmet away.**

"Yeah. I get it. You hate me." Tony said.

**He then looked at the footage and saw Peter was still hanging. He angrily flew out and tried to shake Peter off as Peter climbed higher and joked this was a typical homecoming with him outside an invisible jet fighting his girlfriend's dad.**

Everyone laughed as Benjamin said, "That's Spider-Man for you."

**Peter tried to catch Adrian with webbing while using another to hold onto the plane but both broke and he almost fell into the engine, only to web it up with his web-shooters before he kicked the engine away.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

**Peter hung onto the jet as Adrian tried to attack him with wings, which he dodged. His man said they'd lose altitude and to get out of there but he wasn't going to go empty handed. The plane moved to New York as a horrified Peter realized it would crash.**

"Oh no!" Steve said as everyone watched in horror.

**Peter attached webbing to the plane to pull it away as it struggled in the air while Happy finally saw it.**

"Now you see it." Tony said.

**The plane managed to crash outside the city as Peter sighed in relief.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

"Thank God." Clint sighed.

**Adrian then flew down, hitting him as his wings sparkled. **

"The suit's malfunctioning." Sam realized as everyone was shocked.

**Adrian punched Peter and picked him up before seeing a crate and throwing him down. He tried to fly up with it but Peter webbed his wings, saying his wingsuit was going to explode and he was trying to save him. Vulture freed himself and Peter ran out of webs as the suit exploded. Peter ran through the flames, throwing off the wings and lifting up Adrian, bringing him to safety.**

"And now you saved him." Pepper said.

"The kind of man he is, I think he might not forget this either." Fury said.

**Later, Happy and others arrived to investigate and found Adrian webbed up with a note from Peter saying he had found Vulture guy.**

"And now we finally get it." Tony said.

**Peter sat on a building and looked down at the city.**

"City is saved." Natasha said.

**Next day, the homecoming decorations were taken down as Ned excitedly told Peter about his experience in helping him and Peter said he'd saved him.**

"Yeah. You did." Peter smiled gratefully.

**He then saw Liz and her mom together taking away her stuff as Betty hugged Liz and said she'd miss her. Peter walked up to her and apologized. She said he did it a lot and asked if it was for the dance, which was a crappy thing to do. Peter said it was for her dad, saying he couldn't imagine what she was going through. Liz said they were going to Oregon as dad didn't want them during the trial. She told Peter she hoped he figured out everything going on with him and walked off with her mom as Peter watched.**

"At least she understands you." Bruce said and Peter nodded.

**Later, Roger showed the team the trophy for motivation and said they would need a new team captain. He appointed Michelle and all clapped for her. She said her friends called her MJ.**

"Do you even have any?" Peter wondered.

"All kids go through a phase." Hope said.

**Peter said he thought she didn't have any and got a message from an unknown number to come to the bathroom. She asked what he was hiding, startling him but said she was kidding and he went off as she looked after him.**

"She suspects something." Benjamin said.

**Peter walked into the bathroom to find Happy, who said he owed him one. And then someone flushed in a stall and a boy walked out, staring at them awkwardly as he washed his hands and wiped them, walking out and still staring at them.**

Everyone laughed as Rhodes said, "That was awkward."

**Happy said he'd been here long enough to be awkward and said boss wanted to see him. Peter asked if he was in the bathroom and Happy said he was upstate. Peter then sat in the car and Happy drove him there, showing him the upstate Avengers facility which was impressive.**

"That looks really nice." Natasha said.

"Yeah. I like it." Steve said.

**Tony arrived, asking for a minute alone and Happy said he'd follow loosely. Tony apologized for taking the suit but then said it was the perfect tough-love moment to urge him on.**

"Kind of. But too much." Peter said.

**Peter said he'd screwed the pooch but Tony said he'd then done the right thing, using an analogy and could be an asset to the team with more mentoring. He said there were 50 real reporters behind the door and revealed a new suit that was red and black with a huge spider on it.**

"Damn son!" Sam said.

"Okay, the suit did look awesome." Peter said.

"You resisted temptation. Congratulations, you are better than the first man and woman." Tony joked and all chuckled.

**Tony said Peter should try it on and he'd introduce the world to the latest Avenger: Spider-Man. Then Happy would show him to his room next to Vision, who wasn't big on doors.**

"I will be now." Vision said.

**Peter thanked Stark but said he was good, saying he would stay on the ground as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man to look out for the little guy. Tony asked Peter if he was turning him down and said it was the last chance, to which Peter said no so Tony said Happy would take him home. Peter started walking out, asking if it was a test and that no one was back there. Tony said it was and he had passed so he could go out.**

Everyone chuckled as Wanda said, "I think there were reporters."

"Oh yes." Pepper said.

**As Peter walked out, Pepper walked out of the door.**

"Look who it is!" Hill said as all cheered at Pepper's entrance.

"Been a while since I was in one of these." Pepper said.

"Yeah. I know right!" Tony said.

**She asked where the kid was and Tony said he had made a mature choice that had surprised them all, with Pepper saying he had screwed up and that they had to give the reporters something. Happy still had the engagement ring he had carried around since 2008, shocking Pepper who said she'd think of something better but Tony said it'd buy them time as she kissed him and walked through the door, with Tony walking after her as Happy tossed him the ring and walked off.**

"I planned to do both actually." Tony said.

"Congratulations on the engagement." Natasha said and the two smiled.

**Peter returned home and found the suit, having been returned by Tony. He called out to May who wasn't there and put it on before taking off his mask. May saw that from behind and said, "What the-?!" The screen turned black.**

"And now she knows." Steve said, "Be careful about who sees you."

"What was your reaction?" Hope asked.

"First, I freaked out and yelled at Stark on the phone and grounded Peter." May said, "Later, I understood his reasoning and decided he could do this but only for a certain time limit and in certain areas that are close."

"Sounds reasonable." Tony said.

**Adrian was led into prison where he met Mac Gargan, who was surprised they were in the same prison. He said he blamed Spider-Man and that some boys of his outside would want to meet him and kill him.**

"Oh no!" Aunt May paled.

"Relax." Benjamin simply said.

**Mac said he'd heard a rumor Adrian knew who he was and Adrian said Spider-Man would already be dead if he knew. Mac seemed satisfied as Adrian walked off on being told his wife and daughter had come to meet him. The screen turned black.**

"Why didn't he say anything?" Peter asked.

"Because he respects you, kid." Logan said.

"As for Mac, I'll tell you later." Benjamin said.

**Steve then appeared in one of his disciplinary videos, saying patience was a key trait for soldiers and students. It could be the key to victory or very little, with the result being disappointing. You'd wonder why you waited so long for something so disappointing. He then asked someone how many more of these were there.**

Everyone burst into laughter as Steve blushed in embarrassment, "Hope there aren't any more of these to show."

"There are but we won't show them." Odinson said.

"So, are we done for today?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. You hungry?" Benjamin asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Well then, come on." Logan said.

* * *

**And done. Adrian does seem to be an honorable criminal at least.**

**Man the post-credits scene here was like a slap in the face but really hilarious.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter where we do Break VI.**


	79. Break VI

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the reviews. No problem. Now I'm over her to be honest but thanks for the support and words of comfort. I drink sometimes too. I first drink cold drink from the can and then pour a drink in it to drink as well so no one notices what I'm drinking. It's fun. Yeah, Peter was quick and glad you like Miles being around. Yeah, the treatment was unacceptable. Yeah, the writers wrote him horribly in this movie. Oh yeah, Tony was amazing in Infinity War and Endgame again. Yeah, Peter did at least. Yeah, Peter needs to be Spider-Man now. I think it was Cable. The Happy/May thing was a bad joke that somehow made it through the movie. It was one of the things I didn't like about the movie. I'll see on May but not sure. Yeah that was a tense moment. Spider-Man does get a swinging scene at the very end of Far From Home and the makers gave some explanation as to why that was his first swinging scene, not that I listened at it sounded BS. Still, at least he got one and I hope he gets more. Yeah, here we come. Thanks a lot. Yeah, I wonder why this stuff was never brought up either. Thanks for the correction. Scarlet might have seen it already to get dirt. Yeah, it's funny and agreed on the scene. Enjoy Break VI.**

**Cap Fan: Thanks for the review. Glad it's nice. I have seen that movie, but no, James Rogers won't appear in this. Sorry. It won't make sense at all.**

**Alyssa: Thanks for the review. Uhhh…Ant-Man is here.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. Yeah, I guess Adrian did. I wonder too.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. I think all of these are good additions. Thanks. I understood that reference**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Honestly, I didn't remember to add it back then.**

Chapter 79- Break VI

Soon, everyone was in the dining hall again as they ate their food.

"I just wanted to say one thing, kid." Tony said to him, "I'm sorry for my behavior. But I still want to be part of your life. I want you to be better than me. You're a good kid. And I won't treat you like that ever again. I promise."

Everyone's respect for Tony grew with his sincere apology. Many people made mistakes. Sometimes even horrible mistakes. But few had the courage to admit the mistakes and apologize for them.

Peter looked at Aunt May who shrugged, seeming satisfied. Peter turned back to Tony and nodded with a smile, "I think you can be part of my life."

"Oh! And I'll remain within my boundaries. Sounds good?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. Sounds good." Peter smiled.

"I do see why everyone here likes you so much, kid." Pepper said to him, finding him very endearing.

"You're a very brave person, Man of Spider." Thor said to him, impressed by what he had seen of him in the recordings and till now.

"It's not a big deal." Peter said humbly, "Anyone would do what I'd do if they had powers."

"Are you kidding me?" Steve asked, "You went to stop your girlfriend's dad and then saved him from death without even hesitating. When you grow up, you're going to be the best out of all of us."

Peter almost blushed from all the praise he was getting and was struggling not to have a fanboy melt down.

"I don't consider myself the best." Benjamin said, "I'm just doing what all of us should do. Help."

"Looks like you're right about him, Cap." Natasha said.

"I'm so proud." Aunt May said to Benjamin and Peter both.

"Yes. And considering how many enemies he has, it says a lot about what kind of man he is." Odinson said.

"Really? How many enemies do you have?" Clint asked.

"Quite a few." Benjamin said, deep in thought, "There was this burglar named Felicia Hardy who called herself Black Cat. Turned out she went to the same college as me so I helped her reform."

"Don't forget you two were in an on-off relationship for a long while." Logan muttered and he shook his head.

"Let's not talk about it." Benjamin said and everyone seemed amused by his reaction, "Then there's Rhino. A Russian criminal with a weaponized suit that resembles a Rhino. Very over the top that one."

"So basically like an even worse Cross." Scott said and he nodded.

"Sorry about that, kid. Good luck." Hope told him.

"Then there is Green Goblin who is actually Norman Osborn." Benjamin said to all of their shocks.

"You mean the Oscorp's CEO?" Tony asked and he nodded.

"He seems like a decent guy so far." Sam said.

"He was. His company was making a suit for war along with a glider but he was given a deadline." Benjamin said, "So he tested some kind of superhuman serum like Cap's on himself but went insane and killed some scientists. So the contract went to another company and he killed their scientists too. Then, I started getting in his way and he became my biggest enemy. He caused me a great deal of grief."

For one second, Wanda saw an image flash through his head of him holding a dead, blonde woman under a bridge and sobbing bitterly and screaming at someone in the air, "YOU KILLED THE WOMAN I LOVE! AND FOR THAT, YOU'RE GOING TO DIE!"

Wanda shuddered a bit, feeling a lot of sympathy and sadness for him. He had already lost his Uncle Ben who he seemed to adore from what little him and May had spoken of the man. And worse things kept happening to him. She could see why her older self was in a relationship with him.

"And his son, Harry, was my best friend in college." Benjamin said, "Kind of like Adrian all over again. After Norman's death, he wanted revenge from me and became the New Goblin but I helped him see reason he turned himself in."

"Very few people can see reason at that point. Only Harry did." Logan said.

"Anyone else I should know about?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, there's Doctor Octopus, you know, the Doctor Octavius. He was doing a nuclear fusion experiment and used artificial arms for that but there was an accident which killed his wife and that drove him insane." Benjamin said, "Though he did see reason too and destroyed his machine, killing himself."

"I am so sorry you had to go through so much." Aunt May said to Benjamin.

"You were there for me through all of it." Benjamin assured her, "Oh! And there's also a symbiote called Venom who bonded to me and made me more powerful but also more unhinged so I let it go and it bonded to a guy called Eddie Brock who was my rival photographer in college and turned him into my enemy. It's still out there, changing its hosts. It came from a crashed meteor."

"I think we should take care of this thing before it reaches Earth then." Loki told Thor who nodded in agreement.

"Right you are, brother." Thor said.

"And Kraven the Hunter." Benjamin said, "I'll tell you about him and another enemy of ours after the last recording."

"If you need any help, we're all here for you kid." Hill assured Peter who nodded with a smile.

"Damn right!" Fury said.

"I think it's time to sleep then." Logan said and all seemed to agree.

"Yeah. I think I agree." Bruce said.

With that, all of them got up and went to their rooms one by one, now done for the day. When Hill got to her room though, she saw her water had finished.

So she walked back to the dining room to get a new bottle from the fridge. To her surprise, Steve was there too. He seemed to sense her as he turned around. Ever since her proven crush on him had been revealed, there was a certain awkwardness between them because of which they were avoiding speaking to each other.

"Hey." Steve said simply.

"H-Hi." Hill said to him, "What're you doing here?"

"Drinking water in the room ran out." Steve said.

"Funny." Hill said, "Same thing happened to me."

"Oh!" Steve said as he walked to the fridge and opening it, took out another bottle for her, "Here goes."

"Thanks." She said as she accepted it with a smile.

Steve wouldn't say he was attracted to her in a conventional sense. But there was something intriguing about her to him. She had always been there ever since he had got out of the ice, working tirelessly under Fury to help save the world. Working from behind the scenes to keep everyone safe while the Avengers were in the forefront.

She had even saved him, Natasha and Sam from Hydra. And she too had helped him catch up on some stuff like Sam.

Many women were attracted to him. But there were few who were as interesting a person as Hill. He loved Natasha as a friend and was happy for her and Bucky. Wanda was like a little sister whom he adored. He was attracted to Sharon and she was a very nice, capable woman but because of her connection to Peggy, he could always feel his first love's shadow over them.

And a part of him still did care for Peggy but this was his home now.

_I am home._

He remembered his words to Tony that he had said after Ultron's defeat. So even if he could somehow go back to Peggy, he knew he won't be able to stay forever. Maybe he should see where this could go after all. No harm done.

As Hill turned to leave, he called out to her, "Maria."

She stopped in her tracks and turned around to face him, "What?"

"I was…..I was wondering…." Steve stuttered. He was worse than Peter at this.

"What were you wondering?" She asked.

"Just….uhhhh…." Steve said, struggling to form coherent words, "After this is over…..will you….will you go out for a coffee with me?"

Hill seemed a bit surprised at his question. She looked contemplative. Steve wondered if he had come off the wrong way. This was one thing he had never been good at. Even after becoming Captain America. Like his 'fondue' misconception.

But then Hill's face turned to a smile. Not a smirk. A smile. Like the ones most women gave when talking to someone they really liked.

She looked up at him and said, "I'd like that."

Steve inwardly sighed in relief. This worked better than he had thought it would.

"After this is over then." Hill said.

"Yeah. Wherever you'd like." Steve told her.

And then they simply stood there, the awkwardness and tension easing slowly.

Suddenly, a white light glowed in the room and they turned to its source. They covered their eyes with their arms and then suddenly the light disappeared and in its place was a dark, imposing figure on a hovering throne.

"Greetings, Avenger and Agent of SHIELD." He said as he stood on his throne, "I have come from the future to deliver a message to Captain America."

He then took out a gun from a portal and fired. A green beam shot out and they both jumped to avoid. The alarms in the building had already started blaring at this point.

Suddenly, someone flew out in a suit. It was like Tony's but far sleeker and thinner. The colors were mostly the same though.

Before Kang could fire again, the person inside said, "F.R.I.D.A.Y. Initiate defenses."

It was Morgan. Some turrets popped out of the ground and fired at Kang. When the smoke cleared, Kang still stood there, holding his gun. He had produced an energy shield with his throne. Some other turrets appeared and fired at him as his shield defended him.

He then pressed a button on his throne and a sonic wave was produced. As Steve, Morgan and Hill backed to avoid, the sonic wave hit the turrets, disabling them. Kang then dispelled his energy shield and fired his gun at the ceiling. Some sonic waves shot out and dispersed on hitting the ceiling, hitting the turrets and destroying them all.

His throne then lowered itself to the ground as he got off of it.

"I don't care why you are here, Kang." Morgan said, "But this ends now."

She fired a repulsor at him but he disappeared from view and the repulsor hit the throne instead which was protected by the energy shield.

Kang appeared next to Morgan and before she could react, lifted her by the throat, "Your armor is…amusing. Primitive."

Hill fired at him with her gun but he opened a portal in the way and the bullets went into it before shutting it off. Steve rushed Kang and lifting a chair, threw it at him. But Kang pointed his hand at the chair and it stopped in mid-air. Turning to the two with a smirk, he asked, "Now, where were we?"

* * *

The others were all led to some kind of secret panic room which was connected to all of theirs. It had opened when the alarms had started blaring.

"What's going on?" An alarmed Fury asked.

"Kang is here." Cassie said, shocking them all.

"The guy from the future?" Scott asked and she nodded.

"Why is he here?" Hope asked.

"No idea." Lila said, "Morgan, Cap and Hill are out there."

"Hill's there?" Fury asked in shock, "He'd kill her."

"And Morgan?" Tony asked, him and Pepper terrified for her life.

"Look, some of you need to stay here." Odinson said, "Bruce, you stay here."

"But why? Hulk can be helpful." Bruce said.

"If Kang gets through us, the others would need your protection." Logan said.

"So who's staying?" Pepper asked, looking at Tony.

"You are. May is." Lila said, "And you too, Fury."

"And you two as well." Cassie said to her dad and Hope, "We don't have time to get suits for you two."

The two nodded, accepting.

"And you as well, bub." Logan said to Peter, "Bruce might need some help if things to shit. And Vision, Rhodey, you too."

Peter, Rhodes and Vision seemed to nod, accepting.

"What about me?" Tony asked, "I'm not leaving my daughter out there."

"We do have time to get a suit for you." Benjamin said as he arrived inside, "I called up some people."

"Be careful, peanut." Scott said as him and Cassie hugged each other.

* * *

Back in the dining hall, Kang spun his hand and the chair flew back at Steve and Hill, hitting them and throwing them back.

He then threw Morgan away into a wall and she fell down. Kang then turned around to see Steve running at him.

Steve threw punches, kicks and flips but Kang opened small portals in the way every time as Steve asked, "Why are you attacking the Avengers in their headquarters, Kang?"

"No, not the Avengers. Only you, Captain." Kang smirked, "I am here to eliminate you from the timeline."

He then pressed his belt and a green sonic wave shot out, throwing Steve back as Hill groaned where she lay.

As Morgan got up, Tony then flew in, "You all right?"

"Yes, dad." She said as he helped her up. Tony was using the Iron Man Armor: Mark XLV. This suit seemed to have been preserved even till 2035.

"FRIDAY. Full power to the Unibeam." Tony said and fired it from the Arc Reactor but an energy shield blocked it.

"That's not possible." Tony said in shock, "Scan his weapons."

"Error." FRIDAY said as the weapons weren't from their timeline.

"Scan his chair." Tony said in desperation.

"Error." FRIDAY said again.

"There's nothing we can do to scan his weapons." Morgan said as the two stood together.

Kang fired a beam at them again but suddenly someone with wings came flying with a shield and blocked the beam, though he was sent flying back.

It was Sam. But he wore a suit that resembled Captain America's and also had his shield, along with his wings.

He staggered up as Steve asked in shock, "Sam?"

"Not your Sam." He said, "The Sam from this timeline."

"Why do you want to eliminate Captain America, Kang?" Tony asked him.

"To save the world." Kang said ominously.

Suddenly, a huge figure appeared behind Kang. He seemed to be a giant made of rock and wore only pants. Before Kang could react, the figure grabbed him and threw him away, crashing him through a wall.

As Kang groaned, he saw an arrow inches from his face. It was Lila, in her Hawkeye suit and next to her were Natasha, Clint, Bucky, Sam and T'Challa, the former four pointing guns at him.

"Here's some friendly advice, I'd stay down if I were you." Lila said to Kang as Clint smirked in pride.

"Just like Hawkeye." Natasha joked and the three chuckled.

Suddenly, the green stone on Kang's helmet glowed and another sonic wave shot out, sending them flying back as the stone guy rushed in. Kang's shield appeared again but the stone guy punched it so hard twice it disappeared and he lifted Kang into the air angrily.

"Ben wait!" Benjamin said as he walked inside with Steve, Tony, Logan and Morgan, now wearing a Spider-Man suit, "We need answers."

"What did you mean when you said 'save the world?'" Morgan asked him.

"Where I am from I rule the world." Kang said, "But recently, a disruption in the space-time continuum wiped out everything from my timeline and only I escaped. I traced the anomaly to here and turns out its Captain America. He shouldn't have existed in the 21st Century beyond 2023. And because of your actions, he will."

Suddenly, small green balls of energy shot out of his fingertips and hit all of them, sending shocks through their bodies as they fell down in pain.

Kang stood over Steve again and said, "To save my timeline, you must die, Captain America."

Before he could fire though, he was hit by lightning and screamed in pain. Thor was there with Loki, Odinson, Wanda and Cassie.

Before Kang could react, Odinson summoned some kind of ax in his hand and threw it at Kang, sending him flying back and crashing into a wall.

"What's that?" Loki asked as him and Thor looked at the ax in awe when Odinson summoned it back.

"Stormbreaker. A king's weapon." Odinson said before announcing to Kang, "You wish to end a life villain, then try ours!"

"Yeah!" Cassie said before stopping, "Wait what?"

Kang then staggered back up and raised his hand. Suddenly, shots were fired at them all from behind and they jumped away to avoid. It was his throne, moving on its own accord. It flew into the room and Kang sat on it just as someone on fire came flying in and fired at him but the energy shield defended him. Cassie shrunk and fired her blasts at him but the shield defended him from those too.

"Give it up, Kang." Tony said as all of them stood together against him.

"I don't give up, primitive." Kang said, "If you insist to fight so much to save Captain America's life, I will show you all exactly what you are fighting for."

They all charged at him as a white light glowed and suddenly, they were not in Avengers Tower anymore but in a burnt, destroyed and desolate city. Some fires were still burning on the almost destroyed buildings.

The sun seemed to be burning really bright too.

"What the fuck?" Logan said.

"No." Bucky whispered.

Kang then appeared on his throne and said, "This is what Captain America's presence beyond 2023 leads to. This is all his fault."

Odinson saw a broken doll on the ground and picked it up.

"Where have you taken us, Kang?" Morgan asked.

"Not where, when. You stand in your New York city, just 10 years from 2035." Kang said, horrifying them all.

"You did this!" Clint said as he pointed his gun at him.

"You're not listening, Avenger." Kang said, "I didn't do this. Captain America did."

"All right everyone, just calm down!" Tony said, "FRIDAY, connect to Stark Industries server."

"Error. Server not found."

"SHIELD! Anything!"

"Error."

Everyone was horrified as they realized Kang was telling the truth.

"There is no one out there. There is no one left." Tony said in horror. Even the satellites in space lay broken.

"Of course not." Kang said, "Very soon, back in the timeline from which the past Avengers come from, the Earth will be consumed in a war. Earth's sun will be a casualty in that war, along with all life on the planet."

"What kind of war is that?" Cassie asked.

"A war between two alien races." Kang said, "The Kree and the Skrulls."

The ones from the future were shocked as Benjamin mused, "This is what their fighting will lead to?"

"But in the end, it was Captain America whose presence caused this destruction." Kang said.

"Nay! You lie!" Thor said, "No one man can be responsible for this destruction. Least of all, Captain America."

"Not knowingly." Kang said, "But he should not exist in your timeline. I am here to correct that."

"So let me guess, handing over Cap to you is going to save the world." The flying fire guy said.

"Stupid future man!" Ben roared and charged, trying to punch him but he blocked with his energy shield and hit Ben with an electric shock, sending him flying back.

"It may." Kang said, "I am here to eliminate Captain America. But I will advance your technology and prepare your military for the upcoming war."

"And how will you do that?" Past Sam asked.

"By conquering 2023." Kang said, "I tell you that as a courtesy. I will come for you all."

"If this is what my presence will lead to, I will stand down." Steve said, "But the entire Earth…what should we do?"

"We have seen what the Kree can do in the recordings." Tony said, "Kang may be the Earth's only hope."

Kang smirked as everyone looked at Tony in horror.

Then everyone detected a smirk underneath Tony's visor as he said, "But he's being a real jerk about it."

Steve smirked and said, "Avengers, take him!"

With that, Natasha, Clint, Bucky and Past Sam fired their guns. Future Sam threw his shield while Odinson threw Stormbreaker and Thor fired his lightning and Loki threw a dagger. The flying fire guy also fired a blast as Tony and Morgan fired repulsors and Cassie fired a blast. Wanda too fired a hex blast as Benjamin shot out a webbing line while Lila fired an explosive arrow.

There was an explosion where Kang was as Future Sam's and Odinson's weapons returned to them. As the smoke cleared, they were horrified to see Kang wasn't there.

He then reappeared and said, "I hope you enjoy the rest of your days on this dead Earth. For this is where I am leaving you."

He pressed a button and the throne started disappearing when suddenly, cockroaches started crawling up his chair to his shock. They covered him.

"Now that's impressive, bub." Logan said.

Cassie smirked, "My suit detected them as soon as we got here. Cockroaches can survive almost anything."

"IT's CLOBBERIN' TIME!"

Ben stomped the ground with his foot and the shockwave sent Kang flying off his throne. He landed on the ground as Logan leapt at him with a roar, claws raised but was sent flying back by Kang's hand.

The others surrounded him as Lila fired her arrows but Kang stopped them with his hand. Tony and Morgan fired missiles together but Kang stopped them too with his hand and threw them at Steve. Future Sam flew in the way and blocked with his shield.

As Kang fired a beam, Wanda raised a shield, struggling against it.

"Tony, get to the chair!" Steve said, "It's out ticket home!"

"But Cap-"

"You're the only one who can!" Steve said.

"You can do this, dad." Morgan said, "We'll distract him."

Tony nodded and flew off as Morgan and the fire guy fired at Kang but he summoned an even more powerful energy shield, blocking the attacks while Ben leapt at it but was sent flying off. Thor fired his lightning while Odinson hit it with Stormbreaker but the shield exploded and they were all sent flying off too.

T'Challa leapt in front of him and tried to fight but Kang opened portals in the way and sent him flying off again.

Tony sat on his throne, trying to figure out something.

A miniature Cassie fired at Kang but he produced energy shield again and fired a small energy ball at her, sending her flying back.

He then stopped a rock being thrown at him. Ben threw another one and Kang sent the first one flying back with his hand, crashing the two and destroying them.

"You hope to defeat me?" Kang asked.

"No we don't." Loki smirked as he threw a knife at Kang which he stopped and threw back at him. But the knife went through him and it turned out to be an illusion.

Kang groaned as he was stabbed in the side by the real Loki who smirked, "It's called a distraction."

Logan leapt at Kang from behind with a roar and hit his suit with his claws, forming an X as Kang roared in pain again. Loki backed off as Kang turned around and fired a beam at Logan, sending him flying back.

"Error analyzing." FRIDAY said as Tony tried to analyze the throne.

"No! There has to be a way!" He said, "This isn't magic. It's technology. There is logic to it."

Wanda fired a blast at Kang but his energy shield defended him. Ben leapt at Kang but the energy shield sent him flying back.

Thor fired his lightning but the energy shield's power was increased. Odinson leapt at Kang with Stormbreaker raised and roared, "YIELD!"

Kang's shield fired an energy shockwave and Odinson was sent back as Natasha, Clint Bucky and Past Sam fired at him but he sent them all flying back.

Benjamin attached webbing to him and swung at him, kicking him on the face before he opened a portal to block another attack and sent him flying back too.

Cassie, now in giant form, tried to hit him but he threw her into the air with his hand. Morgan fired another missile but it was sent back at her and she fell down.

Lila fired many arrows and they exploded around Kang, forming a crater but he walked in the air. Logan leapt at him from behind but Kang stopped him with his hand.

A now miniature Cassie tried to fire a blast but Kang put Logan in the way and he was hit before being thrown off along with her. The fire guy fired a powerful blast but Kang disappeared and reappeared before firing a blast at him and sending him back.

He then turned to Steve, Thor, Loki and Future Sam. He fired at them as Thor fired his lightning back, the two beams struggling to overpower each other.

"Tony, we're running out of time!" Steve said.

Tony was looking at all the codes when he said, "FRIDAY, connect to Port 290926 now!"

FRIDAY did as told and then a white light glowed again as some green sonic waves shot out.

"NO!" Kang roared angrily.

"Your tech is very advanced." Tony told Kang, "But some of it is based on very, very old technology. Stark Technology.

Tony then said, "Activate time circuits, now!"

The time circuits were activated as all of them suddenly found themselves in Avengers Tower again in the dining hall.

"You will pay for this!" Kang roared as he leapt at Tony but the energy shield appeared and he was sent flying back.

"I have faced your wrath, Kang!" Odinson said as he flew into the air, "Now you shall suffer mine!"

He then fired a powerful lightning blast with Stormbreaker as him and his weapon glowed with lightning. Kang screamed in pure agony before he fell down, his suit now in shreds and his helmet sparkling. His body was scorched badly.

He groaned as he said, "This….is….not…..over."

"Cap and I don't agree on a lot." Tony said as him and Steve walked over to Kang, "But on this, we do."

As he tried to get up, a hex blast hit his abdomen and he was down again. But it wasn't Wanda.

They all turned to see Scarlet Witch coming out of some kind of orange glowing portal.

Kang's neck was suddenly wrapped by an orange glowing whip. Everyone looked up to see a man in a goatee dressed in some kind of blue uniform with a red cape on his back that had a collar coming up to his shoulders.

"Who're you?" Tony asked.

"Doctor Strange. Sorcerer Supreme." He said.

Steve looked down at the very weakened Kang and punched him hard, finally knocking him out.

Strange's whip disappeared as he flew down and he moved his hand in a rotatory motion, opening another portal.

"It's the Baxter Building." Strange said, "Send Kang to the Negative Zone."

"Finally! After ages, we have caught this bastard!" The fire guy said.

"Thanks for coming, Johnny." Benjamin said to him, "You too, Ben."

The two nodded with smiles.

Ben then lifted Kang and the two walked into the portal, taking him away.

"So you're some kind of magician now?" Natasha asked Strange.

"We are called Masters of the Mystic Arts." Strange said, "And I am the Sorcerer Supreme. You are all from the past, having been brought here to view your past and future mistakes so as to not repeat them."

"Yeah, we are almost about to finish in two more days." Benjamin said.

"I never thought this would be needed." Strange said, "But back in the original timeline, there is one thing I didn't consider when we finally did beat Thanos after all the losses."

"What?" T'Challa asked.

"In that timeline, all the Infinity Stones were destroyed." Strange said, "Reduced to atoms. But what we didn't realize then were that they were needed in pure form to help sustain the universe. And with them gone, this universe would collapse in half a century now."

"What?" Tony asked as everyone gapped.

"Yes. Which is why we brought you here." Strange said, "If you all view your mistakes, this situation will never arise. And the universe will be stable again."

"And because we brought you here instead of going back in time, the alternate timeline stuff isn't going to happen." Benjamin said, "Your past actions will change the future."

"So Back to the Future does work." Tony mused.

"We have to go now." Strange said as he opened another portal. Scarlet Witch kissed Benjamin and then walked into it with him.

"That was unexpected." Logan said.

"This place is still safe, right?" Bucky asked.

"Kang has future tech which helped him bypass all our security." Morgan said, "Others can't."

"You did, good." Tony said to Morgan who smiled.

"You too, dad." She told Tony.

"Good work, Tony." Steve said sincerely.

"And I am so proud." Clint said as he looked at Lila proudly.

"What did he mean about me?" Steve mused.

"He wasn't clear." Odinson said, "The Fantastic Four will try to get answers. We will tell you if they do."

"Whatever it is, we will have to face it together." Wanda said and they all nodded.

"Sounds like the threats we wanted you about aren't the only ones out there." Benjamin said.

"Changing the past changes the future." Tony said, "And it can happen positively as well as negatively."

They all nodded, still tense.

"Is Hill all right?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. She is." Morgan said.

"I have to ask though, what were you two doing out here?" Tony asked Steve with a naughty smirk and Steve sighed. Which was answer enough.

"Oooh!" Natasha smirked, "So the Captain asked the spy out on a date."

"What happened next?" Bucky asked.

"He got it." Steve said and Bucky and Natasha smirked.

Steve and Past Sam turned to Future Sam, "Did I give this to you?"

"Yeah." Future Sam said, "You retired. And gave this to me."

Steve felt he wasn't telling the entire thing but nodded. He shook hands with Future Sam.

"All right. I know it's hard but maybe we should all go to sleep." Benjamin said, "I promise, no more supervillains will attack. And we only have to view this stuff for two more days."

Everyone nodded in agreement and one by one, all were back in their rooms again as they reunited with ones in the panic room, who were shocked but relieved to see them.

Now the atmosphere was tenser than ever. But the heroes were all united at least. And they would finish the viewing soon.

* * *

**And done. Not a game-changer but definitely different from the other breaks.**

**I know I took this from EMH but I love that show and love borrowing from it every now and then. I have quite a few sequels planned to this story and two of them will be taken from EMH. Rest of them will be my own stuff.**

**And yeah, I changed up the time travel rules a bit and made them a bit more complicated but we won't talk about them much. And yeah, with the Stones gone, the universe will collapse in half a century which is why Strange is in support of this viewing thing.**

**I'd say before they were at Titan, there were many ways to beat Thanos but after they reached there, there was only the one way and it was this.**

**But on the bright side, the CaptainHill ship is here! Yay!**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter where we begin with Doctor Strange.**


	80. Stephen Strange

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Glad that was awesome. Yeah, Kang really did. Glad it makes sense. Yeah, that show was awesome. Glad you loved that. Yeah, the Bleeding Edge must be a surprise. I Hela love Hela. As for the lineup, man it is next level! I can't survive something that awesome! Add Moon Knight and Ghost Rider too. I think Thanos weakened Thor and he was too weak to use his power in the opening. After that, need didn't really arise to use it till Stormbreaker's forging. Ian Bohen does sound good because I don't have anyone specific for Norman right now. I'm benching Carol really. She will appear in the sequels though. I'm still thinking of when to put in the Fantastic Four. Sorry about the time travel mumbo jumbo though. The first chapter of Flashraven's Punisher story is out and you'll love it. Yes the ship has docked and they'd have a field day. Glad that scene was well done. I think I'm not that good at writing romantic relationships but I can write specific scenes of a relationship well. Glad it was a good job. Well, Stormbreaker did cut through a beam by the Infinity Gauntlet and evidence suggests the beam was at least planetary. Yes people will. Enjoy.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. I will try my best on that. The body swap joke will come in next break though.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. Yes it will be a trippy movie. I think the word 'trippy' should be used by the viewers. Thanks for that. I will try on Benjamin and Scarlet.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. He is already taken down in this timeline.**

**Gary: Thanks for the review. The 'Into The Spiderverse' version also seemed incapable of being Prowler yet he was. Things change in the years that pass.**

**Cap Fan: Dude, you requested for James Rogers during Chapter 78 when Bucky/Nat and CaptainHill were already established. What you were hoping to accomplish, I have no idea. It's fine to like a ship and not like another. But if it is clear that the ship won't be part of the story you're reading, then there is no point in requesting it or things related to it. Just purse your lips and move on. Trying to make me write for your ship and threatening to quit reading if I don't won't work. That makes you no better than Coolrod.**

Chapter 80- Stephen Strange

Everyone woke up on time the next day. They were surprised they had even managed to get some sleep after the incident with Kang. Steve was a bit on edge, considering what Kang had said, but he would have to move past it for now.

They were eating in the dining hall.

"Where's future me?" Sam asked.

"He works a lot." Benjamin said, "Very dedicated. I see why Cap chose you, Sam."

"I really don't see myself retiring to be honest." Steve said, "Though I believe I gave the mantle to the right person."

"I am actually happy you didn't pass it on to me." Bucky said.

Steve nodded. Bucky seemed to be tired of fighting at this point and was only doing it because it was necessary. He was more peaceful living in a hut in Wakanda and being pestered by children, which he found more amusing than annoying. Sam, on the other hand, was as enthusiastic as ever. So his choice made sense.

"And Stormbreaker?" Thor asked, "Did Eitri make it?"

"Yes." Odinson said, "I had to convince him but he made the most powerful weapon I have ever wielded."

"A king's weapon indeed." Loki said, "And unlike Mjolnir, this seems to enhance your powers."

"Yes. It does." Odinson said, "And my powers have only grown since then."

"I think to fight Thanos, I will need it." Thor said.

"Yeah you will, bub." Logan agreed.

"So who're we watching today?" Tony asked.

"It's Strange actually." Benjamin said.

"That makes his appearance yesterday even more convenient." Natasha joked and all chuckled.

"You found anything about what Kang meant or wanted?" Clint asked.

"No. But we will tell you if we do while you're here." Logan assured.

"I think we should begin now." Pepper said.

"Yeah. Come on." Benjamin said and they were in the viewing room again. Logan turned on the recording.

"Never seen real magic before." Wanda commented, "My powers come from the Mind Stone."

"It does seem like it will be an enlightening experience." Vision said.

"Of course it would." Logan said as the recording started.

**Some kind of monastery was shown. In the library, the librarian was walking around, holding a book. Then someone appeared in the corner. As the librarian turned to face him, other people dressed like him appeared too.**

"Religious fanatics?" Scott asked.

"They are Zealots." Odinson said, "You'll see."

**The Zealots suddenly produced Eldrich whips and restrained the librarian in the air while a bucket was kept underneath him. As he screamed, one of the Zealots stepped up and with two Scythian daggers, decapitated him as the head fell into the bucket.**

The viewers gapped in horror as Peter looked afraid. The brutality of the world was getting worse and worse in every recording for him. May held his hand lovingly as Hope said, "What the hell?"

"They're doing some kind of ritual?" Fury asked.

"Yeah." Logan said.

**He then picked up the book and tore off some pages. As they started to leave, a hooded woman appeared, addressing the man as Master Kaecilius, and told him the ritual would only bring him sorrow.**

"Who's that?" Hill asked.

"You'll see." Benjamin said.

**The Zealots ran and went through some kind of magical barrier before stepping out of the place and onto the streets of London. As they ran, the space in front of them seemed to warp as the people in the streets disappeared. They turned to see the hooded woman as Kaecilius called her a hypocrite. The entire landscape was suddenly warped, turning to the side as the buildings and space contorted while the Zealots struggled to maintain their footing.**

"Okay, what is that?" A shocked Peter asked. This seemed to shock all of them though.

"This is far different from Asgardian magic." Loki noted.

"I wouldn't mess with these." Bruce said.

**Kaecilius took out Scythian daggers as the others summoned Eldrich whips, tying her legs but she stepped back and they fell down as she summoned her tao mandalas, leaping and beating them before fighting some others and beating them too, crushing them with the distorted buildings.**

"She's good." Natasha said as everyone simply stared in awe.

"And what she is doing, I have no idea." Steve said.

"What any of them are doing, I can't tell." Rhodes said.

"Yeah. They're pretty trippy." Logan agreed.

**As she crushed two more under the buildings and fought a third, Kaecilius opened a portal and him and his Zealots jumped into it as it closed. She watched helplessly and simply landed down, restoring the normal version of the landscape.**

"Damn!" Tony said as all gapped.

**She opened a portal and went through it, returning the crowded street.**

"Where had the people gone?" Aunt May asked.

"No spoilers." Benjamin said.

**She took off her hood, revealing herself to be bald as everyone looked at her.**

"She seems….enigmatic." T'Challa said.

**In a hospital, a doctor washed his hands and wore surgical gown and mask before going to perform an operation. As he operated, he listened to music and asked the assistant known as Billy to bring up the challenge round.**

"That's him!" Clint said.

"He's listening to music while performing a surgery?" Pepper asked, "That's dangerous."

"Not for him." Benjamin said.

**As Billy put on the music, Strange said this wasn't hard at all, guessing the song, artist and year correctly, though Billy said it was 1978. Strange said the song had charted in 1978 but was released in 1977. A nurse asked where he stored all the useless information and he said it wasn't useless as the man had charted a Top 10 Hit with Flugelhorn. Turned out he had guessed the right year as everyone seemed a bit annoyed and the other doctor said he'd done his bit and they'd finish up. **

"Photographic memory, right?" Tony asked and nods followed.

"I think he reminds me of someone." Pepper said.

"Who?" Tony asked.

"You." She said.

"Oh come on! We're nothing alike!" Tony said.

"You kidding me?" Rhodes asked, "This guy looks like the Tony Stark of neurosurgery."

Everyone chuckled, though the comparison was accurate.

**Strange saw Christine Palmer outside and walked to meet her. She showed him a case on a tablet. Strange found the problem, saying she had left a bullet in his head and it was impinging on the medulla.**

"He's really impressive." Steve said as all looked impressed.

**Strange then suddenly ran along with her, stopping Dr. West from wheeling the man away for organ donation. West insisted he was brain dead but Strange showed that he had found a perfectly intact bullet in the head so they needed to prepare for a suboccipital craniotomy. The bullet had been hardened by a poison that caused the patient to fail reflexes tests and enter a death-like state.**

"Heard of that one." Natasha said, "Pretty bad."

**Strange and Palmer moved to the operation theater to operate, with the former refusing West's assistance. Strange did it with hand. West said it wasn't time for showing off but Strange called him out for the wrong time of death and also asked him to cover his watch. They continued the intense surgery.**

"Okay. I can see where you're coming from." Tony said, reminded of when he had humiliated Hammer.

**In the end, they managed to take out a perfectly intact bullet, saving the man's life.**

Everyone sighed in relief as Bruce said, "He is definitely the best neurosurgeon I have seen. I won't bet against him."

"You're not the only one." Sam said.

**The two walked out and were hugged by the man's family. They later walked together as Palmer said he didn't need to humiliate West and he argued how he didn't have to save his patient either, though Palmer continued to defend him as a great doctor and had come to Strange for a second opinion. He said she had a second opinion and had come to him for a competent one.**

Everyone laughed at Strange's snark.

"West is probably a great doctor but he is an extraordinary one." Fury said and all agreed.

**Palmer sarcastically asked him to be her neurosurgeon on call as he said he wasn't going to work in her butcher shop and that his work would save thousands of lives in the coming years and she joked how he had no fame, saying she'd stick with Nick. Strange asked if they were sleeping, finding it disgusting, and she said they weren't, as she had a strict rule against dating colleagues and called it the Strange policy.**

"So…..ex?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah." Benjamin said.

"Everything makes sense now." Tony said.

**Strange was flattered something was named after him as Palmer reminded him of the lobotomy procedure they both had made. He asked her to come to a Neurological society dinner but she said that was all about him. He said they could hyphenate to Strange-Palmer but she changed it to Palmer-Strange.**

"Sounds better actually." Hope said.

**Strange shaved at his home and put on a tux before looking at his trophies and certificates. He opened a drawer to reveal several expensive watches.**

"And I thought I was narcissistic." Tony said and all chuckled.

**He picked up a watch given to him by Christine Palmer when they had been in a relationship.**

"He seems to be like you for sure." Pepper said, now reminded of how Tony had still kept the Arc Reactor with the words- 'Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart.'

**Strange got into a sports car and drove through the city at high speed with no regards for his safety.**

"Slow down man." Steve said.

"I have a feeling this is where the accident takes place." Clint said.

"Right you are." Odinson said.

**Strange got a phone call from Billy, who talked about a 35 year old Air Force Colonel who had crushed his lower spine in some kind of experimental armor.**

"Sounds eerily similar, doesn't it?" Rhodes asked.

"Yes it does." Sam sighed.

**Strange dismissed it, saying others could handle it before being told of a sixty-eight-year-old woman with an advanced brain stem glioma. He didn't want to screw his record though and was then informed of a schizophrenic with an electric implant who had been struck by lightning.**

"I got no words for that." Scott said.

**Strange got the X-ray and looked at it, only to hit another car.**

Everyone watched with wide eyes.

**He lost control as the car skidded around. His hands were crushed and hit by glass shards as the car flew off the road and crashed into the water, with a wounded Strange eventually losing consciousness.**

"This is why I never take my eyes off the road!" Tony said, "One thing I'm careful at."

"I have a feeling he won't be able to operate anymore." Rhodes said, as everyone felt sympathy for Strange too.

**Strange was later wheeled into the emergency room and after what seemed like days, woke up. Palmer was next to him, assuring him he was fine. He saw his hands in fixators and was told the nerve damage was inoperable. He had 11 stainless steel pins in his bones.**

Everyone felt bad for the doctor in spite of his arrogance. Because at the end of the day, he was a good man.

"**No one could have done better." Palmer said. "I could have done better." Strange said.**

Tony felt there were similarities between him and Strange. Both were arrogant, successful people. He had been almost murdered by his own weapons. Strange had given himself injuries so horrible only he could operate on them.

**He later looked through his own X-Rays as Christine helped him shave. His bandages were removed later and his fingers shook badly as West told him he'd need time to heal but he accused West of ruining him.**

"Nope. He saved your life." Logan said.

"I think those hands were done for the moment they were crushed." Odinson said.

"Yeah. From the looks of it, only he could have operated on them like he said." Bruce said.

**Strange was later in a meeting with other doctors and told them of a complex process to heal his hands. A female one said it was possible as he was later wheeled to the operation theater while Christine watched.**

"I don't think it worked." Scott said sadly.

"No." Benjamin said.

**He was later in a meeting with his physical therapist who advised him to open his fingers using braces but it caused him a lot of pain.**

Except the soldiers, warriors and SHIELD agents, everyone cringed at the sight due to the pain Strange was experiencing.

**Strange asked if someone with nerve damage this severe had recovered and was told of one paraplegic. He had stopped coming and was thought to be dead and a few years later, had walked past him on the street.**

"Walked?" Rhodes asked as all were shocked.

"Yeah." Odinson said, "The Mystic Arts can do many things, including actual miracles it seems."

**Strange was skeptical as the therapist said he'd pull the file from archives and would be worth it if it proved his arrogant ass wrong.**

Everyone chuckled as Fury said, "I know the feeling."

**Strange later washed his shaking hands and tried to shave but failed. He later talked to a doctor on video call on his tablet while trying to write with his shaking hands. The doctor said all the suggested procedures were impossible and cut the call in spite of Strange's protests. Strange angrily threw the tablet across the room.**

Everyone flinched as T'Challa said, "He is angry. He has lost his way of life. And he sees no other way."

**Palmer then arrived as Strange called the doctor a hack. He then talked about a procedure in Tokyo, thinking of a loan but she said he didn't even have any money now and should stop. He said he wouldn't stop. Palmer said other things in his life could give it meaning. He asked if she meant herself.**

"Shouldn't have done that." Tony said.

**She asked him to apologize and he asked her to leave. She started leaving, saying she couldn't watch him do this to himself and it broke her heart. He asked her not to pity him and she said she wasn't. He said they aren't friends and were barely lovers, with her just loving a good sob story, which he was to her now. He was yelling at this point. She bade him farewell and walked out angrily.**

Everyone watched the tense scene, not very pleased by Strange's behavior even if they could understand it.

"Never done that." Tony said. While he was arrogant and did talk down to people sometimes, he had never deliberately tried to hurt anyone who cared for him.

"He will change." Benjamin said.

"I know. The man I met yesterday did not seem capable of this." Steve said.

**Strange walked over the page on which he had tried to write his own name several times and looked out at New York through the window. Strange was later sent the file of the former paraplegic with a note saying 'Told you so!'**

Everyone chuckled at that Pepper said, "I'm sure that would have been worth it."

"So such a man actually exists." Fury mused.

**The man- Jonathan Pangborn, was playing basketball as Strange approached, talking about his injuries and introduced himself. Pangborn recognized him, saying he had come to him but he had refused to see him. He hadn't even gotten past his assistant. He started walking away when Strange said he had come back from a place there was no coming back from. He was trying to find his own way back.**

"Now he will tell." Natasha realized.

**Pangborn took pity and said he had given up so he had tried to elevate his mind. He had sat with several gurus and strange women and had been carried up mountain tops, finally finding his teacher, elevating his mind, deepening his spirit, and healing his body. He did not have strength to learn the deeper secrets so he had chosen to return with his miraculous healing. The place was called Kamar-Taj.**

"Kamar-Taj." Sam mused, "Definitely in the East."

"Oh it is." Logan said.

**He said the cost was high. Strange asked how much but he said it wasn't about money and went back to his game.**

"It's something much deeper." Bucky said.

**Strange later arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal, walking through the crowded streets and marketplaces and asking people for directions to Kamar-Taj. He saw a sign of a holy tour as well. A hooded man watched him.**

"I'm guessing he knows the location." Hill said as all looked at him suspiciously.

"Oh he does." Odinson said.

**The man kept following Strange, who later found a wounded dog limping and at first passed by it before beckoning the dog. As it limped to him, he put a makeshift bandage on its leg.**

Everyone smiled at the sweet scene as Aunt May said, "He's arrogant, but decent."

The dog lovers, especially Bruce, found the scene touching.

**Strange joked he would charge it as he let the dog go and started walking away when three men surrounded him.**

"Uh-oh." Clint said as all tensed.

**Strange said he didn't have money but they demanded the watch. He refused as it was gifted to him by Palmer but they didn't give up. He punched one of them.**

"Oh no." Steve said as all watched in shock. Punching with hands like those was going to be costly.

**The three started beating him down when the hooded man arrived and effortlessly dispatched them, sending one running off. He picked up the watch and returned it to Strange, though it was broken now. He asked if Strange was looking for Kamar-Taj and he nodded. The man walked off as Strange walked after him.**

"Now he will find the place." Thor said.

**They arrived at a place as Strange joked another place looked more 'Kamar-Taji.' The man said he had been disrespectful too once and said, "Forget everything you think you know."**

"I think it's for us too." Loki said.

**They went inside as the man said this was the sanctuary of the Ancient One. Strange saw an old man and assumed he was the Ancient One. Others took off his coat and gave him refreshments, with him thanking them all.**

Everyone chuckled as the repeated 'thank you' was getting amusing.

**Strange thanked the man but then the bald woman serving him revealed herself to be the Ancient One.**

"So White Witch went bald and turned good then." Scott joked and all chuckled. [1]

**She thanked the old man and the one who had brought Strange, their names being Hamir and Mordo respectively. She called him 'Mr. Strange.' He said it was doctor but she pointed out not anymore, talking about his seven experimental procedures. He complimented the tea and inquired about Pangborn. She said he couldn't walk and they had convinced him he could.**

"How does that work?" Steve wondered.

"Forget everything you think you know." Loki said.

"Right." Steve agreed.

**She asked if they could convince the body to put itself back together. Strange thought they had programmed the cells to self-heal.**

"Where we are from, magic and science are the same mostly." Thor said, "But here, I believe true magic is involved."

"Of course." Odinson said.

**She said she knew how to reorient the spirit to heal the body. He asked how to start as she showed him the body's map in a book and asked if he didn't like it. He said he had seen it in gift shops. She showed him more and said each was drawn by someone who could see a part but not the whole thing. He was angered that she was talking of healing him through belief. She said he had seen everything through a keyhole and tried to widen it but now was rejecting the possibility. He said he rejected it because he didn't believe in fairy tales, chakra, energy or power of belief. There was no spirit and they were all made of matter. He said he saw through her as he pointed at her. She grabbed his hand and struck him and suddenly, his astral form shot out of his body.**

Everyone gapped in shock as Bruce said, "Whoa!"

"What was that?" Thor of all people asked. For once, even he was at a loss of words.

"So….she punched his spirit out of his body." Tony asked.

"No. Not the spirit. The astral form." Odinson said, "You remember your journeys to the Ancestral Plane, Your Highness?"

"I do." T'Challa said.

"Well, it is also called the Astral Plane, and that where Strange has been sent right now." Odinson revealed to his shock. [2]

"I had no idea it worked like this too." T'Challa said, feeling a bit enlightened now.

"Oh a lot of things work in more ways than we think." Tony said, thinking of the Vibranium itself.

**He was disbelieving as his astral form returned to his body. He asked what she had done to him and she said she had pushed his astral form out of his physical form. He wondered if the tea was drugged and she said it was just tea with honey. She said his body had entered the astral plane for a moment, where the soul could exist part from the body. He asked why she'd done it and he said, "To show you just how much you don't know." She put a hand on his head and said, "Open your eye." Suddenly, he was sent flying out the window into the skies and then into space.**

Everyone except Loki gapped as Tony said, "Damn! That's gonna be a near-death experience."

**He saw a butterfly and tried to hold it but was sent flying somewhere else. He flew through another kind of realm as Mordo said his heart rate was spiking.**

"Wait! Isn't that the Quantum Realm?" Scott asked.

"It is!" Hope recognized it as the two gapped, "Looks like my father should have looked for these people instead of researching for years."

"Sounds right to me." Scott said.

**Strange appeared back in the room as Ancient One said he seemed fine and sent him through the Multiverse again. He screamed as he was sent flying through several places and Ancient One said, "You think you know how the world works? You think that this material universe is all there is? What is real? What mysteries lie beyond the reach of your senses? At the root of existence, mind and matter meet. Thoughts shape reality." Strange found himself at a place where several hands reached out and tried to grab him. His own hands spouted miniature ones which spouted even smaller ones and all seemed to grab him.**

"Okay. I'm about to get physically sick." Pepper said as all seemed a bit disgusted by the 'hand' sequence.

**Strange was sent flying through his own eye to another place as Ancient One said, "This universe is only one of an infinite number. Worlds without end. Some benevolent and life-giving; Others filled with malice and hunger." Strange was sent to another darker looking realm as Ancient One said, "Dark places, where powers older than time lie...ravenous... and waiting." Strange saw a pair of malevolent eyes looking at him before he was sent flying back.**

"What was that?" Peter asked.

"I think I have heard of that." Loki said, "Don't ask."

"It is not to be trifled with." Thor said.

"No it isn't." Odinson said, "It is among the most dangerous powers in the universe."

Everyone seemed genuinely unsettled by what the Asgardians were talking off.

**Strange screamed as several screaming Stranges appeared inside him.**

"Now even I'm going to be sick." Clint said, all equally confused and fascinated by the Multiverse.

"**Who are you in this vast Multiverse, Mr. Strange?" Ancient One asked as he was sent flying around and finally crashed back on the chair in the room.**

Everyone sighed in relief as this was over. Though they wondered how much harder this would have been for Strange.

"**Have you seen that before in a gift shop?" Ancient One asked. Looking up, he begged, "Teach me!"**

"Skeptic turns believer. Always priceless." Scott said.

"**No." She said and he was thrown out with his belongings as the door was shut.**

"But why?" Tony asked.

"The arrogance and disrespect reminded her of someone else." Logan said.

**He banged the door, begging them to let him back in.**

"I have a feeling he won't give up." Bucky said.

**The Ancient One finished a meeting with other Masters and used the Eye of Agamotto to close a door.**

"Now what is that?" Steve asked.

"You will see." Benjamin said.

**Mordo arrived and she said he thought her wrong. He said Strange was still on the doorstep 5 hours later and there was a certain strength to him. She said she had seen stubbornness, arrogance and ambition all before. Mordo realized he reminded her of Kaecelius. She said she couldn't lost another student to power only to lose him to darkness. Mordo pointed out she hadn't lost him.**

"Not yet." Odinson said and everyone seemed interested in what he was thinking.

**Mordo had wanted the power to defeat his enemies and she had given him power to defeat his demons while living in the natural law. She said they didn't lose their demons, only learnt to live above them. Mordo said Kaecelius still had the stolen pages and could bring ruin to them all on deciphering them so they could use a man like Strange.**

"He does raise a good point based on what I've seen." Fury said.

**Strange was still outside. He sat down, still begging under his breath when the door opened behind him and he fell inside, "Thank you."**

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "That's why I never stand or sit with my back to a door."

**Mordo led him to his room, telling him to rest and meditate and gave him a note which said 'Shamballa.' He asked if it was a mantra and was told it was the Wi-Fi password, with Mordo saying they weren't savages as he walked out.**

"Truth be told, even I didn't expect the place to have Wi-Fi." T'Challa said.

"Yeah. Real shocker there." Natasha said.

**Strange looked at the watch on which it was written- 'Only time will tell how much I love you- Christine.' He put the watch down sadly and stood there.**

Everyone felt sympathy for him as Tony said, "Now it's about to begin."

"I feel it too." Wanda said.

"Damn right it is!" Logan said as the recording continued.

* * *

**And done. This movie was trippy and great and enlightening. **

**I know I said earlier that I believed the opening took place in 2010 but I was wrong because Strange appeared to discuss his work in WHiH News in 2016 according to Wiki info so I'll have to go back and edit that chapter. So I'd say the accident happened shortly after that interview and the movie overall took place over the course of 1 ½ years.**

**[1] A reference to Tilda Swinton's role as the White Witch in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.**

**[2] I only found this out recently but turns out the Ancestral Plane in Black Panther and the Astral Plane in this movie are one and the same. Now that's a great way to connect stuff ain't it? And the Quantum Realm appeared too so there's that.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	81. The Mystic Arts

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Guestie: Thanks for the review. Thor: Ragnarok is next followed by Avengers: Infinity War. Captain Marvel will be shown too. I'm not a fan of her either. But the character won't appear.**

**125b: Thanks for the review. Me neither.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. I agree with all of your points and they will be brought up. However, about Point 4, Ant-Man and the Wasp has happened except the mid-credits and post-credits scenes.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Probably not but he definitely was falling in at least one dimension for 30 minutes. Poor guy.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Thinking of it but not right now.**

Chapter 81- The Mystic Arts

"Now his training will begin then." Steve said.

"Based on what he could do when I met him, he has come pretty far." Thor said.

"You know this guy?" Tony asked in shock.

"Of course we do." Loki snorted, "Not a big fan."

"Of course you wouldn't be." Odinson said and the two Thors chuckled.

**Next day, Ancient One explained how the language of the Mystic Arts was as old as civilization itself. The sorcerers called it 'spells' but he could call it 'programs.' The source code that shaped reality.**

"Easier explanation for me to grasp." Tony said.

**They harnessed energy drawn from other dimensions in the Multiverse to cast spells, conjure shields and weapons and make magic. As she said that, she made shapes from her power and showed them to Strange before it dissipated.**

"Looks very cool." Natasha said and looked awed.

**Strange asked even if his hands could do that, he would be waving them in the air and wondered how to get from here to there. Ancient One asked how he could do everything he did and he said it was years of study and practice.**

"I'm guessing that's required here too." Rhodes said.

"Yeah it is." Logan said.

**Strange later walked through the Sanctum to the library. The librarian was a Chinese bald man who introduced himself as Wong and Strange joked if it was just Wong, like Adele, Aristotle, Drake, Bono or Eminem.**

"Guy does have a point." Sam joked and all laughed.

**Strange returned some books he had and Wong was surprised he had finished all of them. He then went with Wong to the library who said this section was only for Masters but others could use it at his discretion. He gave Strange Maxim' Primer, asking if he was fluent in Sanskrit and he said he was fluent in Google Translate.**

"Who isn't?" Peter asked and everyone laughed.

**He then saw the Ancient One's private collection and was told no knowledge in Kamar-Taj was forbidden, only certain practices.**

"Let me guess- stringing up and cutting the librarian's head?" Clint asked and the future people nodded.

**Strange opened one book and said it had pages missing. Wong said it was the Book of Cagliostro, the study of time. One of the rituals was stolen by a former Master and now Zealot called Kaecilius after he had strung up the previous librarian and cut off his head.**

"He doesn't seem very concerned about it." Bucky noted.

"Oh if anyone should be concerned, it's them." Benjamin said.

**Now he was guardian and if any volume was stolen from the collection, he'd know and he'd be dead before leaving the compound. Strange joked about overdue fees but got no response and said people used to think him funny. Wong asked if they worked for him.**

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "I get it. I finally get it."

**Strange said it was lovely to talk to him and thanked him for the books, the horrifying story and the threat on his life. Wong put the Book of Cagliostro back.**

Everyone laughed at Strange's joke.

**Somewhere else, Kaecilius and the Zealots looked at the ritual on the stolen pages and Kaecilius made a symbol with his dark magic, saying they'd receive the power to destroy the one who betrayed them and the world.**

"What are they doing?" Aunt May asked.

"The ritual." Benjamin said.

**They all chanted as the ground under the pages warped and the pair of malevolent eyes was seen again.**

"What are those?" Pepper wondered.

"Anyone else getting a Sauron/Saruman vibe from the pair of eyes and Kaecilius?" Hill asked and all seemed to nod in agreement. [1]

**The entire room seemed to warp as the ritual continued.**

"Looks pretty awful." Fury commented.

**In the Sanctum, Mordo trained Strange and the others as they manipulated Eldritch magic. Strange did the steps perfectly but couldn't conjure the magic.**

"Decent start still." Steve said and all agreed.

**Mordo said the Sling Ring was essential to the Mystic Arts and would help them travel to anywhere in the Multiverse as long as they focused and visualized. Strange wore one and once again did the steps perfectly but generated only sparks as Mordo said the clearer the picture, the quicker and easier the gateway would come.**

"He just has to believe he can do it." Bruce echoed what the Ancient One had said and all nodded.

**Ancient One arrived with Hamir and said she'd like to speak to Strange alone. As the others left, she said it wasn't about his hands, confusing him. Hamir then revealed he didn't have one hand and he still managed to manipulate Eldritch magic perfectly.**

"Wow!" Peter said as all simply stared in awe.

"This is just….something else." Wanda said, staring in awe.

**He left as Ancient One said they couldn't beat a river into submission and had to surrender to its current to use its power as their own. Strange said it didn't make sense and she said it didn't have to. His intellect had taken him far in life but it wouldn't any further.**

"Doesn't look like that to me either." Tony said.

**She told him to silence his ego and come with her as she opened a portal. They ended up in Everest to Strange's shock.**

"Everest?" Clint asked as all looked at its beauty with wide eyes. They had seen it in pictures but never in real life. Still hadn't technically.

"It is beautiful." Vision said, having respect for those who had climbed it.

**She said a person would last 13 minutes before suffering permanent damage but he'd suffer within the first 2 minutes as she disappeared into a portal, telling him to surrender.**

"She just left him there?" Scott asked in shock.

"I think there's a reason for that." Hope said.

**Strange was in shock as Ancient One and Mordo stood together. Mordo wanted to go and get him but she stopped him. Strange tried to open a portal but only sparks were made. He then took a deep breath and tried again.**

"You need to believe." Bruce said again.

**As Ancient One and Mordo stood, a portal opened and Strange fell out of it, still shivering while they watched with smiles.**

Everyone clapped at that as T'Challa said, "Looks like he believed after all."

**Some days later, Strange shaved and then walked to the library and asked Wong for a book on Astral Projection but was told he wasn't ready for it. Strange told Wong to try him, calling him 'Beyonce.' He got no response and said Wong would have heard of her as she is a huge star.**

"I have. Not a big fan. Just not my kind of music." Tony said.

**Strange asked for the book but was refused. Later, Wong was given earphones by Strange with which he listened to Beyonce's music while a portal opened behind him and a hand took a book just before he could notice. It happened again and the third time, Strange took the book he was reading, shocking him.**

No one could stop themselves from doubling down in laughter as Sam said, "And he's still alive."

**Strange later lay on the bed while his Astral Form read a book.**

"He is advancing really fast." Steve said as all watched, impressed.

"Better than me certainly." Scott joked and all chuckled.

**Later, Ancient One told Strange how he had begged her to teach him and now questioned every lesson, preferring to teach himself. He said she had told him to open his eyes and now he was made to blindly follow ever rule that made no sense. Ancient One asked about the rule of conjuring gateways in the library and he was shocked Wong had told her about it. Ancient One said he was advancing quickly and needed a safe space to practice his skills. She then warped the space in front of them.**

"What is that?" Aunt May wondered again.

"Just watch." Benjamin said.

"Pretty impressive." Logan said.

**The two walked into the space and it was the same room, except no one was in the room. Ancient One said it was the Mirror Dimension, ever present but undetected and the real world was unaffected by everything that happened in it. They used it to train and surveil and even contain threats. He wouldn't want to be stuck here without his Sling Ring. Strange asked about threats and she warped the entire place, saying learning of the infinite Multiverse meant leaning of Infinite threats and he'd run in terror if she told him everything he didn't know.**

"Wow! Just wow!" Natasha said, with everyone looking impressed by the Mirror Dimension.

"This truly is a different and interesting branch of magic." Thor said.

"Yes it is." Odinson agreed.

"And very powerful too." Loki said.

**Later, Strange trained with Mordo and asked how Ancient the Ancient One was. Mordo said no one knew the age of the Sorcerer Supreme, only that she was Celtic and didn't talk about her past. She was steadfast yet unpredictable, merciless yet kind.**

"That is a very accurate description." Steve said and all agreed.

**They trained as Mordo asked him to trust his teacher and not lose his way like Kaecilius. Strange was put in a chokehold as Mordo said Kaecilius had lost everyone he loved and was a broken man when he had first arrived in search of answers. He was brilliant but proud and headstrong, questioning Ancient One and rejecting their teaching. Strange elbowed Mordo and he let go. Kaecilius had left Kamar-Taj and his disciples followed him like sheep seduced by false doctrine. He had stolen the forbidden ritual. Strange asked what it did but was refused any more questions.**

"Something pretty bad I'm sure." Scott said.

**Strange asked what Mordo was holding and he joked it was another question before saying it was a relic as some magic was too powerful to be sustained and was stored in relics. This was the staff of the Living Tribunal.**

"Which means no one can mess with that thing." Loki said.

"Oh absolutely not." Thor agreed.

**Mordo talked about more relics, revealing his boots were too. Strange asked when he'd get his own one and Mordo said when the relic decided he was ready. Strange conjured a weapon to block attacks as Mordo fought, telling him to fight like his life depended on it. He conjured platforms and kicked Strange down, saying one day it might.**

"Not wrong about that, bub." Logan said.

**Strange later tried to e-mail Christine but stopped and walked to the library while it ran. He opened the Book of Cagliostro and saw a page on the Eye of Agamotto. He saw it was there and put it on, deciding to use it as he ate a bit of an apple.**

"Now your questions will be answered." Odinson said, "Most of them."

**Strange followed the steps and the Eye opened, emanating a green light.**

"What's happening?" Pepper asked as all looked in awe.

"Just watch." Benjamin said.

**Strange's hands formed green symbols too as he rotated clockwise. The apple now looked like it had been eaten fully. He then rotated counter-clockwise and the apple was back to its uneaten state.**

"Oh my!" Tony said as all gasped in surprise.

"That is new." T'Challa said.

**Strange rotated clockwise again and the apple was rotten. He rotated counter-clockwise and it was fresh again.**

"That has to be an Infinity Stone!" Thor said.

"Right you are." Odinson said.

"So they had one this entire time?" Steve asked.

"Yes. And kept it safe." Benjamin said.

**He then did the same thing on the Book of Cagliostro, conjuring illusions of the missing pages and reading about Dormammu and the Dark Dimension. The space in front of him was warped as Mordo and Wong arrived, stopping him. Strange said he was doing what was said in the book and was told about the part which warned of the dangers. Strange said he hadn't gotten to that yet.**

"Just like me." Tony said and all chuckled.

**Mordo said temporal manipulations could create branches in time, unstable dimensional openings, spacious paradoxes and time loops. He could relive the same moment over and over again or never exist at all.**

"Anyone else's head hurts?" Scott asked.

"Mine does." Bruce said.

**Strange said they should put warnings as Wong said curiosity could have killed him. He wasn't manipulating space-time continuum but wrecking it. He shouldn't tamper with natural law but defend it. Mordo asked where he had learnt the spells to do that. Strange said he had photographic memory and that was how he had got his M.D. and Ph.D. at the same time.**

"Wow!" Tony of all people said. Everyone was impressed.

**Mordo said this required more than a good memory and he was born for the Mystic Arts.**

"That is true." Odinson agreed.

**Strange said his hands still shook and was told they may not one day. Strange asked what they were. Wong led him to the room which had a model of the world and said, "While heroes like the Avengers protect the world from physical dangers, we sorcerers safeguard it against more mystical threats."**

"They do make some exceptions though." Logan said.

**The model glowed with energy as Wong said, "The Ancient One is the latest in a long line of Sorcerers Supreme going back thousands of years to the father of the mystic arts, the mighty Agamotto. The same sorcerer who created the eye you so recklessly borrowed. Agamotto built 3 Sanctums in places of power, where great cities now stand." He pointed at doors and said, "That door leads to the Hong Kong Sanctum, that door to the New York Sanctum. That one, to the London Sanctum." The model glowed and Wong said, "Together, the Sanctums generate a protective shield around our world. The Sanctums protect the world, and we sorcerers protect the Sanctums."**

"A well-connected network." Hope noted.

"Damn right!" Fury said. Even he didn't know about everything.

**Strange asked from what and Wong said other-dimensional beings. Strange mentioned Dormammu and was told he was the Cosmic Conqueror who dwelled in the Dark Dimension beyond time. He was the destroyer of worlds, a being of infinite power and endless hunger on a quest to invade every Universe and bring them to the Dark Dimension. He hungered for Earth the most. A model of the Dark Dimension was shown as well.**

"My God!" Steve said as all looked in horror.

"He is too powerful for anyone." Hill said.

"Even for me right now." Thor said.

"He is a being of endless power." Benjamin said.

"The only one who can beat him is someone who wields all 6 Infinity Stones." Odinson said.

**Strange realized the stolen pages were a ritual to contact Dormammu and draw power from the Dark Dimension. He laughed nervously and said he was out as he was here to heal his hands, not fight in a mystical war. Suddenly, a bell rang and Wong realized the London Sanctum was under attack. A Master ran through the magical gateway but was struck down by Kaecilius.**

"Shit!" Sam said as all gasped.

"He had to come in the moment." Tony said.

**Kaecilius caused a blast and debris fell down, separating Strange from the others. He got up and staggered out into the streets of New York to his own shock. The sign said 177A Bleecker Street.**

"So he's in the New York Sanctum now." Rhodes said.

"No shit Sherlock." Tony said.

**Strange went inside, calling out to others and saw a red cape.**

"Where have I seen that before?" Clint said and all recognized it.

**Strange saw waves outside and pressed a button, changing it to a desert.**

"Wow!" Peter said while all stared in awe.

**Strange walked around, looking at the relics. The ground beneath warped and he watched as Kaecilius and Zealots arrived. Master Daniel tried to defend it as they all conjured shards. He fought them for a while but was eventually cut down just as Strange shouted at them to stop.**

Everyone flinched at Kaecilius' brutality.

**Kaecilius called him 'Mister' but he said he was 'Doctor' and said he was Strange, though Kaecilius thought he meant 'strange.'**

"Okay, that's funny." Tony said as all chuckled.

**Strange conjured a weapon to defend himself but Kaecilius warped the landscape and ran up, kicking him off. Strange tried to defend himself from all attacks, pushing some of them back and then ran but Kaecilius warped the landscape to stop him. Strange summoned tao mandalas but one of them flickered and disappeared.**

"He is pretty good for a rookie." Bucky noted.

"Mordo said he had been born for this." Steve reminded.

**Strange fought them and was thrown around but used an Eldritch whip to throw one back. Kaecilius warped the landscape again, throwing him down. Strange fell into another one and she was thrown out into the desert.**

"Never pick a fight with these guys." Bruce said.

"Nope." Steve agreed.

**Strange tried to press the button but one Zealot fought and beat him.**

"This one is a really skilled man." Natasha noted and all nodded in agreement. [2]

**Strange managed to press the button, trapping the Zealot in the desert. He fought and threw another out, changing the location again as Kaecilius arrived to fight. Strange ran and tried to defend himself, picking up a relic but Kaecilius realized he didn't know how to use it.**

"Stings, doesn't it?" Peter asked.

**Kaecilius disarmed him and smashed him into glass, throwing him in front of the cape. He tried to stab Strange but the cape grabbed his hand.**

"What?" Rhodes asked as all looked in shock.

"It is sentient." Odinson said.

"Looks like he found his relic." Steve said and all smirked.

**Kaecilius tried to stab again but the cape stopped him so he threw Strange to the other side and down. The cape flew down and soon, Strange flew up with the cape on his back.**

"YEAH!" Bruce cheered as all clapped.

"Now he looks like he did yesterday." Natasha said.

**Strange threw an Eldritch whip as Kaecilius pulled him to himself and both fell. The cape backed to save him. He ran to an ax but the cape kept stopping him and pulling him back.**

Everyone laughed at the funny scene.

**Strange saw kind of restraints and threw them at Kaecilius. They trapped him, shutting even his mouth.**

Everyone clapped as Scott asked, "Like that, huh?"

"What are those?" Fury asked.

"The Crimson Bands of Cyttorak." Odinson said.

**He mumbled so Strange opened his mouth, calling him Mister again. He said he was Doctor Stephen Strange and Kaecilius realized he was an actual doctor.**

"I don't think anyone names their kid 'doctor'." Hill said and all nodded.

**Kaecilius said all things lived and died, the sun burnt out, the universe grew cold and perished but the Dark Dimension was beyond time. The world won't have to die and take its place alongside others in the Dark Dimension. Strange asked what he would gain from it and he said life everlasting because time was the true enemy and killed everything. Strange asked about the people Kaecilius had killed and he said they were momentary specks within an indifferent universe.**

"Keep telling that to yourself to justify the murders." Steve said while all looked disgusted.

**Kaecilius said death and time were insults.**

"A thing isn't beautiful because it lasts." Vision said and all nodded in agreement.

**They would hand over the world to Dormammu. Strange said the Ancient One protected existence. Kaecilius reminded Strange he had come for healing as his hands shook and Kamar-Taj collected broken things. The Ancient One gave them parlor tricks and kept the real magic for herself. He asked if he had wondered how she had lived this long and Strange realized she had used the rituals from the Book of Cagliostro.**

"Really?" Tony asked while all were surprised.

"She had a reason." Odinson said.

**Kaecilius said the ritual gave him power to overthrow Ancient One and tear down the Sanctums to let the Dark Dimension in. What the Ancient One hoarded, Dormammu gave freely. He was a savior.**

"No he isn't." Logan said.

**Strange asked Kaecilius to look at his face, saying Dormammu had made him a murderer. Kaecilius laughed and Strange asked if he found it funny. Kaecilius said Strange losing his Sling Ring was funny. He turned around and Lucian Amber hit him with a shard as he arrived from a portal, throwing him down.**

"Damn it!" Rhodes said as all gasped.

**Strange crawled away as Lucian walked after him. He was about to kill him when the Cloak of Levitation tied itself on his face, throwing him around.**

"Nice." Clint said as all found that scene funny.

**The Sling Ring fell from Lucian's finger and Strange put it on, opening a portal as he staggered to some kind of storeroom.**

"That storeroom…" Bruce trailed off, "He's in a hospital."

"Damn right he is." Logan said.

"I think I know where he is." Fury said.

"Right you are." Odinson said.

"This should be interesting." Tony said as the recording continued.

* * *

**Funny thing I realized, Strange and Claire Temple would have met at least a few times because they worked in the same hospital.**

**[1] Scott Derrickson compared Dormammu's and Kaecilius' dynamic to Sauron and Saruman from The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Sauron and Dormammu are both huge, fantastical villains while Saruman and Kaecilius are powerful in their own right but have human relatability.**

**[2] Scott Adkins, who played Lucian Amber, is one of the best martial artists in the Hollywood industry right now and I was referring to that.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	82. Astral battle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes this movie did and I like it too. Yes, Benedict rocks. I think only Odin, Frigga, Thor, Loki and Heimdall know magic amongst Asgardians. I'd say a few more years and Odinson can be on par with Dormammu. I edited it to say New York but I guess it's still showing London to some. I know too on Cyttorak. Yeah, Strange is a beast. He might be a glass cannon but he has better reflexes than Wanda so I think he can dodge stuff better than her so there's that. Yes that got me too. I loved Flashraven's story too. Also, I have another friend called Arrowverse Fan 217 who's writing an MCU/Arrowverse story called 'A Legend Never Dies' and you should check it out. Its good. Yes Asgardians do. Even the mediocre Avengers Assemble had some great moments. One was- "The older an Asgardian gets, the stronger he gets." And then aged Thor proceeded to beat the shit out of Thanos, who had aged Thor in hopes to weaken him. I don't watch the series but I saw this clip. Yes, this line-up would be awesome and for the Stone Age Avengers, now I think I might do a separate story about them. Yeah respect Scott Adkins. I think that's because he is not as charismatic as Statham. No disrespect to Adkins of course, he is among the best martial artists but I guess this is a charisma thing. Yes they are like Sauron and Saruman and agreed how they tried to make Dormammu like Galactus. Hearing Sam Jackson say 'Damn right!' is always awesome so I do it too much. Enjoy.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. Not very well. I think Steve will be pissed at his future self for leaving his friends behind like that to get his happy ending.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. No problem on Point 4 you mentioned. But for Point 2, Loki already said that during the first Thor movie. I hope so too.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. I found Steve's ending convoluted and considering how the directors and screenwriters can't seem to agree, it is, considering it breaks their own time travel rules. **

**guest: Thanks for the review and pointing it out.**

**Guestie: Thanks for the review. I love that movie too.**

**Nora-11: Thanks for the review. I might but not right now.**

Chapter 82- Astral battle

"I think a reunion is about to happen." Tony said.

"Sounds right." Fury said.

**Strange staggered into the hospital, calling out to Christine who saw him and was immediately concerned, asking what had happened. She led him to the operation theater as he told her he had been stabbed. She was confused by what he was wearing as she laid him down.**

"Mystical uniform." Natasha muttered.

**She attacked tubes to him. His heart rate was low. And then he lost consciousness to her shock. She prepared to inject him when Strange went into the Astral Dimension. He then managed to connect his Astral form with the world around and just as Christine was about to inject him, he told her to inject a little higher, making her scream in shock.**

"Damn! He definitely scared the daylights out of her!" Sam said.

"How is she still alive after that?" Pepper mused.

"How would you react if that happened?" Scott asked Hope.

"Worse than her." Hope said.

**She asked in a shocked tone what she was seeing and he said his Astral form. She asked if he was dead and he said he wasn't but was. She regained her senses and he illuminated the spot she had to inject, which she did. In the Sanctum, Lucian finally managed to free himself from the Cloak and saw the portal.**

"You could have closed it at least!" Hill said.

**Lucian also entered the Astral Dimension and went through the portal. Christine asked Strange what he had been stabbed with and he said he didn't know. He then saw Lucian and said he needed to disappear, asking her to keep him alive. She said she would as he fully returned to the Astral Dimension.**

"Now it's starting." Rhodes said.

**Strange punched Lucian down but was punched back and Lucian used his much superior skills to throw Strange away. Christine heard the sound a little but nothing too much. Strange continued to fight Lucian, right on the operating table and they even flew through Christine, pushing her back a little.**

"It does look creepy now that I see it." Vision said.

"Never do it again!" Scott said to him.

**Outside, West was in front of a vending machine and got something to eat. Strange and Lucian then came crashing through and other stuff fell too. West took one more packet and left.**

Everyone laughed as Peter said, "Take one, get one free."

**Strange and Lucian were thrown back into the operation theater, knocking a table away. Lucian eventually kicked Strange in a rotatory motion and the monitor flat-lined.**

"Damn it!" Bucky said as everyone tensed.

"Relax. He's still alive." Loki said, only to receive glares.

**Christine brought a defibrillator as Lucian strangled Strange. That filled Strange's Astral body with energy and Lucian was sent flying off.**

"Oh my God!" Aunt May said as everyone clapped at that scene.

**Strange contacted the real world through Astral form again, startling Christine who told him to stop doing that. He asked to hit him again with more power, even though his heart was beating. He then returned to Astral Dimension and grabbed Lucian just as Christine increased power to 360J and hit him again. The energy in Strange's Astral body exploded Lucian's Astral body while his real body lay dead with head scorched.**

"Finally!" Wanda said as all clapped for Strange.

"That was pretty smart." Steve said.

"Yes. He appears as ingenious as you, Stark." Thor complimented them both and Tony nodded in appreciation.

**Strange then woke up with gasps. Christine later stitched him up and said how he had shown up after all this time, flying out of his body.**

"Yeah. I'd be shocked too." Clint said.

**Strange said he had written 2 e-mails and she had never responded. She asked why would she and he apologized for everything, saying he was a complete asshole who had treated her horribly though she had deserved much better.**

"It always takes courage to own up to your mistakes." T'Challa said and all nodded.

**Christine asked where he had been and he said after Western medicine had failed him, he had headed East and ended up in Kathmandu, where he had talked to the Ancient One. She said he had joined a cult. He said they had taught him to tap into powers he never knew had existed. She said it sounded like a cult and when Strange protested, she said that's what a cultist would say.**

Everyone chuckled as Natasha said, "It does sound like a cult now that she says it."

**Strange then got up, joking he was late to a cult meeting as Christine helped him out. He then explained how a powerful sorcerer who had given himself up to an ancient entity who could bend the very laws of physics had tried very hard to kill him but he had left him trapped in Greenwich Village and the only way back was a dimensional gateway in the mop closet. She was still skeptical until he showed her the portal.**

"After all the strange things happening in the world, I'd believe him." Logan said and all agreed.

**Strange walked into the portal and closed it as Christine turned but then a broom fell and she screamed.**

Everyone burst out into hysterical laughter.

**Strange returned to the Sanctum and checked Lucian's pulse before wrapping the Cloak on his back.**

"That looked awesome." Peter said.

**Strange walked up to see the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak lying on the ground and Kaecilius nowhere to be found.**

"Nothing is easy." Benjamin said and all groaned.

**Mordo arrived and noted the Cloak of Levitation had come to Strange. Ancient One arrived and said it wasn't a minor feat as it was a fickle thing. They inquired about the Zealots and Strange said one was stranded in the desert while the other was in the hallway. Ancient One said the London Sanctum had fallen and only then New York and Hong Kong Sanctums remained. With this Sanctum's Master gone, Strange could be the Master as he had defended it from attack. Strange said he wasn't 'Master' or 'Mr.' but 'Doctor Strange'. "When I became a doctor, I swore an oath to do no harm. And I have just killed a man! I'm not doing that again. I became a doctor to save lives, not take them."**

"It doesn't always work that way." Bruce mused sadly. He was also a doctor. But now as Hulk, he had taken many lives. Thor put a hand on his shoulder for support and he smiled in appreciation.

**Ancient One said he had become a doctor to save lives above all others and he wanted to go back to the delusion that he could control everything, even death, though he couldn't. Strange asked if Dormammu could and she said their fear of death gave him life. He fed off of it. Strange asked if it was like how she fed off of him. He knew how she controlled death due to the missing pages. Ancient One asked him to measure his next words carefully. Strange revealed to Mordo she drew power from the Dark Dimension to stay alive, saying he had seen and worked out the rituals. Ancient One said the Zealots would be back and they'd need reinforcements before walking off.**

"She's kind of like a Dark Angel in that sense. Except a good one." Tony said. [1]

**Strange said she wasn't what they thought she was. Mordo said he had no right to say that due to the responsibility on her shoulders. He didn't want to know and was called a coward because the Zealots were going to snuff them out and he wouldn't snuff them out first. He had done it only to save his own life and then whined like a dog. Mordo would do it without hesitation, saying there was no other way and Strange said he lacked imagination. Then there was a sound and they ran to see Kaecilius and other Zealots.**

"And they're back." Sam said while the others groaned.

**Mordo jumped down to fight as Strange flew in the air and managed to send them all to the Mirror Dimension.**

"Yes!" Tony said.

"Actually, it wasn't that smart in hindsight." Odinson said.

**Strange asked who was laughing now. Kaecilius smirked and said he was. Mordo kicked the other two away and they ran out. Strange said they couldn't get out. Mordo said their connection to the Dark Dimension made them more powerful in the Mirror Dimension so this was suicide.**

"Unfortunate." Bucky sighed.

**The two ran as Strange tried to open a portal but Kaecilius changed the entire landscape, making them both fall down. Now some roads were straight and others tilted.**

"What the hell?"! Sam said as the others watched wide eyes and dropped jaws.

"Now I think even I will get sick." Steve said.

"You're not the only one." Clint said.

"These people are trippy." Logan said.

**The two ran were crashed into a bus. An old man was reading something in there and laughed, "That is hilarious."**

Everyone chuckled as Rhodes said, "I have a feeling this guy could sense the Mirror Dimension."

**The two ran up a building as Strange conjured a portal but Kaecilius warped the building and the ones near it, making them all fall down.**

"Shit!" Rhodes said.

"Mirror Dimension. Never going there." Bruce said.

**Strange was then sealed inside a warped building and ran as they chased him. He continued avoiding them, till Kaecilius was running right under the bridge over which Strange was. Kaecilius jumped up and pinned him to the floor, taking away his Sling Ring. Before he could stab him though, the platform Strange was on flew back and the others flew around too, separating the Zealots. Kaecilius turned to see Ancient One there.**

"Now you're screwed." Thor said.

**She managed to move Strange and Mordo away, with the latter realizing she did draw power from the Dark Dimension. Kaecilius said he had expected her to be his teacher and she had fed him lies. She said she had been trying to protect him from himself. Dormammu was a deceiver and his eternal life was torment, not paradise.**

"That is the truth." Odinson said.

**The fight began, with her easily fending them off due to her powers being greater. She pushed the tall Zealot back with her tao mandala and was about to behead him when Kaecilius stabbed the tall Zealot and through him, the Ancient One. She gasped as Strange and Mordo watched in horror.**

"NO!" Peter said as the others gasped in horror.

**Kaecilius kicked her into the real world through a portal he had opened as Strange and Mordo jumped after her. She fell down from a huge building and crashed through glass, onto the ground.**

Everyone flinched at the brutal scene and Kaecilius' brutality. To kill his own former teacher by sacrificing his follower? He had to be a new level of disgusting to do that.

"He is a dishonorable man." T'Challa snarled about Kaecilius.

**Strange and Mordo turned her around, watching with dropped jaws as the people watched.**

"I think I know where he's taking her." Tony said.

**Ancient One was wheeled into the hospital as Strange called out to Christine and she was shocked to see how injured Ancient One was. She was led to the operation theater as Strange picked up a surgical tool but his hand shook so he gave it to West who nodded. She slowly started flat-lining in spite of the others' best efforts.**

"No, no, no." Aunt May was muttering.

**Strange entered the Astral Dimension and so did the Ancient One. He flew after her and they stood at a balcony. He asked her to return to her body as they didn't have time and she said time was relative as his body hadn't even hit the floor. "I've spent so many years peering through time, looking at this exact moment. But I can't see past it. I've prevented countless terrible futures. And after each one, there's always another. And they all lead here, but never further." She said.**

"She knew." Steve realized.

**She said she had never seen Strange's future but only possibilities because of his capacity for goodness. He excelled not because he craves success but because he feared failure. He said it had made him a great doctor but she said it had kept him from greatness. Arrogance and fear had kept him from learning the simplest lesson of all. "It's not about you." She said.**

"Never is." Tony said, having finally learnt that lesson, "It's about everyone."

**She revealed they hadn't healed Jonathan Pangborn but he channeled dimensional energy into his own body to walk.**

"How much effort does that take?" Steve asked.

"Quite a bit." Odinson said.

**He had a choice to return to his own life or serve the greater good and had chosen the former. Strange could have his hands and old life back again but the world would be lesser for it. She had hated drawing power from the Dark Dimension but one needed to break the rules for the greater good. Strange said Mordo wouldn't see it that way and she said he was rigid and unmovable forged by fires of his youth. He needed Strange's flexibility while Strange needed his strength and only together could they stop Dormammu. "I'm not ready." Strange said.**

"No one ever is." T'Challa said.

"**No one ever is." Ancient One said, "We don't get to choose our time. Death is what gives life meaning. To know your days are numbered, your time is short. You'd think after all this time I'd be ready. But look at me, stretching one moment out into a thousand, just so I can watch the snow." With that, her Astral form disappeared as Strange watched sadly while she died in the ER.**

Everyone closed their eyes and sighed sadly. She was flawed but a good person like them all.

**Strange later washed his hands as Christine arrived and saw his Cloak. She washed her hands too as he held her hand. She didn't understand what was happening and he said he had to go right now, reminding her she had said losing his hands could be a new beginning as there were other, harder ways to save lives. She joked they were weird ways and the two were about to kiss when Dr. Palmer was called to the ER.**

"Yeah. That's the worst." Tony said and all chuckled.

**She kissed his cheek, saying she didn't want to let him go and walked off. Strange looked in the mirror and put on his cape, straightening it. The sides pestered his face until he told it to stop and it did.**

Everyone laughed at that.

"I think it's about to begin now." Steve said.

"Right you are." Logan said as the recording continued.

* * *

**Done.**

**[1] Reference to Tilda Swinton's role as Gabriel in 'Constantine' (The movie, not the show).**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter where we end this movie.**


	83. I've come to bargain

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And WOW! I got over 1000 reviews finally on a story of mine! I had never thought this in my wildest dreams, not even for this story. Especially considering most of my earlier stories used to just short of breaking into a 100 reviews, though now they do as well. It's like Christmas come early. But then again, we have Diwali coming here so it's a Diwali gift for me.**

**Anyway, thanks a lot to everyone who has reviewed this and will continue to do so! Your support means a lot to me and thank you for over 1000 reviews.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes. Finally! Over 1000 we have come! We have done it. Yeah, Strange would have done it about a billion times and it was cunning and clever. I know that on Benedict playing both Strange and Dormammu and it did pay off very nicely. Not that I've heard of. No, it's Infinity War and then Ant-Man and the Wasp. The viewers will need something light after Infinity War to be honest. Gotcha on Lucian! Yes, it is gonna be really hard. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. They will.**

**Guest 2: The heroes will have to warn Strange. I wonder too on Hela's mom. I also wish Hulk fought Thanos one more time. Now I don't dislike Captain Marvel, though I'm not a big fan either, but I think instead of her, Hulk should have stopped Thanos from snapping before Tony came. Would be a nice way to get past his demons. I think they will probably make it like Iron Man 3, especially since Peter is more of an Iron Boy Jr. in MCU than Spider-Man. Kraven the Hunter and Scorpion will probably come.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Yes, there will be several sequels, and the first one will be about Thanos himself. Thanks a lot. Glad to hear it.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. Probably forgot. Even I can't cover every single thing.**

**Guest 5: Thanks for the review. Yeah, I also sense a hilarious argument between them now. Thanks for the idea.**

Chapter 83- I've come to bargain

"How will they beat Dormammu?" Tony mused.

"They won't." Odinson said cryptically.

**A portal opened in Hong Kong as Kaecilius and his Zealots walked towards the Hong Kong Sanctum while the civilians backed off. Inside the Sanctum, Wong picked up the Wand of Watoomb and told the others to choose their weapons wisely. No one would step foot in the Sanctum.**

"Good luck." Steve said to him.

**Wong walked out and met Kaecilius, who said he was on the wrong side of history as him and his Zealots brandished crystal shards.**

"This is gonna be intense." Rhodes said.

**Strange returned to a ruined Kamar-Taj via portal, sorrowfully telling him Ancient One was dead. Mordo said she wasn't who he had thought she was. Strange argued she was complicated and Mordo said the Dark Dimension was dangerous and volatile, saying she had called it forbidden for them and had still drawn on its power to live for centuries. Strange argued she had done what she thought was right but Mordo said her transgressions had led the Zealots to Dormammu. Kaecilous was her fault and these were the consequences of her deceptions.**

"She plunged her hands into the filth, so that you could keep yours clean!" T'Challa said and all nodded.

"What Kaecilius did is on him, not anyone else." Natasha agreed.

**Strange said the London Sanctum had fallen and the New York Sanctum had been attacked twice and they were going to Hong Kong next. Mordo had told him to fight as if his life depended on it and this was that day. He couldn't beat them alone. Strange then opened a portal to Hong Kong and they jumped into it.**

"So it begins." Sam said.

**But when they arrived, they saw the Sanctum had already fallen and buildings were broken. Fires had broken out, the firefighters were trying to put them out, people were dead, and a dark energy was in the air.**

"Is that…?" A horrified Bucky trailed off.

"Yes." Benjamin said and they all paled.

**Mordo said they couldn't be stopped but Strange had a way. He activated the Eye of Agamotto and pointed at the charging Kaecilius and Zealots. The green symbols appeared in his hand as the Zealots froze in mid-air. He then started rotating counter-clockwise and they were all sent back where they had come from. The destruction was also slowly undone as the fires went down. He then pointed at Mordo and he was unfrozen as the two ran past the rewound Zealots.**

"What the hell man?" Scott said with a dropped jaw as everyone was awed to an entirely new level.

"He has manipulated time perfectly." Thor said, impressed.

"He truly is a Master of the Mystic Arts." Loki said grudgingly.

"That's why he is the Sorcerer Supreme now." Logan noted.

"He did break the laws of nature to win though." Bruce said.

"But for the greater good." Tony pointed out.

**Kaecilius and the Zealots used Dark Dimension energy to free themselves.**

"Uh-oh!" Hope said as all paled.

**They attacked Strange and Mordo as the two fought back while avoiding the rewound debris and undone damage. Strange fought Kaecilius while Mordo fought the other two. He beat them around until he pushed one of them into a reformed building. He then jumped to the top of another reforming building and grabbing the foot of the other, trapped her as well.**

"Now that leaves just Kaecilius." Clint said.

**Strange and Kaecilius fought as the smoke was undone and Strange pushed him back before Mordo trapped his foot in the Eldritch whip before throwing him into a reformed building, trapping him as well.**

"Finally!" Hill said and all clapped at the scene.

"Why do I have a feeling this isn't over?" Thor wondered.

"Because it isn't." Odinson said.

**Strange saw a dead Wong but he was revived as well and then Strange pointed at him, unfreezing him too. He agreed that he was breaking laws of nature but Wong told him not to stop now as they ran to the reformed Sanctum to protect it.**

"Good thing he is back." Pepper said about Wong and all agreed.

**Kaecilius freed himself and with a shockwave, threw them all down as Strange's time spell broke. Mordo got back up to fight as Strange got up and flew into the Dark Dimension. Everyone thought he had gone to surrender to its power.**

"What's he doing?" Aunt May wondered.

"He has a plan." Benjamin said.

"Why am I reminded of my plan?" Thor wondered.

"It's kind of the same." Logan said.

**Strange flew and did something with the Eye of Agamotto. He then stopped as he saw the pair of malevolent eyes and a horrifying, powerful face in front of him.**

Everyone paled as Wanda said, "Oh no!"

"Even from the recording his power is visible." Vision said.

"Few can mess with him." Odinson said.

"**Dormammu! I've come to bargain." Strange said. "You've come to die. Your world is now my world, like all worlds." Several projectiles were fired at Strange who defended himself with Tao Mandalas. Dormammu fired a purple beam from his mouth and Strange tried to defend but it obliterated him.**

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Clint said as everyone watched in horror.

"How is he still alive then?" Scott wondered.

**Suddenly, time rewound and Strange returned, "Dormammu! I've come to bargain." Dormammu sneered, "You've come to die. Your world is now my world, like all worlds." He then asked, "What is this? An illusion?" Strange said, "No. This is real."**

"It's the Eye of Agamotto." Tony realized as all stared wide-eyed.

"Mordo mentioned about reliving the same moment earlier." Bruce recalled.

"So that is what he is doing." Steve said.

"To save everyone." Fury said and all felt their respect for Strange grow a lot.

"**Good." Dormammu said as Strange was killed by two big projectiles.**

Everyone flinched as Peter asked, "He's gonna keep this up forever?"

"I'm afraid so." Benjamin said.

"**Dormammu! I've come to bargain." Strange said as he arrived again, shocking Dormammu. He said, "Just as you gave Kaecilius powers from your dimension, I've brought a little power from mine. This is time. An endless looped time." Dormammu angrily killed him with a smash.**

"He is going to die infinite times just to keep Earth safe." T'Challa said respectfully.

**Strange appeared again, "Dormammu! I've come to bargain." Dormammu said, "You cannot do this forever." Strange said, "Actually, I can. This is how things are now. You and me, trapped in this moment, endlessly." Dormammu pointed out, "Then you will spend eternity dying." Strange said, "Yeah. But everyone on Earth will live." Dormammu said, "But you will suffer." Strange said in a resigned voice, "Pain is an old friend." Dormammu angrily obliterated him.**

Everyone looked at Strange in sympathy and felt their respect for him grow even more.

**Strange kept returning with "Dormammu! I've come to bargain." He was killed many times by projectiles, strangling or obliteration but he kept coming back. He was on the ground later as Dormammu said, "You will never win." Strange staggered up and said, "No...But I can lose. Again, and again, and again, and again, forever. And that makes you my prisoner."**

"That was the plan." Steve realized and all smirked as he said, "How many times did Strange have to die?"

"Probably billions." Odinson said and the respect for him increased.

**Dormammu asked him to make it stop and he said, "No. I've come to bargain." Dormammu finally asked what he wanted.**

"For him to leave Earth alone." Tony realized.

"That was risky, brave and smart." Hope said and all nodded in agreement.

"**Take your zealots from the Earth. End your assault on my world. Never come back. Do it, and I'll break the loop." Strange told him.**

"So it took only one Infinity Stone to beat him." Tony noted.

"Nope. To annoy him enough to leave." Benjamin pointed out.

**Back on the ground, Mordo and Wong got up again as the former asked Strange to fight. Kaecilius commented on the Dark Dimension like he had before when Strange landed behind them. Mordo and Wong walked up to him as he said he had made a bargain. And then, Kaecilius and the Zealots were covered by Dark Energy and pulled away with Dormammu who transformed them into Mindless Ones.**

"Dasvidaniya." Natasha said and all laughed at that.

"Hasta la vista, baby." Tony said and all laughed more.

**Strange joked how he should have read the whole book as the warnings came after spells and Wong burst out laughing.**

Everyone in the room burst out laughing as well as Rhodes said, "I like this guy."

"I had no idea he laughed." Tony said.

**Strange used the Eye of Agamotto to restore the Sanctum and unfroze everyone.**

"Everything's back to normal." Bruce said and all nodded.

**Mordo said they had violated natural law and there will be consequences. "I will follow his path no longer." He said and walked away.**

"So he just left?" Tony asked as all looked in shock.

"Much worse." Benjamin said.

"He became a bad guy." Logan said.

"Oh no!" Steve sighed.

"Strange had to eventually kill him to stop him." Odinson said, "He was stealing Mystical Energy from other Sorcerers to empower himself."

"Can't believe he fell that hard." Bucky said.

"Well, believe it." Loki said, gesturing to himself.

**Strange returned to Kamar-Taj and his Cloak went off as the Eye of Agamotto was put back where it belonged. Wong said it was a wise choice as he'd wear the Eye only when he'd mastered its powers. Until then, he shouldn't wear an Infinity Stone in the streets.**

"I called it!" Thor said and all chuckled.

"The Time Stone." Odinson said, "One of the most powerful ones."

"We can see that." Tony said, "Not to be messed with."

**They looked at the model as Wong said word of Ancient One's death would spread through the Multiverse and Earth would have no Sorcerer Supreme to defend so they'd have to be ready.**

"Now they got the best man for the job." Steve said and all nodded.

**Strange placed the Cloak of Levitation back on his shoulders and walked to the New York Sanctum through the magical gateway, looking down at the city. He wore his broken watch as well with shaking hands. But he was no longer that man. He was a Master of the Mystic Arts and Protector of the New York Sanctum.**

Everyone clapped as Thor said, "And another hero is born."

"A very annoying one." Loki grunted and both the Thors chuckled.

"**So, Earth has wizards now, huh?" A voice asked. "Tea?" Strange asked someone. "I don't drink tea." Thor, who was his guest, said as he held up the cup he had.**

"Look who it is." Loki said.

"So Point Break is back in these things." Tony said and all clapped.

"Thank you." Thor said.

"**What do you drink?" Strange asked. "Not tea." Thor said and beer appeared.**

"Could have just said that." Natasha said.

"**So, I keep a watchlist of individuals and beings from other realms that may be a threat to this world." Strange said, "Your adopted brother, Loki, is one of those beings." Thor drank and saw his beer had refilled, "A worthy inclusion."**

"Thank you." Loki said and all burst into laughter.

"**Yeah." Strange said, "So, why bring him here to New York?" Thor said, "That's a long story. A family drama, that kind of thing, but... we're looking for my father."**

"So you've found out by now then." Steve said.

"Oh yes I have." Thor told him.

"Very unpleasant." Loki said.

"To be honest, you deserved it." Odinson said.

"**Oh, okay. So, if you've found Odin, you all will return to Asgard, probably?" Strange asked. "Oh, yes. Probably." Thor said. "Alright." Strange got up, "Let me help you." The screen went black.**

"And then the truth will be out." Scott said.

"One more scene." Benjamin said.

**Pangborn was working in his factory when Mordo arrived in a hood. Pangborn recognized him as Mordo said they had bought him to Kamar-Taj on a stretcher and now he could walk.**

"This isn't good." Tony said.

"Nope." Logan agreed.

**Mordo said true purpose of a sorcerer was to twist things and steal power like Pangborn had. Pangborn said he didn't steal anything and the power was his. Mordo said power had a purpose. Pangborn attacked but Mordo dodged and drew out his Mystic Energy, making Pangborn paraplegic again.**

"Shit!" Sam said and all paled.

"What has happened to him?" Steve mused.

"He has fallen." T'Challa said, "Just like W'Kabi."

**Pangborn asked why Mordo was doing this and Mordo said, "Because I see at long last was wrong with the world. Too many sorcerers." The screen went black.**

"And you are the worst one." Loki sneered.

"Ancient One said you could only live above your demons. And he has fallen back down to his demons." Thor said and all agreed.

"We have to tell Strange about this when we get back." Steve said and all nodded in agreement.

"This was…enlightening." Fury of all people said.

"I agree." Natasha said.

"So what's next?" Clint asked.

"Thor again." Benjamin said.

"Is it boring?" Thor asked.

"No. It is actually one of the best." Logan said, "We had a great time with this one."

"Because I got humiliated." Odinson said.

"No. Because you were a badass." Benjamin said, "Okay. Both."

"And this time both of you were great in it." Logan said to Thor and Loki who smirked.

"Well then, put it on!" Peter said and Logan started the recording.

* * *

**With that, this movie is done. Have to say, the trippy scenes are impossible to describe, though they are amazing.**

**Also, I have exams coming again. But I won't take a break this time. Rather, updates will be less regular than before. Still, this week there will be some regular updates. Next week onwards, not so much. But considering I still did 5 movies between previous exams and this one, I have covered up a lot.**

**Next chapter, we begin with the best Thor movie and my 5****th**** favorite MCU movie overall- Thor: Ragnarok.**


	84. Hela

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah he does and me neither. Thanks for the correction. That is a good reason. Thanks a lot. I like it. I like that theory too on Thor and Odin. Makes a lot of sense to me. Enjoy the chapter. And if you read this before you read the new chapter of Heroes in Middle-earth, please check that one out and leave a review. I'd love to know your thoughts on the latest chapters.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Glad it was great. I know. I was just bringing that up.**

**Panther-10: Thanks for the review. I was shocked too, though not that much as Strange has been Smaug in The Hobbit Trilogy. Glad it was great.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. Now I hope this doesn't come off as Tony hating and Steve worshipping but looking at their characters, I feel there is a 4/10 chance Tony would have killed Steve had the fight continued and Steve was the only thing in Tony's way. Tony seemed really pissed and emotional there. As for Steve, I feel there is only a 2/10 chance of him killing Tony even if he kills Bucky. He will cry a lot, scream at Tony, even hit him, but it is hard for me to imagine him killing Tony. He sure would never ever speak to the guy though. Those are my thoughts and I hope it was unbiased.**

Chapter 84- Hela

"I believe your questions about my whereabouts will be answered with this recording." Thor said to the others.

"Not just answered. Answered perfectly." Odinson said.

"Definitely been wondering what you've been up to." Tony said.

"Well, let's hold our breaths." Steve said.

"Let's start." Natasha said.

"You're in it too." Logan said to Bruce.

"All right. Good to know." Bruce said.

"Start it." Benjamin said to Logan.

"Of course." Logan said and turned it on.

"This is going to be embarrassing." Loki muttered to himself.

**In a fiery place, Thor was chained up in a cage as he said, "Now, I know what you're thinking. "Oh, no! Thor's in a cage. How did this happen?" Well, sometimes you have to get captured just to get a straight answer out of somebody." **

"I get the feeling." Natasha said.

"So do I." Clint said.

**Thor said, "It's a long story, but basically, I'm a bit of a hero. See, I spent some time on Earth...Fought some robots, saved the planet a couple of times. Then I went searching through the Cosmos for some magic, colorful Infinity Stone things. Didn't find any. That's when I came across a path of death and destruction, which led me all the way here into this cage, where I met you." In front of him was a skeleton. Its lower jaw broke at that part.**

"Your story made its jaw drop." Tony said and all burst out laughing.

"Why're you talking to a skeleton though? Have you gone crazy or something?" Scott asked.

"Don't ask." Thor said.

"Now you will see my brother's true self." Loki said to everyone.

**There was a rumbling as Thor asked the skeleton how long they'd be here. The cage then opened underneath and he fell down, still chained up. He was hanging now. He heard laughter and saw Surtur sitting there, looking at him.**

"Who the hell is that?" Bucky asked as all paled at his sight.

"Surtur." Thor said.

"The one who will be the cause of my people's destruction." Odinson said.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd call him the Devil." Steve said.

"**Thor, son of Odin." Surtur greeted with a laugh. Thor greeted back, "Surtur, son of…a bitch."**

Everyone burst into hysterical laughter as Rhodes said, "If this is your true self, I like you so much more than I used to."

"Oh I like you a lot now, Point Break." Tony said.

"Thank you." Thor and Odinson both said.

**Thor was shocked Surtur was still alive as Odin had killed him half a million years ago. Surtur said he couldn't die until he fulfilled his destiny of destroying Asgard. Thor said that was funny as he had been having terrible dreams lately of Asgard being destroyed and Surtur being at the center of it.**

"I'm sorry." Wanda said to Thor.

"Oh at this point, I'm having dreams of my own accord." Thor assured her, "You only showed me the one vision."

"**Then you have seen Ragnarok, the fall of Asgard." Surtur said, "The great prophecy…." Thor cut him off, asking him to tell about Ragnarok. Surtur said his time had come and when his crown will be reunited with the Eternal Flame, he shall be restored to his full might, tower over mountains and bury his sword deep into Asgard.**

"He is dangerous but he talks a lot." Peter said.

"That's his downfall." Thor said.

**Thor told him to stop as the chains were rotating too much and said this was happening on its own.**

Everyone burst into laughter again.

**Thor then asked if he'd put his crown in the Eternal Flame and grow as big as a house. Surtur corrected him with 'mountain.' Thor asked if he meant the Eternal Flame locked away by Odin on Asgard. Surtur said Odin was not on Asgard and Thor's absence had left it defenseless.**

"Odin isn't. I am." Loki said.

"How did he know though?" Hope asked.

"He could sense Odin's essence after their fight half a million years ago. And he sensed it wasn't on Asgard." Thor said.

"Now I can sense power too." Odinson said.

**Thor asked where the crown was and Surtur pointed it was on his head. Thor said he thought it was a big eyebrow and Surtur angrily said it was a crown.**

Everyone burst into laughter again as Hill asked, "When did you turn so funny? And by that, I mean modernly funny?"

"Even since I met the Avengers." Odinson said.

"Yes. Precisely." Thor agreed.

**Thor said all he needed to stop Ragnarok was to rip the crown off Surtur's head. Surtur got up with his Twilight Sword and said Ragnarok had already begun. Thor couldn't stop it. He was Asgard's doom and so was Thor. All will suffer and burn.**

"Sounded pretty intense." Aunt May said.

"And overdramatic." Pepper added.

"**That's intense. To be honest, seeing you grow really big and set fire to a planet would be quite the spectacle." Thor said as he opened his hand, "But it looks like I'm gonna have to choose option B, where I bust out of these chains, knock that tiara off your head, and stash it away in Asgard's vault." Surtur asked, "You cannot stop Ragnarok. Why fight it?" Thor said, "Because that's what heroes do." But nothing happened as Thor said, "Wait, I'm sorry. I didn't time that right." Thor then said, "And now!" Mjolnir burst through a wall and Thor grabbed it before breaking free, facing Surtur.**

Everyone clapped as Bruce said, "Now he is screwed!"

"Looks like it." Sam agreed.

**Surtur said he had made a grave mistake and Thor said he made those all the time but things worked out pretty well. He saw a dragon in the shadows.**

"I don't believe it." Fury said.

"You'll have to." Benjamin said.

**Fire Demons attacked Thor as he smashed them away and they covered him but he pushed them off before smashing more with a twirling Mjolnir and then threw it. It hit all Fire Demons in a circle as Thor fought and beat some before calling it back. It killed more Fire Demons as it returned to Thor's hand and he destroyed another.**

Everyone clapped as Peter said, "Now that is awesome!"

**The dragon roared, trying to break its chain. Thor leapt into the air with a roar as lightning emanated from Mjolnir. He hit the ground with it, causing a shockwave that killed the Fire Demons and staggered Surtur back.**

"And now you're all alone." Vision said to Surtur.

**Surtur fired a fire blast from his Twilight Sword which Thor blocked by twirling Mjolnir. He then leapt into the air and hit Surtur, staggering him back. He hit him with Mjolnir throws before hitting his crown, staggering him back. He hit him with more Mjolnir throws before dodging his Twilight Sword by leaping onto a rock. He then leapt at him and hit his crown. It fell down and all his flames were sucked into it.**

Everyone clapped as Tony said, "Yeah!"

**Thor chained up the crown to him and called out to Heimdall, saying he knew it had been a while but he could use a fast exit. He raised Mjolnir but nothing happened, confusing him. At Asgard, a knew gatekeeper called Skurge was talking to two ladies, saying Heimdall was an idiot.**

"Well, he was smarter than you for sure." Loki said.

"Who is he and why does he look like a judge?" Tony asked. [1]

"For your first question, he is Skurge, the new gatekeeper." Thor said, "For the second, I have no idea."

"Me neither." Loki said.

"Not even I do." Odinson said.

**Skurge said the job should have made him rich and wasn't easy but offered benefits, showing them his stuff, which included a scooter.**

"Thief." Fury muttered.

**Skurge showed them a pair of M-16 Rifles which he called Des and Troy because they destroyed when they came together.**

"Very original." Peter said dryly.

**Thor beat some Fire Demons as the dragon freed itself. Thor raised Mjolnir and flew into the sky, crashing through the ground. He put out his slightly sparkling cape and raised Mjolnir again but nothing happened, annoying him. The ground shook and the dragon crashed. It tried to bite Thor but he stopped it with a hand before putting Mjolnir its mouth, making it fall down.**

Everyone clapped as Steve said, "Smart."

**The ladies heard Thor's voice through the mechanism as Skurge played with a shake weight. They informed him and he brandished Hofund, saying the girls were in for a treat. He inserted and twisted it. In Muspelheim, Thor summoned Mjolnir and flew off at Mach 1 as the dragon flew after him. Just before it could catch up, the Bifrost took him up while the symbol was formed on the ground.**

"Now Surtur's lawn is ruined." Tony said and all laughed.

**Thor arrived in Asgard as the dragon's head fell too, splattering green blood on Skurge and the ladies. Its tongue fell out and eyes rolled back. The ladies screamed and ran off in terror.**

"There goes his chance with the ladies." Bucky said and all chuckled.

**Skurge sarcastically thanked Thor for scaring his company away and drenching his workplace with blood as Thor didn't recognize him. Skurge introduced himself and said they had fought together on Vanaheim, which Thor remembered and asked where Heimdall was. Skurge said he was a traitor and Odin had charged him with negligence but he had fled before the trial. It was impossible to find a guy who could see everything.**

"My way of getting him out of the way." Loki said.

"I know." Thor said.

**Skruge said he was supposed to announce Thor's arrival but he flew off by twirling Mjolnir. He arrived and was shocked by the sight in front of him. It was a giant statue of Loki.**

"I should get one!" Tony said as all gaped at the statue.

**Thor saw a play was going on. There were actors playing Thor and Loki. Loki was dying after being stabbed by Kurse. Thor asked Sif to get help and she ran off as Loki apologized for everything he had had done while Odin watched from where he was sitting, eating grapes.**

"Really dude?" Scott asked.

"I expected Skurge to announce Thor's arrival!" Loki said.

**Loki apologized for turning Thor into a frog as Thor said it was a wonderful joke while Odin muttered it was hilarious.**

"Oh my God!" Sam said and all laughed.

"Oh it was truly funny." Loki said.

"Let me get my ax." Odinson said and Loki shut up as Thor glared at him.

**Loki asked Thor to tell his story, build a statue of him with his horned helmet. Thor said he would tell father what Loki had done. Odin muttered, "I didn't do it for him." Loki said, "I didn't do it for him." He then died as the choir sang a sad but beautiful tune while some women cried.**

"They're really crying?" Pepper asked while all looked shocked.

"I have no idea why." Thor said.

"Hey! It was thoughtful and provoking!" Loki said.

"No, it was an over the top parody." Tony said and all laughed, "Somehow starring Matt Damon." [2]

The laughter increased by volumes as Loki pouted.

**The actor playing Odin narrated Loki had brought peace to the Realms. A child playing young Loki arrived as the actor said he'd never thought Loki would be Asgard's savior when he was merely a baby icicle who had melted the old fool's heart. The play ended and all clapped.**

"Please clap!" Rhodes said and all did while laughing.

"It was royal. I will say that." T'Challa said.

"Thank you." Loki said gratefully.

**Thor then greeted Odin who muttered 'Oh shit' before greeting him like he normally would. The play was called 'The Tragedy of Loki of Asgard' as the people wanted to commemorate him. Thor said he liked the statue as it looked a lot better than Loki when he was alive. Odin made a face.**

Everyone burst into laughter as Hope said, "You as him is hilarious."

"Of course." Loki said.

**Thor showed him the crown and told a guard to lock it away in the vault. Odin got up and asked if Thor would go back to Midgard but he talked about his dream of Asgard's destruction while throwing Mjolnir up and catching it on return. Odin said it was a silly dream due to overactive imagination. Thor said he had investigated and found the Nine Realms in chaos, enemies assembling and plotting their demise while he was sitting in his bathrobe eating grapes.**

"And that gave you away." Natasha said while Loki sighed.

**Odin said he was respecting neighbors' freedom while Thor said it was freedom of massacre as he threw Mjolnir right next to Odin and caught it.**

"This is getting ugly." Logan said.

**Odin said he had been busy with board meeting and Security Council meetings.**

"Those are things on Asgard?" Clint asked.

"Nope." Loki said.

**Thor then threw Mjolnir and walked behind Odin, telling him nothing would stop it as it returned to him, not even his face. Odin said he'd gone crazy and would be executed. "Then I'll see you on the other side, brother." Thor said as Mjolnir straightened while returning and Odin moved out of the way, transforming back into Loki and confessing he yielded while the people screamed in horror.**

"Busted finally!" Hope said and all laughed.

"Yeah. Embarrassing." Loki said.

"We can see that." Sam said.

**Skurge then arrived to announce Thor's arrival and Loki scolded him, saying he had one job. Thor asked where Odin was and he said how Thor couldn't stay away. Asgard was prospering without him but he had ruined everything. Thor asked where Odin was again. Loki said Thor finally had the independence he wanted and Thor angrily pinned him to his seat with Mjolnir while people screamed. Loki said he knew exactly where Odin was and they were sent to Earth with the Bifrost.**

"Stings, doesn't it?" Peter asked Loki.

"Oh it does." Loki said.

"You and your games." Thor said.

**The old-age care home where Loki had left Odin was demolished now. Thor and Loki stood in regular clothes as the latter said he had left Odin right here and Thor jokingly asked if he meant on the sidewalk or where the building was being demolished.**

"I'm sure people would notice." Rhodes said.

**Thor sarcastically said his plan was great as Loki said he couldn't see the future and wasn't a witch. Thor asked why he dressed like one and said he couldn't believe Loki was alive. "I mourned you, I cried for you." Thor said. "I'm honored." Loki said sarcastically. **

"Oh I live to honor you." Thor said sarcastically and Loki smirked while the others laughed.

**Two girls arrived and asked Thor for a picture. He agreed, asking Loki to figure it out as the girls took a selfie and apologized for Jane dumping him. Thor told Loki she hadn't dumped him, he had dumped her, and it was a mutual dumping.**

"The word you're looking for is 'break-up.'" Tony said and all chuckled.

"I know." Thor said.

**Suddenly, a sparkling circle appeared underneath Loki. Thor was shocked as Loki said he wasn't doing this and fell into it.**

"I think I know who that is." Steve said.

"And you're right." Odinson agreed.

**There was a note there which Thor tapped with his umbrella, wondering if it was Loki.**

Everyone burst out laughing as Benjamin asked, "You actually thought he had turned into a note."

"Well, he transforms into snakes and transforms me into frogs so I thought 'why not?'" Thor said.

"Fair enough." Loki snorted.

**Thor picked up the note and it said, '177A Bleecker Street.' He walked to the address and knocked but was suddenly inside. "Thor Odinson." He turned around to see a man in a cape flying towards him, revealing himself to be Stephen Strange, "God of Thunder." Thor raised the umbrella but Strange told him to put it down.**

"You transformed Mjolnir into an umbrella?" A shocked Natasha asked.

"Oh I can transform it into a lot of stuff to disguise it. Umbrellas. Canes. Whatever." Thor said. [3]

**They were teleported further into the Sanctum as Thor put the umbrella in a coat stand and picked up an artefact, noting Earth had Wizards now before accidentally breaking the artefact. Strange said the term was 'Master of the Mystic Arts.' Thor asked who he was and he introduced himself as Doctor Stephen Strange, asking him to take a seat and then teleported them to have seats.**

"Now he is creeping me out." Pepper said.

"He has grown in power since the last recording." Loki noted.

**"Tea?" Strange asked Thor. "I don't drink tea." Thor said as he held up the cup he had. "What do you drink?" Strange asked. "Not tea." Thor said and beer appeared. "So, I keep a watchlist of individuals and beings from other realms that may be a threat to this world." Strange said, "Your adopted brother, Loki, is one of those beings." Thor drank and saw his beer had refilled, "A worthy inclusion."**

"Of course I am." Loki said.

**"Yeah." Strange said, "So, why bring him here to New York?" Thor said, "That's a long story. A family drama, that kind of thing, but... we're looking for my father."** **"Oh, okay. So, if you've found Odin, you all will return to Asgard, promptly?" Strange asked. "Oh, yes. Promptly." Thor said. "Alright." Strange got up, "Let me help you." **

"Let's see what his help looks like." Tony said.

**Thor asked why Strange had not called him if he knew and Strange said Odin was adamant not to be disturbed plus Thor didn't have a cell phone. Thor said Strange could have sent the electronic letter called e-mail and Strange asked if he had a computer. Thor said he didn't, asking the reason.**

Everyone burst into laughter as Clint said, "You still have a lot to learn."

"I have an e-mail ID now." Odinson said, "It's called 'Lord of Thunder.'"

"Nice." Rhodes said.

**Thor asked if he could take him home and Strange said he was in Norway as they were teleported away and some beer dropped. Strange read a book and said no modifications were required for Asgardians before teleporting them again. Thor asked him to stop and Strange asked for a strand of hair. Thor said his hair was not to be meddled with but Strange appeared behind him and took a strand, teleporting them away again as Thor rolled down the stairs.**

Everyone burst into laughter as Pepper said, "Is it his mission to embarrass his visitors or something?"

"I think it is." Odinson said.

"Sucks. I know." Thor said.

**Strange used the strand to open a portal and told Thor Odin was waiting. He told him not to forget his umbrella. Thor raised his hand and smashing sounds were heard as he apologized.**

Everyone laughed.

**The umbrella stopped in his hand as Thor said he'd need his brother back and Strange opened another portal above, making Loki fall down. "I have been falling….for 30 minutes!" Loki said indignantly.**

Everyone laughed as Loki looked embarrassed, "I will have my sweet vengeance."

**Strange told Thor to handle him as Loki angrily brandished his daggers, calling Strange a second-rate magician as he charged but Strange pushed the portal on them, making Loki fall down as Thor looked around at the grassy area.**

"I will use more than daggers next time." Loki said.

**The two saw Odin standing with his back to them.**

"Now the reunion." Steve said and all watched.

**They walked to him as Thor called out to him. Odin looked at the sea and said this place was beautiful before recognizing them. Thor said they'd come to take him home. "Home, yes." Odin said, "Your mother, she calls me." Thor asked Loki to lift his spell and Odin laughed, saying it had taken him some time to break out, telling Loki Frigga would have been proud.**

A small lump formed in Loki's throat. This was all he had ever wanted from Odin. Thor put a hand on his shoulder.

**Odin told them to sit with him, saying he didn't have much time. Thor said they'd failed him but would make it right. "I failed you." Odin said, "It is upon us. Ragnarok." Thor said he'd stopped Ragnarok but Odin said it had already begun and she was coming. His life was all that had held her back but his time had come and she couldn't be kept back any longer. Thor asked who Odin was referring to and he said, "Goddess of Death. Hela. My firstborn. Your sister." Thor and Loki were both shocked.**

"The truth is out." Aunt May said.

"And you won't like it." Bruce said.

"Not one bit." Odinson said.

"I understand." Thor agreed.

**Odin said he violent appetites had grown beyond his control so he had imprisoned her. She drew her strength from Asgard and when she reached there, her powers would be limitless. Thor said they could face and stop her together but Odin said they couldn't as he was on a different path now and they must face this alone.**

"What's happening?" Scott asked.

"I think I know." Hope said.

"**I love you, my sons." Odin said as Loki looked at him.**

"This was all I ever wanted." Loki said with a quivering voice while Thor comforted him. All looked at him in sympathy. While they still hadn't forgiven him for his deeds, they could still feel his pain.

"**Look at that." Odin said, pointing at the sky, "Remember this place." He then faded into yellow energy which flowed away.**

Thor closed his eyes sadly and so did Odinson and Loki, remembering Odin. He wasn't perfect either in spite of being the All-Father. But he was a good man and did the best he could.

T'Challa put a hand on Thor's shoulder and said, "Do not weep because he is gone. Smile because he was here."

Thor, Loki and Odinson nodded as the recording continued.

**Clouds gathered in the sky as lightning cracked due to Thor's emotions. Lightning cracked in Thor's hands too. Loki called out to him as Thor angrily looked at him, "This was your doing!" Before they could fight, a green portal started opening up. Loki removed the illusion and was back in his Asgardian robes as lightning cracked and Thor was back in his Asgardian armor with Mjolnir.**

"Something's happening." Hope said and all tensed.

**Out of the portal walked a woman in black robes with long hair and a pale face. "So he's gone." She said, "That's a shame. I'd have liked to see that." Thor said, "You must be Hela."**

"Yeah. We can see that." Tony said while all tensed.

**Thor introduced himself and Hela commented he didn't look like Odin. Loki said they could come to an arrangement as Hela said he sounded like Odin. "Kneel." She then ordered. "Beg your pardon?" Loki asked.**

"She sounds more like your daughter at this point." Scott said to Loki who sighed. [4]

"**Kneel. Before your Queen." Hela said, summoning her Necrosword. "I don't think so." Thor said and threw Mjolnir but to his horror, she caught it. He tried to summon it back but she didn't let go as he said, "It's not possible." Hela smirked, "Darling, you have no idea what's possible." With that, she shattered Mjolnir in her grasp as there was an explosion of lightning which sent Thor and Loki flying back.**

"Motherfu-" Fury trailed off while all were really shocked.

"She broke it! She actually broke it!" Tony said.

"I had no idea that could happen." Steve said, "Uru was the strongest metal in the Universe."

"And how could she use it?" Peter asked.

"She wasn't worthy but she had a different connection to it." Odinson said.

"Yes. Which is why she could hold it in spite of unworthiness." Thor said.

**Hela then summoned a horned helmet and two Necroswords as Loki shouted, "Bring us back!" Thor protested but the Bifrost took them up. Thor called out to Loki and he looked down to see Hela flying up. He threw his dagger but she threw it back and he crashed out into the space.**

"Oh boy!" Sam said as all looked in shock.

**Thor tried to fight but she grabbed his neck and threw him into space too.**

"How much did being pushed against Bifrost hurt?" Hill asked in concern.

"A lot." Thor, Loki and Odinson said simultaneously.

**Volstagg took Hofund out of the device on Asgard as Hela arrived while he, Fandrall and Skurge, who was sweeping the floor, looked in shock. Hela's power seemed to increase as she arrived in Asgard as Volstagg asked who she was and what she had done with Thor. She threw a small Necrosword at him, making him fall down. Fandrall charged her but was taken down the same way. "I'm Hela." She said and killed them by throwing one more Necrosword for each.**

"NO!" Thor and Odinson both said sadly as everyone looked at them in sympathy.

"They were brave men." Loki said as he put a hand on Thor for comfort.

"I'm sorry." Steve said in sympathy, knowing exactly what he was going through.

Thor, Loki and Odinson calmed themselves and looked back at the screen.

**Skurge kneeled and said he was a janitor as Hela said, "You look like a smart boy with good survival instincts. How would you like a job?" She walked past him and looked at Asgard with a smile while Skurge stood next to her with Hofund stuck behind them.**

"Oh no!" Tony said.

"Shit!" Sam said.

"She has her eyes on the entire cosmos, doesn't she?" Hope asked.

"Yes. She does." Logan said.

"And it would have been ugly." Benjamin said.

"Well, we need to see what happened next." Wanda said.

"Yeah we do." Odinson said as the recording continued.

* * *

**And done.**

**This movie is so funny and amazing. I love it.**

**[1] Reference to Karl Urban's role as Judge Dredd in the 2012 Dredd movie. I love it. **

**[2] Matt Damon played the actor who played Loki in the play.**

**[3] Reference to the comics where Thor has a secret identity called Donald Blake and Mjolnir is disguised as a cane.**

**[4] Reference to Norse Mythology, the comics and the EMH show where Hela is Loki's daughter, not Odin's.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	85. Thor vs Hulk

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes, we're in for a wild ride! Yup, the cameos were all hilarious and I know that on Damon. Yes I am on Loki and I actually like what you've said on Thor. Thanks. I'll see on the Fantastic Four. Yeah, its ironic witch comics Thor and MCU Thor. But now the dark days of Jason Aaron are over and instead, Donny Cates will write for Thor 2020 onwards and he is a fan of the guy. Our OP Thor is about to return. Yes, Sakaar will be a laugh. Enjoy.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Glad it was great. Yes that was funny and I will.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. Tony will. As for Peter, I have thought about it already. It won't be this dramatic but sensible.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Glad you found my assessment fair. Yes I will be making a reference to The Lord of the Rings. Wouldn't be me if I didn't. You will see on Gladiator Hulk.**

**Hell'sAngel666: Thanks for the review. Glad it was amazing. Glad this is well-written and great. I think I just might. You're welcome. Yes I will give him more lines at times. You're welcome.**

Chapter 85- Thor vs. Hulk

"So, where're you now?" Peter asked Thor.

"In one of the worst places ever." Thor said.

"That place was a piece of trash. Literally." Odinson said.

"I liked it there." Loki said.

"Of course you did!" Thor said.

**In a world beyond the Nine Realms, Thor crashed through a portal. The place was full of heaps of trash.**

"You weren't kidding when you said this was a piece of trash." Tony said.

"Giant piece of trash." Scott added.

**Thor threw debris off of him and looked around at the portal and the falling objects. He looked up to see something about to fall on him and quickly moved out of the way.**

"Nice save." Steve said.

**Thor looked around and saw a huge city in the distance. **

"What's that?" Bucky asked.

"Sakaar." Loki said.

**Then Thor some kind of ship landing in front of him and out walked strange looking aliens, asking if he was a fighter or food. Thor said he was just passing by and they said he was food.**

"So they're Sakaarans then." Natasha noted.

"Are they really paper people?" Clint asked.

"They don't have much strength." Thor said.

"But they have very advanced technology." Odinson said.

**Thor tried to summon Mjolnir but then remembered it was gone.**

"Still miss it, even if it was only to conduct my powers." Thor said.

"Yes, it does hold a special place in my heart." Odinson said too.

**Thor then raised his hands and as one Sakaaran came close, he threw him off. Another tore off half of his cape but was punched down along with another. Then the lead Sakaaran fired an net and it threw Thor down, electrocuting him as the others started hitting him.**

"Damn it!" Sam said.

"If you're the God of Thunder, then why're you being electrocuted?" Hope asked.

"I was too weakened in that moment." Thor said, "I lost Mjolnir, I was smashed into the Bifrost, and thrown through space and time into a far off world. Even the source of my power was damaging for some time."

"Yes. It is what happened." Odinson said.

"Makes sense." Aunt May agreed.

**Then another ship flew down and they looked up in shock. It landed and a pathway was formed. Out walked a dark-skinned woman with markings on her face, drinking a beer. "He's mine." She said.**

"Who's that?" Scott asked.

"Angry girl." Bruce said with a smirk.

"Don't mess with her." Thor said.

**She walked towards them but due to her drunken state, fell down into trash so the Sakaarans started hitting Thor again.**

"That looks really embarrassing." Rhodes said.

"Oh it is the worst phase of my 1500 year long life." Thor said.

"Yes. Among the worst." Odinson said and shuddered again on remembering his 'Bro Thor' phase.

**She got back up, saying Thor was his so they'd have to go through her to get him. The Sakaarans decided she was food too and she said she'd go through them. She then struggled to activate her gauntlets as they moved closer but managed to do it. Her ship's guns were activated and she used them to slaughter all the Sakaarans.**

"That looked really, really awesome." Hill said as all clapped for her.

"Yeah. She is resourceful." Thor agreed.

**Now only one was left and he rushed her but she ducked to avoid a blow before punching him and throwing him off.**

"She's strong." Fury noted, "I think she is an Asgardian."

"Right you are." Odinson said, shocking everyone.

"What's an Asgardian doing in a trash heap?" Pepper asked.

"You will see very soon." Logan said, "It will be revealed."

**Thor ripped out the net and thanked her but she threw a disk that attached to the side of his neck and activated it, sending a toxin through Thor's body as he was knocked out.**

"What is she doing?" T'Challa asked as all gasped in shock.

"She is not on my side for the time being." Thor said.

"But you are Asgard's prince!" Scott said.

"Not to her." Odinson said.

**She dragged Thor by the cape to her ship and later, he woke up as she said to someone she had something special. Thor banged the glass between them, introducing himself as Thor, Son of Odin, saying he needed to get back to Asgard. She sarcastically apologized and pressed the button, spreading the toxin through him again as he was knocked out.**

"That thing is really powerful to knock someone like you out." Peter said to Thor.

"Obedience Disks usually are." Benjamin said.

"So, she is selling you to someone?" Steve asked as all glared at the woman.

"Yes." Thor said, "She has lost her way and fallen."

"Yet you forgave her?" Clint asked.

"She redeemed herself soon." Odinson said.

"Besides, what she did is nothing compared to what I did." Loki said, "He forgave me too."

Everyone nodded, deciding to watch for themselves.

**At Asgard, Hela stood, without her helmet.**

"She looks like Galadriel's evil, gothic twin." Tony joked to lighten the mood but got no response.

**Hela announced to the army in front of her, "It's come to my attention that you don't know who I am. I am Hela, Odin's firstborn, the commander of the Legions of Asgard, the rightful heir to the throne, and the Goddess of Death." The army pointed their weapons at her. "My father is dead. As are the princes. You're welcome." Hogun glared at her. "We were once the seat of absolute power in the Cosmos. Our supremacy was unchallenged. Yet Odin stopped at Nine Realms. Our destiny is to rule over all others. And I am here to restore that power. Kneel before me and rise into the ranks of my great conquest." **

"Nice evil speech." Peter said sarcastically.

**Hogun said whoever she was, she must stand down or they'd show no mercy. Hela was annoyed they hadn't listened to a word she had said and was told this was her last warning. Hela angrily put her helmet back on, sadly saying she'd thought they'd be happy to see her as Hogun's mace protruded spikes.**

"The soldiers were never going to listen to her." Thor said sadly.

"They fought bravely." Odinson agreed, "Including Hogun."

**Hela threw small Necroswords at Hogun who deflected with his mace and hit her but she was unaffected as she kicked him into a wall, smashing it down. **

Everyone tensed.

**The army attacked as Hela leapt into their midst with her Necroswords. They weren't even a match for her as she sliced them down with her Necroswords or threw the Necroswords at them, taking them down. She threw one at a warship and it was destroyed too. They attacked but she was unaffected by all of their blows, taking them down with swift Necrosword throws. The warships fired at her but she was unaffected as threw her Necroswords, destroying them all. She continued slaughtering the army. One of them stabbed her from behind and the blade protruded from her abdomen but she was still unaffected and killed him with a Necrosword throw. Soon, the entire army was slaughtered as Skurge looked around in horror.**

Everyone watched in horror and sadness, feeling for all the dead soldiers who were falling to the insanity of a madwoman who had escaped.

**Hela looked around, saying she had missed this but it was still sad as they were good soldiers dying for nothing. Hogun then staggered back up and she asked if he had a change of heart. Hogun told her to crawl back to whatever cave she had come from, calling her 'demoness.' She threw a large Necrosword at him and it killed him as Skurge looked away in horror.**

Tears appeared in the eyes of Thor, Loki and Odinson as they tried to calm themselves down at the brutal murders of their friends The Warriors Three (former friends in Loki's case but he still remembered the good times).

"I'm so sorry." Wanda said as all looked at the three in sympathy.

"They were good warriors. And even better people and friends." Thor said.

"They will not be forgotten." Odinson said and Thor and Loki nodded.

"We will remember their sacrifice." Steve assured them and everyone nodded, "They were brave men."

"Martyrs for Asgard." Tony said.

"That they were." Loki agreed.

"**Let's go see my palace." Hela then said as the two walked towards it.**

"That palace doesn't belong to you." Odinson sneered.

**Someone climbed up to the Observatory and stole Hofund.**

"Heimdall?" Hill asked as all smirked.

"Heimdall." Thor said.

**Thor woke up, restrained to a moving chair as a voice said he was found and was at home from where there was no going back. A presentation of the Cosmos was given as the voice said this was Sakaar on the edge of known and unknown and was the collection point of lost and unloved things like he was. He was significant here and loved.**

"As long as you follow the goddamn rules that is." Loki said, "And don't try to escape."

**The voice said no one loved him more than the Grandmaster as his projection was shown. He was the original, the first lost and found and creator of Sakaar as well as Father of Contest of Champions. A projection of the Contest was shown as well as the voice said he was no property of Grandmaster and would meet him in 5 seconds while he passed through a planet's projection.**

"This guy really has his head in his ass." Clint said.

**He was told to prepare himself as the presentation sped up to an absurd degree. He was told to prepare himself again as he'd meet the Grandmaster. Unable to cope with his situation and the presentation, Thor screamed awkwardly like a girl and was suddenly in a room as the presentation disappeared. **

Everyone burst out laughing hysterically as Rhodes asked, "Did you just scream in a high-pitched voice?"

"He meant 'like a girl.'" Natasha said.

"I wish I had a camera to record it in the moment." Loki said.

"That is never going away, is it?" Thor asked.

"It still hasn't gone away." Odinson said as he shot a smirking Benjamin and Logan a look.

"Don't blame them." Sam said and all chuckled.

**Thor looked around and in front of him was the Grandmaster.**

"Why does he look so much like the Collector?" Tony asked.

"They are both Elders of the Universe." Odinson said.

**There were soldiers behind him and in front sat Grandmaster with the drunk woman on his left and another on his right. He found Thor wonderful as the woman confirmed it was a 'he.'**

"Of course I'm a he!" Thor said indignantly.

**Grandmaster said he loved when the woman, who was called 142, came to visit, saying she was something that started with a 'B.' The other woman, Topaz, called her trash and Grandmaster said that didn't start with a 'B' so she said booze hag but Grandmaster said he meant best because that's what she was as she had brought him his beloved champion. He asked what she had brought today and she said it was a contender.**

"These people really alien trafficking then." Steve noted with disgust.

"Yes. I'd never ever step foot there." Tony said.

"Oh don't blame you. It's a hellhole." Odinson agreed.

"I don't even remember much of it." Bruce said.

"Lucky you." Thor snorted.

**Grandmaster wanted a closer look and Topaz pushed his chair to get one as Thor said he wasn't for sale and broke his restraints but 142 pressed the button and toxin spread through his body again. Grandmaster said he was a fighter as 142 asked for 1 million units and was paid. She walked off as Thor said she'd pay for this but she corrected she had been paid for this.**

"She's good with puns at least." Tony muttered.

**Grandmaster pressed a button and the restraints restrained Thor again as Grandmaster asked who he was. Thor broke his restraints again and announced he was the God of Thunder as little lightning crackled in his hands but Grandmaster laughed, saying he hadn't seen thunder but sparkles.**

"Hela really did a number on you, man." Scott said to Thor, "I'm sorry."

"She did too." Thor said about 142.

"Yeah. She was a drunk trafficker for years before we helped her reform." Odinson said.

"What's her story?" Steve asked.

"You will be shown, bub." Logan said.

**Topaz told Grandmaster they'd found his cousin as he walked to his room and Thor's chair was moved there too and there another man was restrained to another chair. Thor greeted him as he begged Grandmaster for forgiveness. Grandmaster said he was pardoned. He thanked him but Grandmaster pointed a stick at him and said he had been pardoned of his life as it melted Grandmaster's cousin into slime while Thor looked in horror and disgust, annoyed by the smell while Grandmaster joked he was stepping on it and asked Topaz what it smelt like, to which she said burnt toast.**

"What-the-freaking-hell?" Sam asked as all watched in horror and disgust.

"He is a greedy, vain, cruel man with his head inside his ass." Loki snorted and all nodded in agreement.

"I can see that." Pepper said.

"No one this bad exists on Earth at least." Clint said and all agreed.

**Grandmaster then sarcastically apologized for his bad manners and introduced himself before taking Thor to another room and putting on music, said he presided over the Contest of Champions. People came from far and wide to unwillingly participate in it and Thor was part of the new cast. Thor said he didn't give a shit and needed to go back to Asgard. Grandmaster increased the music's volume when Thor noticed Loki there talking to some other people.**

"You're there too!" Scott said as all were shocked.

"I'm there. I'm here. I'm everywhere." Loki joked as he made two illusions for a second before coming back to normal.

"You're not on a chair." Tony noted.

"I'm too smart for one." Loki smirked.

**Thor was shocked and beckoned Loki to him. Loki was shocked too as he played cool as shushed Thor. Thor asked where Loki's chair was and he said he didn't have one. Thor asked him to get him out but Loki said he couldn't as he had made friends with Grandmaster and gained his favor. The Bifrost had brought him here, weeks ago, shocking Thor who had just arrived.**

"How did that happen?" Steve asked.

"Time works differently on Sakaar." Thor said.

**Grandmaster asked what they were whispering about, startling them both, and said time worked differently in Sakaar. He said on any other world, he'd be about a million years old, and then said, "But here on Sakaar….." He blinked and smiled like a little child who was fancying something, confusing both Thor and Loki.**

"Oh God there is something wrong with this guy!" Bucky said as all were confused and disgusted by his behavior.

"You didn't know that earlier?" Natasha asked sarcastically.

**Thor asked Loki to tell Grandmaster of their relationship and he said he didn't know Thor. Thor said they were brothers and Loki added 'adopted.' Grandmaster asked if Thor was any kind of fighter and he said once the Obedience Disk was out of his neck, he'd show him. Grandmaster mocked how Thor was threatening him and said if he wanted to get back to the 'Ass place', he'd have to defeat his champion. "Fine. Then point me in the direction of whoever's ass I have to kick!" Thor said and Grandmaster was satisfied.**

"I think I know whose ass that is." Hope said and all chuckled while Bruce sighed.

**Thor's chair was moved away and he was thrown into a cell as the door closed. He banged at the door as another prisoner who was made of rocks told him to take it easy. Thor looked at him as he said he was a pile of rocks waving at him and introduced himself as Korg. He said he was the leader here and was made of rocks but there was no need to be intimidated. He didn't need to be afraid as long as he wasn't made of scissors. The alien next to him who had knives for hands formed scissors with them for a second.**

Everyone burst out laughing hysterically as Hill asked, "Where do you find these people?"

"In the arena." Odinson shrugged.

"He isn't intimidating." Tony said, "He is hilarious."

"And sweet." Wanda added.

"Yeah. That he is. Nice guy." Thor said.

"I agree." Loki said, remembering his offer to escape Sakaar.

**Korg said this was a rock-paper-scissors joke for him and introduced his friend Miek who had knives for hands. Thor recognized Korg as a Kronan and asked how he had ended up here. Korg said he had tried to start a revolution but hadn't printed enough pamphlets. Nobody had turned up except his mum and her boyfriend whom he hated so he was forced here as punishment to be a gladiator. This was a promotional disaster.**

"He talks a lot." Sam said as everyone chuckled at Korg's antics, "And I want him to talk more."

"You're not the only one." Rhodes said.

**Korg said he was organizing another revolution and asked a running Thor if he'd be interested. Thor managed to return to where he had started, to his own shock.**

"How did that happen?" May asked.

"Nothing makes sense." Thor said.

**Korg said the whole place was a circle. Not a real circle but a freaky circle. Thor said this didn't make sense ad Korg said the only thing that made sense was that nothing made sense.**

"Now that makes sense." Logan said.

**Thor asked if anyone else had fought the Grandmaster's champion and Korg said Doug had before calling out to him but no one answered and Korg remembered Doug was dead, saying all who faced the Grandmaster's champion perished. Thor asked about Korg, noting he was made of rocks but he reminded it was perishable rock who just did the smaller fights for warmup of the crowd. Korg asked if he was gonna face him. Thor said he was gonna win and get out as he walked off. Korg said that was what Doug used to say and called Thor 'new Doug.'**

"I like this guy." Scott said while all continued laughing at his antics.

"He is sweet in a different kind of way." Peter said.

"Yeah. That he is." Benjamin agreed.

**Hela and Skurge walked into the palace, having killed more soldiers. She wondered if no one remembered her. She then looked up at the murals which showed people worshipping the Asgardians and offering them goblets and garden parties. Odin and Laufey were also in one mural, having signed a peace treaty. Hela was furious saying Odin was proud to have it but ashamed of how he had got it. She then threw Necroswords into the wall and it shattered as Skurge backed to avoid damage. Another, older mural was revealed. Which had Odin standing in between blood as him and Hela led their people to war. Hela sat on a giant wolf.**

"My God!" Steve said as all gasped and widened their eyes in horror on seeing the truth about Odin for the first time in their lives.

"So God of War 4 told the truth about him at least." Tony muttered to himself.

"Yes. Father used to be a warlord who conquered the Nine Realms and bathed them in blood." Thor said sounding ashamed. While he still loved his father, he still didn't respect him as much as he used to due to this.

"And he condemned me!" Loki said.

"Yeah. To be honest, you're no saint. You killed people on Earth too." Clint said to Loki, "But this is even worse than that."

"Yes. This is really bad. And I had to correct it all." Odinson said.

**Hela said they used to be unstoppable and she was Odin's weapon in the conquest of the Nine Realms. Then her ambition had outgrown his and he had banished and caged her like an animal. Before that, Asgard's warriors were honored and buried as heroes. **

"I hate her with a passion but I do get where she's coming from." Odinson said.

"Yes. Father, instead of trying to counsel her, simply locked her up and erased any sign of her existence to make people think she never existed." Thor said, "She is bound to be this pissed after that."

"And he never told us about her either till the end." Loki said.

**The two arrived in the vault as Skurge noted these were Odin's treasures. Hela threw an Infinity Gauntlet away, calling the Stones in it fake.**

"Where did your dad get it?" Logan asked.

"My father wanted to harness the power of the Infinity Stones himself." Odinson said, "But around that time, he became peaceful too so he decided not to. But because he knew worse people would look for the Stones, he had fake stones put in it to make it look like he had the Infinity Gauntlet and no one would dare look for it while he lived. Only us at Asgard knew the truth."

"How did Thanos find out then?" Benjamin asked.

"He was a really smart guy. He figured everything out." Odinson said.

**She then called the Casket of Ancient Winters weak.**

"Hey!" Loki said, offended.

**She saw Surtur's crown and commented how it was smaller than she had thought. She then saw the Teserract and said it wasn't bad before noticing the Eternal Flame and put it in her hand, asking Skurge if he wanted to see what real power looked like. She summoned a bloodaxe and struck the ground thrice, shattering it before leaping inside as Skurge watched. Inside were the old warriors of Asgard, buried in their caskets, along with the corpse of her wolf Fenris.**

"Everyone who served under her." Tony said in shock.

"Yes. All of them." Thor said.

**Hela was saddened by what had been done to Fenris. "With the Eternal Flame, you are reborn." She said and smashed it on the ground as a green shockwave shot out. Skurge watched as the dead soldiers woke up in the form of skeletons and so did Fenris. "I've missed you. I've missed you all." Hela said.**

"No, no, no, no, no." Hill was muttering.

"An army of dead people! Okay this is not good at all!" Sam said.

"She can just bring them back if they're down. She is too powerful." Rhodes noted while watched in horror.

**In Sakaar, Thor prayed for Odin's soul to take his place in the halls of Valhalla and Loki finished the last verse with him. He turned to see Loki standing there as Loki commented how it hurt to have been lied to his whole life.**

"Yes. It really did." Thor said, "I do know how you feel."

**Thor threw a stone and it passed through Loki, who smirked and asked if Thor had really thought he'd come visit him in here.**

"No. But never hurts to test, does it?" Odinson asked.

**Loki said he couldn't jeopardize his position with the Grandmaster as it had taken time to win his trust. He said Grandmaster was a lunatic but amenable and Thor could join their side. He said an accident would befall the Grandmaster in time and doing gestures, said how they'd be rulers of Sakaar after that.**

"I actually approve of that." Fury said to his own shock.

"Yeah. Grandmaster is a sicko." Hope agreed.

"If I did not have to go back to Asgard, I would have done it." Thor said.

**Thor was looking into the distance and still throwing stones through Loki as Loki asked if he was thinking of returning to Asgard. He reminded how Hela had destroyed his hammer like a piece of glass and was stronger than them both. He wouldn't stand a chance and said he'd have to do it alone like always. Thor didn't say a thing and Loki asked him to. Thor said Loki had faked his own death, stolen the throne, stripped Odin of his power and left him on Earth to die which was why the Goddess of Death had been released. He asked Loki if he wanted him to say more.**

"No I don't. I have thought about it enough myself." Loki said guiltily.

**Loki said he had not seen the champion but heard he was astonishingly savage which was why he had placed a large wager against Thor. He asked Thor not to let him down and the illusion disappeared as Korg arrived and kicked the spot where he had stood, calling him 'ghost' and telling him to piss off as Miek arrived too.**

Everyone laughed at their antics.

"If I had known who the champion was, I'd have placed a wager against him." Loki said as he shot Bruce a look.

**Later, as Thor was preparing himself for the contest, they saw a beaten up contestant being dragged away as Korg touched a weapon and said someone's blood and hair were all over it and asked everyone to clean up their weapons after the fight. He lifted up a giant fork and asked Thor if he'd like to use it. Thor refused and Korg said it was only useful while fighting against three vampires.**

"I think a nice sword, some guns with silver bullets and stakes are better." Logan said.

"Yeah, much better." Benjamin agreed.

"Vampires are real?" Tony asked as everyone from the past except Thor and Loki paled.

"Uhhhhhhh….yeah." Odinson said.

"What else is real? Wendigos?" Rhodes asked.

"Yeah." Odinson said.

"I'm outta here." Rhodes said as all chuckled at him but were also nervous due to these supernatural revelations.

**Thor wished he had his hammer, saying it was a unique one forged from the heart of a dying star and when he spun it really, really fast it gave him the ability to fly. Korg asked if he rode it and then asked if he rode it on his back.**

Everyone laughed again as Thor and Odinson sighed.

**Thor explained how when he spun it he was pulled off the ground by it and it would return whenever he threw it. Korg said Thor had a special relationship with his hammer and equated losing it to losing a loved one, to which Thor agreed.**

"Yes. That is the only way of putting it." Thor said.

"It always reminded me of my worth." Odinson said, "I miss it."

**Thor then noticed 142 there buying a beverage and opening it. It was fiery but she started drinking. Korg said she was Asgardian, shocking Thor.**

"You really didn't figure that out?" Loki asked.

"It was hard to do so with the net around me." Thor said.

**Thor called out to her and she showed him the remote but he begged her not to zap him. He then said Asgard was in danger before noticing the mark on her arm, which made him realize she was a Valkyrie and said excitedly how he wanted to be one when he was younger before finding out they were all women. There was nothing wrong with women of course as he loved them, sometimes too much, not in a creepy way though, just a respectful appreciation and that it was great there was an elite force of women.**

Everyone laughed at Thor's way of talking as Steve said, "So Asgard had an entire force of elite women. Good."

"Yeah. Lots of places do." Tony said.

"Now we have shield-maidens and warriors fighting side by side which I also like." Thor said.

**Valkyrie asked if he was done. Soldiers arrived to take Thor away as he asked for her help but she walked away. Thor said she was a traitor or a coward as she was sworn to protect the throne. Valkyrie angrily walked to him and said this was Sakaar not Asgard and she was a scrapper not a Valkyrie. Thor punched a soldier down but someone activated his Obedience Disk and he was down as two of them started dragging him away. Valkyrie said no one escaped this place and he was gonna die.**

"But I am not dead." Thor said.

"We can see that." T'Challa said.

"Whatever happened to her did a number on her." Steve noted.

**Thor was restrained to a chair as an old man arrived and said, "Now, don't you move. My hands ain't as steady as they used to be." Thor glared at him and said, "By Odin's beard, you shall not cut my hair, lest you feel the wrath of the mighty Thor." The elderly man activated his cutting device, which looked like it could cut anything. He laughed as Thor now begged, "Please. Please, kind sir, do not cut my hair. Please! No! NOOOOOOO!" **

Everyone burst out laughing at Thor's behavior as Tony said, "So he did cut your too after all."

"Because your hammer broke his car's hood and your ale knocked him out and embarrassed him." Steve said and everyone laughed more.

"Yeah. He has gotten his vengeance on me." Thor said.

"Oh he has! What a guy!" Odinson said.

**The Contest of Champions was then held as everyone arrived to see it. A hologram of Grandmaster appeared, saying how they all looked very good and he was their host before asking for a round of applause for their contestants. They applauded as Korg, Miek and other champions watched while Valkyrie watched from her ship in the air. Loki arrived at a higher seat for privileged ones and took a drink as Grandmaster announced, "Making his first appearance, though he looks quite promising, got a couple of tricks up his sleeve. I'll say no more, see what you think. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you...Lord of Thunder." And then the door went down as Thor arrived, dressed in Sakaaran armor along with a Sakaaran helmet and two retractable swords strapped on his back as well as a Sakaaran hammer and shield in his hands. He had a red mark on running up his eye as all cheered.**

"You look just like Kratos!" Tony said as all clapped for him.

"Thank you." Thor said, sensing it to be a compliment.

"It is a compliment." Odinson said.

**Grandmaster said to watch out for the sparks from Thor's fingers. Thor then put on his helmet as Grandmaster announced to everyone's cheers, "Okay, this is it. Let's get ready to welcome this guy." Smoke crackers were burst as Grandmaster announced, "Here he comes. He is a creature. What can we say about him? Well, he's unique. There's none like him. I feel a special connection with him. He's undefeated. He's the reigning. He's the defending. Ladies and gentlemen...I give you...Your Incredible..." And then a huge green monster in a Gladiator armor with the helmet as well as a hammer and ax in his hands. He announced himself with a roar, "HULK!" Loki was now horrified as Thor happily cheered, "YES!"**

"Yes!" Tony said too and all clapped and cheered at Hulk's entrance.

"And that's me right there!" Bruce announced himself as the clapping continued, "Hulk looks nice."

"It's not Hulk. It's Hulk Maximus." Tony said and all chuckled and clapped more.

"So that was where the Quinjet took you." Fury noted, "Never thought myself it could go that far."

"And you see it was under an ocean." Natasha said and he sighed.

"I was really happy to see you, you know." Thor said.

"I can see that." Bruce said.

"And then you had to fight me." Odinson said and Bruce shrugged.

"I wasn't happy." Loki said.

"**I have to get off this planet." A traumatized Loki said as he turned around but Grandmaster was in his way as he told him they were just getting started. Thor waved to the two and said, "We know each other. He's a friend from work." Loki looked nervous.**

"You two were more like frenemies from work." Clint noted.

"**Where have you been?" Thor asked, "Everybody thought you were dead. But so much has happened since I last saw you. I lost my hammer. Like, yesterday, so that's still pretty fresh. Loki. Loki's alive. Can you believe it? He's up there." He pointed up with his hammer and said, "Loki! Look who it is!" Loki was pale at this point.**

Everyone laughed at his reaction as Loki said, "This is among the worst moments of my entire life. The Hulk who haunts my dreams is now in front of me again in the flesh."

"Your reaction is priceless. I wish this could be recorded." Thor said as all laughed.

"Well, we have it recorded." Odinson pointed out.

"**Banner, I never thought I would say this, but I'm happy to see you." Thor said to him. Everyone cheered for Hulk with balloons and other stuff in the shape of Hulk's face.**

"They seem to love Hulk." Bucky said.

"He must have put on quite a sport." Bruce said.

"**Banner. Hey, Banner!" Thor called out. "No Banner. Only Hulk." Hulk said.**

"Shouldn't have mentioned Puny Banner." Tony said.

"That is the error I always commit." Thor said.

"I think the gladiatorial clash of the Titans is about to begin." Hill said and all tensed to watch the fight.

**Thor was shocked by Hulk's behavior as Hulk leapt at him with weapons raised but Thor rolled away as they hit the ground and smashed it instead. Hulk then hit him with his hammer in a rotatory motion and Thor was sent flying off. He used a knife to stick himself to the ground, slowing himself down as the ground was broken by his strength. Getting up, Thor brandished the retractable swords while Hulk roared in challenge. The Grandmaster clapped while a tense Loki watched. **

"It's on." Steve said as all watched.

**Thor said this was crazy as they were friends. Hulk charged again and attacked Thor who blocked or dodged before being kicked into a wall as it smashed. **

"Ouch!" Natasha said as everyone tensed more.

**Hulk threw his hammer at Thor who avoided and it was stuck. Hulk charged at him but Thor managed to free the hammer and hit Hulk who was sent flying off, smashing through the walls as everyone cheered while Grandmaster was shocked and Valkyrie simply watched. **

"Back at ya!" Thor said as everyone chuckled.

"You are the God of Thunder. Of course you can fight me." Bruce said.

"I can win." Thor said.

"Yeah you can." Bruce sighed.

**Thor walked towards a dazed Hulk and holding out his hand said, "Sun's getting real low." Everyone watched in confusion as Thor repeated the words gently and said he won't hurt Hulk anymore while Hulk was puzzled too.**

"Dude! What the hell?" Natasha asked Thor and Odinson as everyone looked at them and Bruce in amusement.

"What?" Thor asked.

"You had to say that line!" Bucky said.

"I thought the cringe would transform Hulk back to you, Bruce." Odinson said and all burst into laughter.

**For a while, it looked like Hulk would stand down. Then he grabbed Thor's hand and smashed him around as all cheered while Hulk threw him away. "YES!" Loki cheered as he stood up, "THAT'S HOW IT FEELS!" Grandmaster looked at him in confusion and he said he was a huge fan of the sport as the two laughed.**

Everyone burst out into hysterical laughter again as Scott said, "Now that is what I call an epic fail!"

"It looks more like cringe fail!" Hope said.

"I knew I'd be embarrassed." Thor said.

"Oh this is nothing." Odinson said and he was confused.

"Now you know what it feels like." Loki taunted Thor and Odinson.

"And we still got up in a few seconds unlike you." Thor said and Loki pouted.

**Thor got up, now pissed. He avoided Hulk's ax and hit him with the hammer, staggering him down before upper-cutting him with it. He then leapt to avoid Hulk's ax and hit his face with the hammer, staggering him away as everyone cheered. He then broke the handle of the ax with his hammer, making Hulk stagger back again while all cheered.**

"Are you not entertained? Are you not entertained?!" Tony asked as all laughed at his reference, "Is this not why you're here?!"

**Thor said he'd get Banner out as he hit Hulk hard with the hammer, making him fly back. Hulk got up and they fought as Hulk managed to disarm Thor of the hammer. "What's the matter with you? You're embarrassing me! I told them we were friends!" Thor said angrily as he avoided Hulk's blows and punched him a few times, making him stagger around.**

"Looks like he wants to win this time." Bruce said as all watched.

**Thor leapt at Hulk and held him in a chokehold but Hulk threw them both down. They both then rolled away as Thor picked up the hammer and leapt at Hulk but he stopped it with his hand this time as everyone tensed and Loki and Grandmaster leaned forward to watch.**

"Uh-oh." Sam said as everyone tensed too.

**Hulk snarled angrily as Thor laughed nervously but was punched away as everyone cringed. Hulk leapt on top of Thor and started pummeling him angrily, throwing his helmet off. Loki cringed while Grandmaster laughed.**

Everyone cringed as the tension increased while Tony said, "I know what that feels like."

**Thor suddenly saw a vision of Odin standing in the grassy field in Norway.**

"Why do I think something is about to happen?" Scott said.

**Suddenly, lightning emanated from Thor's body and he punched Hulk away as his helmet fell off and he fell down while everyone watched in shock, including Loki and Grandmaster. **

"Lightning man huh!" Fury said as all watched in excitement.

**Hulk roared and the two charged at each other, leaping to attack. Thor punched Hulk in the chest and a shockwave of lightning went around, destroying the ground as Hulk fell down. Everyone was chanting 'Thunder!' repeatedly now including Korg and the other champions.**

"You are about to lose your position." Peter said to Bruce.

"Actually, he isn't." Thor said.

**Hulk groaned and shook his head as Thor walked towards him. Then, Grandmaster pressed the button and the Obedience Disk activated as the toxin passed through Thor's body, sending him to the ground.**

"Damn you asshole!" Bucky snarled at Grandmaster as everyone glared daggers into him.

**Loki sighed as Valkyrie finished her beverage and sat in her ship. Hulk leapt high right to the top of the arena near the roof. Korg muttered, "Another day. Another Doug." Thor watched with wide eyes as Hulk leapt down. Thor put his hand in the way but was knocked out cold.**

"That hurt!" Thor said.

"A lot!" Odinson added.

"So I won then." Bruce said.

"Because the match was rigged clearly." Steve said and all nodded in agreement.

"I think the Mightiest Avenger isn't Hulk anymore." Tony said and all nodded while Bruce sighed.

"All right, all right, I'm stronger but you're more powerful." Bruce gave in.

"You still fought pretty well though." Thor said to Bruce who nodded in appreciation.

"And now you and Bruce together make a dangerous opponent." Odinson told him.

"But with you losing, I think you're gonna remain on Sakaar." Natasha said.

"Yes. For now." Odinson said as he looked at Thor and Loki while the recording continued.

* * *

**And done! This movie is so awesome! I have to say- it is definitely the funniest MCU movie! **

**I had saved a Gladiator reference specifically for this chapter. **

**Thor vs. Hulk was an awesome fight. This is the 3****rd**** time they have fought in a movie. The first time was in the 1989 'The Incredible Hulk Returns', the second time was in 'The Avengers' and the third time was in this. And this one was the best.**

**I think Hela is the 5****th**** most powerful MCU villain and very compelling too. If I'm gonna rank some of the MCU villains by power, then my ranking is gonna be- #1- Thanos with Infinity Gauntlet. #2- Dormammu. #3- Ego. #4- Surtur (The reborn one at the end of the movie who destroyed Asgard). #5- Hela. #6- Thanos without Infinity Gauntlet. **

**Anyone got the Blade reference?**

**Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. **


	86. Stranded

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, I think this movie was the MCU at its finest and had me nearly convinced it was perfect. Yes we will all miss that hammer and the gladiator scene sure was funny. Yes Thor got much more powerful. I think the Thor from the final fight would have beaten Hela when she had just escaped from Hel. So both of them are really very powerful. Yes, they worked on Silver Surfer, Hulk and Beta Ray Bill. Yes they would have been a nightmare. Guess so on Skurge and I wonder too on Valkyrie. Agreed on Odin. I think he meant Thor would eventually grow stronger than him and phrased it that way to give him strength and hope. Thanks for the tip and that really was funny. They will see Hulk speaking more in this one and glad you loved the 'Gladiator' references. Thanks for the corrections and the cringe sure is. I hope so too on Amora and I'd also prefer her to Lady Thor. Yes, I love Eric Masterson and he is truly worthy, unlike Jane Foster who is a horrible person. I wanted Beta Ray Bill for the 4****th**** movie, not Lady Thor. Still, I read a Quora answer about how the 4****th**** Thor movie could work and it had Lady Thor but also respected our Thor so if the movie goes like that answer described, I'd like it a lot. Jason Aaron can go fuck himself. Donny Cates will give us our Thor back. Yeah Thanos really did, what a smart mofo. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Guest 1: Venom was mentioned.**

**Guest 2: LOL! Nice song you made there! It doesn't rhyme much but is hilarious.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Glad it was nice. They will comment on that in this one.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. Oh I am not even going to reference 'One More Day' even a little bit. I hate it with a passion. Yeah, if Spidey wasn't in MCU, then some confusion would have happened during that time. Yeah May would have. I'll see on Squadron Supreme.**

**Guest 5: Thanks for the review. Yes I think that makes sense on Sokovia Accords and someone will tell Thanos.**

**Guest 6: Thanks for the review. Yeah, that part got laughs out of all.**

**Hell'sAngel666: Thanks for the review. Glad it was great. You're welcome. Glad to hear it.**

Chapter 86- Stranded

"Now you must be thinking of recruiting him." Natasha said to Thor.

"Oh he sure was." Bruce said, "And I'm rather easy to convince."

**Hela sat on the throne in her palace, asking about the noise as Skurge said a resistance was trying to knock down the front gates. She gestured to her undead Berserkers and they ran out to deal with them. Hela asked Skurge to tell her about himself. He started explaining his family history but she said she was asking about ambition. He only wanted recognition and a chance to prove himself. Hela told him when she was young all great Kings had an executioner not just to execute people but to execute their vision, but mainly to execute people. It was a great honor though.**

"She was Odin's executioner, wasn't she?" Steve asked.

"Yes. She was." Thor said.

**Hela got up and said she was Odin's executioner and now Skurge would be hers as she summoned a Bloodaxe and handed it to him.**

"Skurge the Executioner." Tony noted.

**They were now going to begin their conquest. Hela, Skurge and the undead army arrived at the Observatory but found that Hofund was missing. Hela said that sword was the key to opening the Bifrost to other realms.**

"Very nice, Heimdall." Clint said and all nodded.

**Hela asked him to round up the people who weren't falling in line.**

"This madwoman." Scott snorted.

**Later, some children and adults ran around as the undead army chased them into the forest. They bumped into someone and the man took off his hood, revealing himself to be Heimdall.**

"Even banishment didn't kill his loyalty." Loki said.

"Which is why he is the best gatekeeper for Asgard and a trustworthy friend." Thor said.

**He brandished his sword and swiftly took down 5 of the undead Berserkers before asking them to come with him. He led them to an ancient Asgardian stronghold, pressing his hand on runes to open it. Several Asgardian refugees were in there, safe. He told them they'd be safe too and led them in there as they reunited with loved ones.**

"At least he is saving people." Bucky noted.

"From the Mad Queen." Hope joked and all chuckled.

**At Sakaar, Thor was being washed up and bandaged by nurses when he woke up with a roar and they all ran off. He got up and looked around, shirtless.**

The jaws of the ladies dropped at seeing his body in all its glory.

"How hard do you work out?" Hope asked.

"Well, fighting demons and all that is pretty good work-out." Odinson told her, "So I should never stop doing that."

"Those ladies must be enjoying." Aunt May joked and all laughed.

**Thor then found his Sakaaran armor and put it back on before hearing a sound in the water and turned to see Hulk there. He asked if they were cool and Hulk nodded as Thor gave him a thumbs up and joked how Hulk was in a bathtub.**

"Yeah. Never thought I'd see that." Steve joked and all chuckled.

**Thor asked how long Hulk had been big, green and stupid and he said Hulk was always Hulk.**

"You can speak in full sentences too now." Peter noted.

"I guess the longer he is around, the smarter he gets." Bruce said.

**Thor asked how he had gotten here and Hulk said by winning as Thor said it was cheating, pointing out the Obedience Disk.**

"In this case, yes." Fury said.

"Oh no!" Bruce said as he realized something, "The other contestants. I killed them as Hulk."

The guilt in his eyes was showing but T'Challa assured him, "You did what you did to survive. Now yes, some of them might have been innocent. But you haven't always been in control of Hulk. Especially not now. To prevent this from happening, perhaps you should work out your issues with him."

Bruce nodded. While the guilt was still there, T'Challa was right about them needing to work things out.

**Thor asked how Hulk had gotten here and he did a swirling motion with his hand into the water, saying it was a Quinjet. Thor asked where it was now and Hulk got out of the bath, making Thor close his eyes due to the nakedness. He walked past Thor who said it was in his brain.**

"Ugh! Now I can't get it out of my brain either." Sam said as all shook their heads on seeing Hulk's butt.

"Damn it!" Bruce sighed, "Why the hell did have to happen?"

"Sorry about that." Logan said.

"It's still in my brain." Odinson muttered.

**Hulk pointed at the Quinjet outside the window and Thor noticed, feeling happy. **

"There it is." Fury said.

**Hulk wore a towel and sat down, eating as Thor said he was getting them out of here and that hulk was gonna love Asgard. Hulk said he'd stay but Thor said his people needed him as he put on his gauntlets, telling him they must prevent Ragnarok which was the prophesized death of his home world but Hulk yawned loudly.**

"Anyone reminded of M'Baku?" Benjamin asked and all raised their hands.

**Thor said if Hulk helped him in getting back to Asgard, he'd help Hulk in getting back to Earth. Hulk said Earth hated him.**

"Because of me." Wanda said guiltily, "I'm sorry."

**Thor said Earth loved him as he was one of the Avengers and one of his friends. Friends supported one another. Hulk said Thor was Banner's friend but Thor said he preferred Hulk to him and that he didn't even like Banner who was into numbers and stuff.**

"Hey!" An offended Bruce said.

"Sorry." Thor said with raised hands, "I do like you. I just needed Hulk to listen."

"Though you have to admit, Hulk is more fun." Tony said and all chuckled.

**Hulk said Thor would go and he'd stay and Thor turned around, saying the place was hideous due to red and white and they should just pick a color. Hulk said he had smashed Thor but Thor said he hadn't smashed anything and he had won.**

"Technically, yeah." Pepper said.

**Hulk said Thor had baby arms and Thor called him a moron as Hulk threw his fruit and Thor avoided. Hulk told Thor to go and he said he was before a red barrier stopped him and he fell down while Hulk laughed and told Thor to go again.**

Everyone burst out laughing as Rhodes said, "Hulk laughing and talking. The one thing I never knew I needed."

"My life is complete now." Tony said.

"He actually does look fun." Bruce said.

**Hulk said this was 'Thor home' before wearing his helmet and taking his hammer. He said he'd train as Valkyrie arrived and the two walked off, with her calling him big guy and him calling her angry girl. She asked what he was up to and he said winning.**

"She seems to like the big guy." Vision noted.

"Well, he is a very strong fighter and so is she." Thor said.

"Yes. That is why they have such good friendship." Odinson said.

**Later, Thor looked down at the Quinjet again before closing his eyes and asking Heimdall to help him see. Heimdall saw and heard him and as Thor opened his eyes, they had the same color as Heimdall's and he was standing in Asgard.**

"He can do that?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. He can temporarily give others his sight." Thor said.

"Another reason I'd fired him." Loki said.

**Heimdall told Thor to see for himself what was going on and they saw the people hidden. Heimdall said he was providing refuge in a stronghold built by their ancestors but would have to escape via Bifrost if the garrison failed. Thor realized Heimdall wanted to evacuate Asgard and he said they wouldn't last long if they stayed because Hela's power grew the longer she was on Asgard.**

"And soon she'd be unstoppable." Bucky said while all tensed.

**Heimdall said Hela would consume the Nine Realms and Cosmos if they let her leave as they all hid to avoid some Berserkers. They needed Thor. Thor said he was working on it but didn't even know where he was. Heimdall said he was on a planet surrounded by gateways and needed to walk through one. Thor asked which one and Heimdall said the big one before brandishing his sword and killing a Berserker through Thor who disappeared and was back at Sakaar.**

"Desperation level: high!" Tony said while all tensed more.

**Thor later tried to rip the Obedience Disk out but it didn't come off.**

"Those things are really strong." Scott noted.

**Thor was sitting sadly as Hulk said 'Thor sad' but Thor said he wasn't. Hulk again said 'Thor sad' and pushed him off before Thor angrily got up and said he wasn't sad but pissed off. He angrily said he had lost him father and hammer while Hulk said he whined and cried like baby while Thor angrily kicked stuff at him, saying he wasn't listening. Hulk threw stuff back as Thor said he was being a bad friend but Hulk called him bad friend. Thor then angrily said everyone called him 'stupid Avenger' while Hulk called him 'tiny Avenger' and threw a shield which Thor barely avoided. It could have seriously injured him.**

"What are you, 5?" Natasha asked as all rolled their eyes as the argument in front of them.

"Oh they both sure have the tempers of 5 year-olds." Loki smirked.

"Yeah, not my best moment." Odinson said.

"Hulk is kinda like a toddler in here." Bruce said.

**Thor angrily said Earth did hate Hulk as he put down his mace and turned away angrily, throwing his arms in the air. He then sat angrily as Thor walked towards him regretfully but Hulk shook his head and turned away.**

"Now that really is toddler behavior." Clint noted and all chuckled.

"Well, toddlers do have infinite anger." Hill said and all laughed while Bruce shook his head.

**Thor apologized for saying those stupid things and said nobody called hi, the stupid Avenger. Hulk said it was okay as Thor said he couldn't throw shields at people as it could have killed him. Hulk apologized and said he was just angry all the time. Thor said they were the same but Hulk said he liked fire while Thor liked water. Thor said both liked fire and then Hulk said he liked raging fire while Thor liked smoldering fire and Thor laughed before asking Hulk to do something for him.**

Everyone laughed as Bruce said, "I think Hulk needs a parental figure."

"You're very right, Dr. Banner." T'Challa said.

**Valkyrie later arrived in the chamber, kicking a guard's weapon for fun. Hulk raised his hammer as she avoided and kicked him on the back, making him fall down.**

"Wow! That took some serious strength and skill." Hope said and all were awed.

**Then Thor revealed himself and she said he was really thick-headed if he didn't get how someone who was hiding across the other side of the Universe wanted to be left alone. Thor wanted her to stay so Hulk ripped off a piece of his bed and threw it in her way, telling her to stay and adding 'please' as Thor said 'please' too.**

"He should rein in his excitement a bit." Tony said and Bruce nodded.

**Valkyrie picked up a drink and said she'd listen to him until this was finished. She started drinking as Thor tried explaining Asgard was in danger and they needed her help but she finished her drink and dropped it, walking off, to Thor's shock.**

"She is a fast drinker." Steve said and all were awed by her even more.

**Thor said Odin was dead and she stopped as he said Hela the Goddess of Death had invaded Asgard. Valkyrie said if Hela had invaded Asgard it was already lost but Thor said he was going to stop her. She asked if it was just him and Thor said, "I'm putting together a team. It's me, you, and the big guy." Hulk was playing with a huge ball and said, "No. No team. Only Hulk." Thor said, "It's me and you." Valkyrie said, "I think it's only you."**

"If only I had you with me at the time." Thor said to Steve while all chuckled.

**She walked away but Thor stepped in her way, begging her to listen and said Valkyrie were Elite legendary warriors of Asgard and was sworn to defend the throne. Valkyrie said she wasn't going to be part of any more family squabbles as Hela's power came from Asgard. When she had grown beyond Odin's control, she had massacred everyone in the palace for the throne and he had sent the Valkyrie to fight her back. She had survived and had only faced her when she had believed in the throne and it had cost her everything. And that was what was wrong with Asgard.**

"Yes. That was what was wrong. But not anymore." Thor said.

"No. Not anymore for sure." Odinson agreed.

"All of that has left a mark on her." Steve noted, sympathizing with her.

**Thor tried to stop her but she put her knives on his throat. Thor put them down and said he had turned down the throne but this was about the people who were dying and they were her people too. She pushed him off and told him to forget it like she had. Thor agreed before thanking her. She asked for what and he lifted the remote of the Obedience Disk, saying for this and that she hadn't seen that coming.**

Everyone clapped as Loki said, "Smart boy."

"Learnt a thing or two from the spies." Thor said as he looked at Natasha, Clint, Fury and Hill and they smirked.

**Thor then pressed the remote and the Obedience Disk came off.**

"Finally!" Tony said as all cheered.

**He said she could enslave more people for the lunatic and drink and hide but he chose to run towards his problems and not away from them. Hulk threw him the ball and he threw it at the window, "Because that's what he-" He was cut off when the ball bounced back and hit his head, making him fall down.**

Everyone burst out into hysterical laughter as Thor and Odinson looked embarrassed.

"And that people, is what we call an epic fail." Logan said as the laughter increased.

"The God of Thunder embarrassed like any mortal man." Tony laughed.

"Oh this is priceless." Loki laughed too.

**Thor got back up and said, "Because that's what heroes do." He then leapt out of the window, shattering it and then leapt down via buildings before landing in the city as Hulk roared, "Friend stay!"**

"I have a feeling now he's coming too." Steve said.

"You will see." Thor said.

"And now the escape." Benjamin said as the recording continued.

* * *

**This was short but I'm short on time today. Next chapter will be the escape and the one after that will be the final fight.**

**And I am so pleased to know that the dark days of Jason Aaron are over and Donny Cates is coming to give us the true Thor who is the Mightiest Avenger. *Raises prop Mjolnir into the air happily***

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	87. Escaping

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes I noticed. Yeah, it was awesome for Thor but he'd be embarrassed if the others see it. Thanks for the correction there and I agree on Hulk wanting his friend Thor to stay as he felt lonely. Nope, no can do. Maybe they could have, though I'm gonna remain firm with Bruce/Betty. I think I answered all your Tolkien Lore questions on 'Heroes in Middle-earth.' You'll see on Stormbreaker. Yes it's understandable on Hulk and I've seen the video too. I don't think I'd be doing World War Hulk in this story but after reading Dr. Matthattan's latest story, I see the Bruce/Hulk dynamic from a completely new angle from which I have never seen it before and I am sold on that dynamic. I also get what Endgame was going for with Professor Hulk but failed to do it. So inspired by Doc's fic, I'm gonna finally resolve the Bruce/Hulk conflict in the best way imaginable. And it won't involve technology. I knew Dany was gonna be Mad Queen based on her actions but the showrunners put her on a pedestal as a paragon of virtue so her fanatics were pissed when she finally killed innocents. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. Yes, I'm thinking metal handle too.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. You'll see on everything. Though I think if Thor was the IW version, he'd beat Thanos without the Infinity Gauntlet after a good fight.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. I'll see what I can do on the shield.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. Yeah, it sucks on Agent Carter.**

**Guest 5: Thanks for the review. I have some nice moments planned for when Stormbreaker is forged.**

**Hell'sAngerl666: Thanks for the review. Glad this was great. Glad you love when they all laugh. You're welcome.**

**Knox: Not yet.**

Chapter 87- Escaping

"So escape now?" Natasha asked.

"Things will get more complicated but yeah." Thor said.

"And I believe I'm about to come." Bruce said.

"Right you are, my friend." Odinson said.

**Thor ran through Sakaar, eventually finding the Quinjet. He opened the top portion and jumped inside, putting his hand on a pad. The automation asked him for voice recognition and he said 'Thor', only for access to be denied. He then said 'God of Thunder' and access was denied again so he said 'Strongest Avenger' twice in different ways but access was denied both times so he said 'Damn you Stark.'**

"I thought you'd have guessed it." Tony said with raised hands.

"Well I did." Thor said, "I'd expect the smartest man ever to put something like that."

"Well, I'm right here." Tony said.

"Really Tony? You believe your own hype that much?" Rhodes asked incredulously.

"I am the hype!" Tony said and all chuckled.

**Thor then said 'Point Break' and access was granted. **

"I called it." Loki said.

"I have a feeling someone is going to show up." Bruce said, remembering waking up in that Quinjet.

**Then Hulk arrived, asking Thor to stay as he broke stuff, with Thor telling him to stop.**

"Damn it!" Sam said.

**Thor pressed some buttons and then Natasha's face appeared. It was the recording of when she had asked Hulk to turn the Quinjet around after Ultron's defeat. Seeing that, Hulk started slapping himself and contorted violently, his skin color alternating between green and normal as his body kept shrinking or enlarging until he shrunk down finally and was of human size again.**

"I'm back! I'm back!" Bruce said as all laughed.

"That recording reverted you back to normal?" Natasha asked.

"The cringe was too much for Hulk to handle." Loki said and all burst out laughing.

**Thor went towards Banner who was startled but Thor calmed him down, saying 'sun was getting real low' and he wouldn't hurt him anymore.**

"Better you than me." Natasha said to Thor and laughter echoed in the room again.

**Bruce finally recognized Thor and asked what had happened to his hair, to which he said a creepy old guy had cut it off. Bruce said he liked it.**

"Thank you." Thor said.

"I still keep it like that." Odinson said.

**Bruce asked where they were and if the others were okay, asking about Sokovia and if they had saved it. Thor then gently told him that it was 3 years ago, shocking him as he realized he had been Hulk for 3 years.**

"I'm sorry." Wanda said to him again guiltily.

**Bruce took off the huge garlands Hulk used to wear and touched the pad and accessed via voice recognition, with the automation calling him 'Strongest Avenger' to Thor's annoyance.**

"He is strongest. You are mightiest." Steve said to Thor who nodded.

**Thor and Bruce then saw footage of Hulk being sucked out of the Quinjet when a hologram of Grandmaster appeared on the streets, saying his beloved Champion had gone missing and everyone must take to the streets to find him. Thor told Bruce he ran the place and that Bruce had lived in his house for a while, shocking him again as Thor said a lot had happened to them. They had had a fight and Thor had won easily though Bruce didn't think it sounded right.**

"It should." Bucky said.

**Grandmaster said the seductive Lord of Thunder had stolen away his champion and Thor angrily said it was seductive God of Thunder as he moved to the bags in the ship.**

"Yeah!" Aunt May said and all stared at her incredulously so she shook her head and all turned to the screen again.

**Bruce then said he was freaking out and Thor told him not to, giving him Tony's clothes and saying he wasn't here. He then massaged Bruce's shoulders as he led him out, constantly saying 'sun's getting real low.'**

Everyone laughed as Clint said, "The cringe is high."

**Loki, Valkyrie and others stood in front of Grandmaster who was upset his champion was gone. Loki interrupted him and Grandmaster called him out on it as Topaz handed him the melt stick but he said interrupting wasn't a capital violation.**

"It isn't anywhere." Fury said.

**Grandmaster said his champion was missing because of the Lord of Thunder and Loki said he could bring them both back alive within 12 hours. Valkyrie said she could do it in 2 and Loki said he could do it in 1. Grandmaster said he had woken up in the morning dreaming of public execution but was gonna settle for 'who's gonna get him first', moving weirdly.**

"This guy needs actually psychiatric evaluation." Bucky said.

**The two walked out as Loki asked Valkyrie had done. She said she didn't answer to him and called him lackey but he grabbed her wrist and said it was Loki. She freed her wrist as he asked why she had helped them escape and she said she didn't help anyone. The two ended up fighting for a bit and she staggered him back.**

"This is embarrassing." Loki said as all laughed at him.

**The two brandished knives and fought again as Loki noticed the mark on her arm and realized she was a Valkyrie. She kicked him down as he said he'd thought they had all died gruesome deaths. She told him to choose his next words wisely and he sarcastically apologized, saying it must be a painful memory as he touched her forehead and her mind flashed back to the fight against Hela. She and several other Valkyries flew on flying horses to attack Hela but she threw Necroswords and killed them all. Then she threw a large Necrosword at Valkyrie but another one stepped in the way and died instead.**

"Big mistake." Scott told Loki who nodded.

**Coming back to the present, Valkyrie angrily knocked Loki away and punched him out.**

"He told ya!" Hope said.

**Thor and Bruce were wandering the streets, with the latter in Tony's clothes as the former kept saying 'sun's getting real low' until Bruce told him to stop saying that.**

Everyone laughed as Hill said, "Thank you for making that stop."

"You look good in my clothes." Tony said to Bruce.

"Thanks." Bruce said.

**They sat down as Thor said he wanted Bruce to stay calm but he was on an alien planet and had only been on one planet before. Thor said now it was 2 and new experience as Bruce said his neurons were firing faster than his brain could handle. Till now, it was like he and Hulk each had a hand on a wheel but now it was like Hulk had taken the keys and locked him in the trunk.**

"Based on what we saw, that does make sense." Benjamin said.

"Worst experience ever." Bruce said.

**Bruce said if he turned into Hulk again, he may not come back and now they were stranded on a planet designed to stress him out. Thor said they weren't and he'd find a way home so Bruce thanked him. Then Thor said his home Asgard, not Earth, shocking Bruce. Thor said his people were in great danger and the two had to fight a powerful being who also happened to be his sister. Bruce said that was gross and he doesn't want to get involved in a family issue.**

"It is so much more than that." Logan said.

"Yeah, I make it sound so much smaller." Bruce said.

**Thor again said she was an evil being but Bruce said he didn't care and didn't want to fight any more being as he was sick of it.**

"That is understandable, Dr. Banner." T'Challa told him kindly.

**Bruce again said he'd never come back if he turned into Hulk again but Thor said he was putting together a team and Hulk was the fire. Bruce turned away, saying Thor was using him to get to Hulk and wasn't his friend. Thor said he didn't even like Hulk who was all 'smash' but actually preferred Bruce.**

Everyone laughed as Pepper said, "Everyone here does, right?"

All raised their hands.

"Thanks guys." Bruce said.

**Thor then said that to fight evil beings though, Hulk was more powerful and useful. Bruce said he was powerful as Hulk had zero PhDs while he had 7.**

"That only makes you more brainy." Loki said, "So more brain power, which is not what we need."

"I get it." Bruce said.

**Thor gave in, saying Bruce didn't have to fight anyone but were in danger so they needed to move. Thor then put on a shawl, saying he was a fugitive and needed a disguise.**

"A really bad one?" Benjamin asked and all laughed.

**Bruce said he needed a disguise but Thor said he was the disguise. Bruce then put on Tony's glasses and said he'd be Tony Stark and they'd be like Tony and the Gypsy.**

Everyone burst out into hysterical laughter as Rhodes said, "Sounds like some 80's comedy."

"Why do you want to be me? Only I can be me. And I can be better than me." Tony said and all laughed again.

**Thor said he wasn't Tony but Bruce Banner so Bruce asked why he'd dressed him up like Tony and Thor pointed out he was naked.**

"You raise a good point." Vision said as all laughed.

**Bruce started tightening the pants and Thor tried to stop him as Bruce said Tony wore his pants really tight.**

Everyone laughed hysterically again as Tony said, "No I don't!"

"Who're you kidding?" Pepper asked and all laughed at his expense again.

**Thor asked why he was being so weird and he said he'd been trapped inside of Hulk was 3 years so that had made him a little weird, his skin slowly turning green as he said that and his voice becoming guttural.**

"Whoa, whoa, you need to calm down for sure." Aunt May said.

"You're actually being too weird." Tony said.

"Only to you." Bruce said and all laughed again.

**Thor calmed him down and said they'd go to Asgard and he'd never have to worry about Hulk ever again. Then a green powder hit his face, making him cough as there was an entire procession for Hulk on the streets, with balloons and signs. Thor covered his face with the shawl and said this was bad before seeing Bruce was missing and started looking for him, calling out his name.**

"Bad? This is horrible now." Odinson said.

"A procession of Hulk just when you don't want to think about him." Steve said, "I'm sorry."

Bruce shrugged.

**Thor tried to look for Bruce and eventually found him but Bruce bumped into an alien who looked at him menacingly. Thor stepped protectively in front of Bruce when an Obedience Disk activated on the alien, knocking it out to reveal Valkyrie standing there.**

"There she is!" Hill said.

**The two greeted each other as Thor said he was gonna do that and she said she did it first. She asked why he was still here and he said he got side-tracked. She asked about the shawl and he said it was his disguise. She said she could see his face and he covered it, saying now she couldn't.**

"But that is too suspicious." Natasha pointed out.

**Thor said her hair looked nice and asked if she'd changed or washed it. She gestured them to follow her and led them to her apartment as Bruce asked what were those things on her eyes and said she was beautiful, courageous and strong.**

"You have a crush?" Natasha asked and all laughed.

"I think Hulk did." Bruce said and all nodded.

**Valkyrie asked who he was and Thor said he was a friend. She said she felt like she knew him and he said he felt that too.**

"Yeah. We know each other. We're friends from work." Bruce said and all laughed.

**Valkyrie said she'd been trying to forget her past and Sakaar felt like the perfect place to drink, forget and die one day. Thor said she drank too much and that could probably kill her. She said she was still gonna drink but not forget and if she was gonna die, she might as well by driving her sword through that murderous hag.**

"Now she's in." Steve said and all smirked.

**She said she wanted to be on the team and asked if it had a name. "Yeah, it's called the Revengers." Thor said, "Because I'm getting revenge. You're getting revenge."**

Everyone laughed as Tony asked, "Now where have I heard that before?"

"I just thought if I used this name, then you'd be with me in this fight in spirit." Thor said and they all nodded in understanding.

**Thor asked Bruce if he wanted revenge but he was undecided. Valkyrie said she had a peace offering and opened her apartment door. "Surprise." A chained Loki said as Thor threw something at him and it hit his head, with Thor saying he needed to make sure.**

Everyone laughed as Loki said, "You're learning."

"After so many years, I have to learn some time." Odinson said.

**Loki greeted Bruce and said he was trying to kill everybody last time he had seen him and asked where he was at the moment, to which he said it varied moment to moment. Thor found a Dragonfang, the famed sword of the Valkyries, awing him.**

"Looks like you're a fanboy too." Sam said and all laughed.

**Valkyrie said they could go out through a wormhole, refuel in Xandar and reach Asgard in 18 months but Thor said they were going through the big one. Valkyrie said it was called the Devil's Anus.**

"Wait what? Anus? Devil's Anus?" Tony asked as all looked shocked and disgusted.

"Who names these wormholes?" Peter wondered.

"That idiot." Natasha said and all nodded.

**Thor said he didn't know it when he had picked that and Bruce said it looked like a collapsing neutron star on an Einstein-Rosen Bridge. Valkyrie said they'd need another ship as this would tear hers to pieces and Thor said they needed one that could withstand the geodetic strain from the singularity. Bruce said it also needed an offline power steering system that could function without on board computers.**

"Did you two just have a scientific conversation?" Tony asked them and they shrugged.

"I know science. Asgard was advanced after all." Thor said.

"Yeah, we had a lot of science there." Odinson said.

"You speak English!" Tony said and all laughed at his reaction.

**Valkyrie said they'd need one with cupholders because if they were gonna die, it better be while drinking. Bruce again said he felt like he knew her and she said she felt that too. Thor and Bruce fist-bumped, excited for the adventure. Loki tried to speak but Valkyrie threw a bottle near him and it shattered.**

"She needs to rein in that temper." Loki said, "Or keep it away from me."

"Of course. Of course." Thor said.

**Loki said Grandmaster had many ships and he had stolen the access codes to his security system. Valkyrie joked how he was overcome with the urge to do the right thing but he said he had run out of favor with the Grandmaster and in exchange for codes and access to a ship, he was asking for safe passage through the Anus.**

"Did you just make it sound regal?" Pepper asked as all chuckled.

"I guess that's another power of his." Scott joked and all laughed.

**Thor asked if he could get them inside without triggering the alarms and he said he could. Bruce said he was ready to kill them a few minutes ago and Valkyrie said he had tried to kill her. Thor said he had tried to kill him too multiple times and told of one such story, "****There was one time** **when we were children,** **he transformed himself into a snake,** **and he knows that I love snakes.** **So, I went to pick up the snake** **to admire it,** **and he transformed back into himself** **and he was like, "Yeah, it's me!"** **And he stabbed me.** **We were eight at the time." Loki smirked.**

"That really happened?" Benjamin asked and Thor, Loki and Odinson nodded.

"That actually does sound like an Asgardian prank." Sam said and they all chuckled.

"Yeah. He stabbed me." Thor muttered.

"Really bad." Odinson said.

"But you two can take it, right?" Tony asked.

"Doesn't mean we have to like it." Odinson said.

"The biggest thing I'm getting from this is that you love snakes. Dude, what is wrong with you?" Tony asked and all laughed again.

"Especially since you're supposed to hate snakes." Bucky said.

"Well, reality is different." Thor said.

**They said they needed to draw out the palace guards as Loki suggested unleashing the beast but Thor and Bruce shut him up and decided to start a revolution.**

"Now that I like." Peter joked and all laughed.

**Korg and Miek sat together as the former inquired about the latter's secretions, asking if it was protoplasm or eggs and went with eggs.**

"Eugh! I'm done! I'm out of here!" Rhodes said as all looked disgusted.

**Then the wall exploded and all the Obedience Disks deactivated as Valkyrie walked in holding a big gun, saying she was looking for Korg. Korg asked who was asking, asking if anyone else was asking. "The Lord of Thunder sends his best." She said as she tossed him the gun. "The revolution has begun." Korg said.**

"Yeah it has." Sam said as all watched with anticipation.

**Grandmaster asked Topaz how the revolution had happened and she said the area's mainframe for Obedience Disks was deactivated and the slaves had armed themselves. Grandmaster said he didn't like that word and she asked which one, to which he said the 'S' word. She corrected herself that the prisoners with jobs had armed themselves and he found that better.**

"Doesn't mean it is." Wanda snarled as all glared at him.

**Loki started accessing the codes as Thor said they should talk but he said open communication wasn't their family's forte. They said this was quite a revelation since they last spoke. Then the doors opened and the two fired, killing all the guards before taking cover as Loki said Odin had brought them together and it was almost poetic his death had split them apart.**

"You know what's even more poetic? It actually bringing us together." Loki said and Thor and Odinson nodded.

**The two killed more guards with Loki saying they might as well be strangers now. Loki was about to go through a door when a guard with a gun stopped him. He was about to fire when Thor lowered the gun and the impact sent him flying up. Thor said Loki didn't want to talk about it as the two walked off.**

"Well now I do I guess." Loki said.

"Still getting mood swings I see." Tony joked and all laughed.

**They were later going down in an elevator as Loki said he'd be better off in Sakaar and Thor agreed with him to his own surprise. Thor said this place was chaotic, lawless, savage and perfect for him so he'd do great here. Loki asked if Thor really thought so little of him and Thor said he had thought the world of him, thinking they were gonna fight side by side forever. "But at the end of the day, you're you and I'm me." Thor finished.**

"Things do change. And often." Steve said, "What makes us is how we respond to it."

"Yes. That is true." Thor agreed.

**Thor said there might still be good in Loki but their paths diverged a long time ago and Loki agreed, saying it's better they never see each other again as Loki always wanted that. And then they stood silently for a few moments.**

"I've a feeling things didn't work out like that." Rhodes said.

"Oh no!" Loki said.

"**Hey, let's do "Get Help."" Thor suddenly said. " What?" ""Get Help."" Thor reminded. "No." : Come on, you love it." Thor said. "I hate it." Loki snorted. "It's great. It works every time." Thor said. "It's humiliating." Loki said. "Do you have a better plan?" Thor asked. "No." "We're doing it." Thor said. "We are not doing "Get Help."" Loki said.**

"What is that exactly?" Sam asked.

"The biggest nightmare of my life." Loki said.

**Thor ran out of the lift, supporting Loki who appeared to be dying as some guards saw them, "Get help! Please! My brother, he's dying. Get help! Help him!" And then Thor threw him into the guards, knocking them all out. **

Everyone burst out laughing as Tony said, "Yeah. This definitely is your biggest nightmare. Worse than even Hulk."

"Oh I would choose Hulk over this any day." Loki said.

"**Classic." Thor said. "Still hate it." Loki said as he got up, "It's humiliating." "Not for me, it's not." Thor said.**

"You are not lifted and thrown like a rag doll!" Loki snapped and all laughed.

**Thor asked which ship it was and Loki pointed at one called the 'Commodore.' They walked towards it but Loki formed and illusion and the real one walked towards the ship as he said it wouldn't make much of a difference. Thor stopped as illusion Loki next to him disappeared and the real one pressed the alarm, saying it was nothing personal but the reward for his capture was gonna set him up forever.**

"You backstabbing son of a bitch." Fury said to Loki who shrugged.

"I have to live up to my name." Loki said.

"And I have to live up to mine." Thor said.

"I think something's about to happen." Natasha said.

**Thor said Loki never was one for sentiment and Loki said it was easier to let it burn. Thor agreed to Loki's shock and revealed a remote in his hand. A shocked Loki searched for the Obedience Disk which was on his back when Thor pressed the remote, sending the toxin through him as he fell down.**

Everyone burst out laughing while Loki looked embarrassed.

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." Thor said.

"Try something new. This is predictable now." Odinson said.

"I know. I know." Loki said.

"Looks pretty satisfying." Hope said and all laughed again at Loki's expense.

**Thor kneeled close to Loki and said, "Dear brother, you're becoming predictable. I trust you, you betray me. Round and round in circles we go. See, Loki, life is about... It's about growth. It's about change. But you seem to just wanna stay the same. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you'll always be the God of Mischief, but you could be more." **

"Thank you for that." Loki said.

**Thor threw the remote off, saying he was gonna put this over there for him and wished him luck before walking to the ship as Loki continued spasming.**

Everyone laughed as Loki said, "You just left me like that."

"You were going to betray me." Thor shrugged.

"Good thing I met a kind soul who helped me out of there." Loki said.

**Thor sat in the ship, trying to figure it out and finally started it, flying off. Grandmaster's hologram appeared and said the Lord of Thunder had stolen his ship and favorite champion so everyone must stop him from leaving the planet.**

"No can do." Odinson said.

**An attack ship fired at him but Valkyrie destroyed it with hers as Bruce complimented her shot and she told Thor to open the doors. Thor did and she told Bruce she hoped he was tougher than he looked. He asked why and his seat shot up, sending him into Thor's ship as he groaned while Thor laughed.**

"That's funny to you?" Bruce asked incredulously.

"Funny things are." Thor said.

"Now you stole my line." Tony said and all laughed again.

**Topaz and others fired at them as Bruce asked if they should be shooting back. Valkyrie said there were no weapons on this ship as it was a leisure vessel, being used for orgies and stuff. Bruce and Thor were both disgusted as the latter told the former not to touch anything.**

"But you're touching stuff!" Peter said as all looked disgusted.

"I have to drive!" Thor snapped.

**Topaz fired at Valkyrie's ship, destroying an engine as she climbed up with Dragonfang. Topaz destroyed her ship as Thor and Bruce screamed in horror but Valkyrie leapt on their ship. Thor told her to get inside and she said it'd take a minute.**

"Takes more than that to kill Asgardians." Steve said and all smirked.

**Valkyrie leapt at a ship and destroyed it with a slice of Dragonfang before leaping away.**

"Nice!" Sam said as all clapped.

**Thor told Bruce to fly as he said he didn't know but Thor told him to use a PhD as he jumped out. Bruce said he didn't have one for flying an alien spaceship.**

"They should have one." Tony muttered and all chuckled.

"Now I'm touching it." Bruce groaned and everyone laughed again.

**Thor leapt at a ship and ripped out its engine, taking it down while Valkyrie pointed another ship's gun at another, taking it down. Thor destroyed another ship with punches as Topaz tried to fire at Commodore. Bruce tried to look for weapons but instead Grandmaster singing 'It's my birthday' started playing with a hologram of him dancing as crackers burst from the back, blinding Topaz who crashed her ship into a building.**

"Yeah Bruce Banner huh!" Tony cheered and all clapped for him.

"When a weirdo's songs saves your life." Benjamin said and all laughed again.

**Thor threw another man out of his ship as Valkyrie arrived and flew it under the Commodore. They leapt back inside as the doors closed and stood in front of each other.**

"Anyone else feel the sexual tension?" Tony asked and all chuckled.

"You say one more word and I'll zap you." Thor said and he shut up.

"And I'll zap you more." Odinson said.

**Korg, Miek and the other walked to a ship when Korg picked up the remote and pressed the button, with Loki groaning and getting up, thanking him.**

"Now that's a kind soul." Loki said and all laughed.

**Korg said they were hopping on a spaceship to get out and if he wanted to come. Loki said they looked like they were in desperate need of leadership and Korg thanked him.**

"And you're out." Scott said as all chuckled.

**Valkyrie took over the pilot seat from Bruce and started flying the ship up telling the others to buckle up as Thor praised Bruce, asking where he had learnt to fly like that and he said it was like an instinct. Thor told him to trust those instincts as Bruce said he had said something big would turn him back to Hulk before saying a wormhole might do it. Thor said it was his theory and he said it was an educated guess but he might be stuck like that forever. Thor asked why he was telling him that now and he said they were about to fly up a wormhole called Satan's Anus when the Commodore shook and the two fell into each other.**

"Oh! You two kissed! Look at that!" Tony said as all started laughing.

"How big of a lightning blast do you want?" Thor asked.

"Big enough to strip him maybe." Odinson said and they laughed now.

"The Other Guy might have words with you." Bruce said and laughed too as Tony shut up.

**Valkyrie said she had told them to buckle up as Thor strapped him to his seat and agreed not to unstrap him no matter what he said. Thor strapped himself too as they flew through the Devil's Anus finally.**

"And now that's over finally." Hope said.

"So I believe you are going to battle your sister now." T'Challa said.

"Yes." Thor said, "We are."

"Let's end this one." Logan said as the recording continued.

* * *

**Finished finally. Next chapter we get to the second most epic Thor moment in the MCU which made me very happy.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	88. God of Thunder

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. No Hulk can't. Yes that's the only way. Yes its true. All the females are Thor fans and yeah, Peter and Benjamin would be scarred. Yeah that really is a Tony thing to say and glad you enjoyed. Yes they did it with this movie and Thor did too. Yeah, that moment is a classic. Yeah, I consider her Ms. Marvel too, especially since the EMH version is her best version so far. You'll see on the dynamic. Don't want to spoil it. Agreed totally on Bruce too. Yeah, I didn't like Dany much either and I agree with everything you said on Season 8 except Sansa. She was very reasonable to be honest and she made a lot of sense. Her being Queen of the North was the best part of Season 8. Yes this is. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. I know that too.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Yes Thanos was but I still feel IW Thor would beat him after a good fight. Thanks for Point 2 and you will see on Point 4. And thanks for the recommendation. Will check it out when I get the chance.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Yes they will. Glad it was amazing.**

**Hell'sAngel666: Thanks for the review. Glad this was great. Glad to hear it. You're welcome again.**

Chapter 88- God of Thunder

"The biggest fight of your life now I guess." Natasha said.

"Not just my life, but all Asgardians." Thor said, "And yeah, this was the biggest one so far."

Odinson shared a look with Benjamin and Logan, the three knowing he would have to fight an even bigger one soon.

**At Asgard, Skurge announced to all Asgardians that some misguided soul had stolen the Bifrost sword so they should inform him where the person was or face bad consequences. Hela stood there with Fenris.**

"The people aren't going to take this well." Steve said as all tensed.

"Especially with that wolf there." Tony said.

**Hela randomly pointed at a woman and she was dragged to the ground as Skurge stood over her with a conflicted expression.**

"He doesn't want to do it." Bucky noted.

"He only wanted to feel important. Not kill his own people." Fury said.

**Hela called him 'Executioner' and reluctantly, he raised his ax, only for a man to stop them as he said he knew where the sword was.**

"Couldn't sit back and watch his fellow citizens be slaughtered." Hill said as all watched sadly.

"He did a noble thing. But now all of Asgard is in danger." T'Challa said.

**Thor, Bruce and Valkyrie flew out of the wormhole and were knocked out for some time before waking up finally. They arrived at Asgard as Valkyrie said she'd never thought she'd be back here. Bruce said he'd thought it'd be nicer. Not that it wasn't nice but it was on fire.**

"A madwoman is slaughtering armies there and you're talking about nice?" Clint asked sarcastically.

"Right. Stupid statement." Bruce said.

**Valkyrie said there were heat signatures in the mountains and people were clustered together so Hela would go for them. Thor asked her to drop him at the palace to draw her away. She said Hela would murder him but he said the people trapped there were what mattered. He'd deal with Hela and they would help everyone get off Asgard with the help of him man on the ground.**

"Heimdall." Sam said and Thor and Odinson nodded.

**At the refuge, Heimdall told everyone Hela was here.**

"Better be prepared." Rhodes said.

**Thor handed a gun from Sakaar to Valkyrie, saying the ship had a gun now. He then gave her the old Valkyrie armor, saying he'd found it in the armory.**

"And now the Valkyrie is coming." Peter smirked.

**Thor jumped down the ship as Valkyrie wished him luck and said, "Your Majesty…..Don't die. You know what I mean." Thor looked at her and walked off.**

"Yeah I know." Odinson said.

**Hela and Skurge walked towards the refuge while Thor arrived at the palace, seeing the broken walls and the hidden murals which showed Odin as a warlord with Hela holding Mjolnir. **

"I'm sorry you had to go through that." Hope said to Thor and Odinson who both nodded in appreciation.

"I know how you feel." T'Challa said to them in sympathy.

**Hela destroyed the door with her Necroswords, forming a bridge. With Skurge, she walked inside, only to see the refugees were all gone. Heimdall had sensed her coming and led them all away from a secret exit, telling them to get to the Bifrost.**

"At least the people are safe." Scott said.

"For now." Logan added.

**In the Commodore, Valkyrie suited up, wearing her old suit and equipping herself with Dragonfang as she pushed the gun and Bruce watched.**

"The Valkyrie has returned." Pepper said and all clapped for her.

**Back at the palace, Hela and Skurge heard a thumping and saw Thor sitting on the throne, tapping Gungnir on the ground.**

"That looks so badass." Peter said as everyone's jaws dropped.

"Great entrance actually." Tony said, "But I can do better."

"I know you can." Thor sighed.

**Hela walked towards him as her horned crown disappeared. Hela noted he was alive as he said sarcastically he loved what she had done with the place, redecorating it like that. Hela said their father's solution to every problem was covering it up.**

"Literally." Loki added.

**Thor added that it was to cast it out as well.**

"Literally again." Loki added.

**Thor said Odin had told him he was worthy and said the same thing to Hela. Hela said Thor had never known Odin at his best as she had drowned entire civilizations in blood and tears with him and that is where all this gold had come from.**

"Okay, not to sound offensive, but both of them sound like a real piece of work from this." Scott said.

"Father was. She still is." Odinson said.

"Yes. That's correct." Thor said.

**Hela said one day Odin had decided to become a benevolent King, to foster peace and protect all life and to have Thor.**

"And that's the difference between you and him. He moved on and changed. You want to stay the same." Steve said as all nodded in agreement.

**Thor said he understood why she was angry and she had a claim to the throne technically. He'd love for anyone else to rule but not her because she was the worst.**

"Even I am better than her." Loki said and all chuckled.

**Hela reformed her horns and told Thor to get up as he was in her chair. "You know, Father once told me that a wise king never seeks out war." Thor said as he got up. "But must always be ready for it." Hela finished as the two charged at each other with their weapons.**

"It's on." Bucky said while all tensed.

**Heimdall led the people to the Bifrost when Fenris blocked their way. He charged them with a roar when gunfire hit its face. The Commodore arrived, piloted by Bruce as Valkyrie fired her gun. Heimdall and the refugees turned the other way when they saw Skurge with the Berserkers. The two women Skurge had propositioned in the beginning of the recording raised their blades in defiance.**

"Out of the frying pan." Tony sighed.

"And into the fire." Steve finished with a grunt.

**Thor fought Hela, managing to stab her once and land a hit with Gungnir before she pushed him back. He tried to attack again but she dodged and said she had expected more before throwing him off as Gungnir fell out of his grip.**

"She's too strong." Aunt May said.

"How're you gonna beat her?" Natasha asked.

"Just watch." Thor said as he exchanged a look with Loki and Odinson.

**Skurge roared at Heimdall for the sword as the Bersekers charged. Back inside, Hela lifted Thor by the throat, "Here's the difference between us. I'm Odin's firstborn, the rightful heir, the savior of Asgard. And you're nothing." She threw him back down.**

"If she is the savior, I don't want to see its destroyer." Pepper said.

"Oh but you will have to." Loki said and all looked interested now.

**Thor got back up as Hela formed a small Necrosword and tried to stab but he dodged and tried to elbow her but she freed herself. He tried to punch but she was unaffected and formed a gash in his abdomen, making him kneel down and said even a blind man could have seen this strike before cutting off his eye with a slice of her sword. "Now you remind me of Dad." She groaned.**

"Damn it!" Sam said as all gasped.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no." Peter was saying.

"She is winning. She is too strong." Tony said.

"How did you even survive?" Hope asked.

"She took your eye as well." Fury groaned, getting painful memories.

"What a sicko." Natasha snorted.

"Oh that she is." Loki agreed.

"A huge one." Odinson said.

"Just keep watching." Thor said.

**Outside, the refugees tried to fight the Berserkers off as Valkyrie fired at Fenris but he was unaffected and ran at the people. Heimdall threw off his coat and prepared to fight with Hofund. Valkyrie was annoyed that he wasn't dying and Bruce flew the Commodore between Fenris and the people. "verything's gonna be all right now. I got this. You wanted to know who I am?" He asked, confusing her. "You'll see!" He said and jumped off the ship. As Fenris charged, Bruce fell in his way.**

"I don't think that worked out the way you wanted." Benjamin said and Bruce groaned.

"No, it was an epic fail." Bruce said.

"We can see that." Hill said.

"It takes time." Bruce said.

"I'm guessing the distance between the Commodore and Bifrost was a bit too short." Scott said and all nodded.

**Fenris sniffed Bruce and charged at the people again as Heimdall prepared to fight. Then something grabbed Fenris' tail and threw him back. It was Hulk, who announced his arrival with a roar.**

"And he's here!" Steve said as all cheered for Hulk's entrance.

"I think this might just be Hulk's third best entrance." Bruce said and all agreed.

**Valkyrie had a look of realization on her face.**

"Busted." Hope said and all laughed.

**Valkyrie saw some Berserkers sticking to the Commodre and tried to shake them off as Hulk and Fenris fought and were thrown off the Bifrost while Hela pinned Thor to the balcony and made him look at the fight on the Bifrost saying, "You see? No one's going anywhere. I'll get that sword, even if I have to kill every single one of them to do it."**

"And you call yourself a savior." Steve snorted as all looked at her in disgust.

**The refugees fought the Berserkers as one of them sliced Heimdall's knee but he took that one and another down. A third kicked him down and was about to kill him when a gunshot from behind destroyed it and now Korg stood there. "Hey, man. I'm Korg. This is Miek." Miek appeared. "We're gonna jump on that spaceship and get out of here. Wanna come?"**

Everyone burst out laughing and sighed in relief as Tony said, "Giant stone man to the rescue."

"Just in time." Pepper said.

**Heimdall looked back and the Statesman appeared with Loki on it, "Your savior is here."**

"Never thought I'd say this but you actually look like a savior in this scene." Clint said while all stared in awe.

**He got off and asked everyone to get on the ship. Heimdall said he'd seen Loki coming and Loki knew he'd have. Loki, Heimdall, Korg, Miek and the other Champions then prepared to fight the Berserkers as one of the Champions who had 3 heads was taken down while Valkyrie crashed the Commodore at the far end of the Bifrost. Thor was happy until Hela stabbed his shoulder and ripping out the sword said, "It's a valiant effort, but you never stood a chance."**

"Wouldn't stop me from trying." Thor said.

"**You see... I'm not a queen or a monster. I'm the Goddess of Death. What were you the god of, again?" She asked Thor as she pinned his hand under a cross-shaped Necrosword while he had a vision of Odin in Norway.**

"The old mentor/daddy coming to give advice." Tony said and all nodded.

"Yeah, I was getting the same vibe." Peter agreed.

**Thor saw Odin in Norway and fell to his knees. "Even when you had two eyes, you'd see only half the picture." Odin said. "She's too strong." Thor said, "Without my hammer, I can't." Odin asked with a smile, "Are you Thor, the God of Hammers?"**

"That was the point I always used to miss." Odinson said.

"Yeah, stupid me." Thor agreed.

"**That hammer was to help you control your power, to focus it. It was never your source of strength." Odin revealed.**

"So all of it was just a training phase?" Bucky asked, "The preliminaries?"

"Yes it was actually, to my own shock." Thor said.

"Oh I find it even more shocking." Tony said.

"**It's too late. She's already taken Asgard." Thor said. "Asgard is not a place. Never was. This could be Asgard." Odin said as he gestured at the grassy land around them, "Asgard is where our people stand. Even now, right now, those people need your help." With that, he started walking off.**

"Home is where those you love are." Natasha said as she exchanged a look with Bucky.

"**I'm not as strong as you." Thor said. Odin turned around with a smile and said, "No... You're stronger." He walked off as Thor closed his eyes. **

"You are actually stronger than him?" Rhodes asked as all looked shocked.

"He meant that I can be." Thor said.

"The older an Asgardian gets, the stronger he gets." Odinson said, "In a few years, I actually will be stronger than father was."

The others were even more shocked.

"Your family is like the biggest powerhouse ever." Tony said to him.

**Back at the palace, Hela asked again, "Tell me, brother. What were you the God of, again?" Suddenly, lightning formed in Thor's hands as Hela looked around in shock. The sky darkened too. And then Thor roared and the biggest lightning blast ever hit the palace, throwing Hela off while Loki and the others watched.**

"The God of Thunder, bitch!" Hope said as all clapped and cheered for Thor.

"That has to be among the most awesome things I've ever seen." Benjamin said.

"Thank you." Odinson said.

"That looked very epic." T'Challa said and all nodded.

"This scene deserves background music." Tony said.

"Tell me, which song do you want?" Natasha asked.

"Immigrant Song-Led Zeppelin." Tony said.

"Okay." Natasha shrugged and actually played it on her phone.

"Thank you!" Tony said.

"The song does fit well with the scene." Thor commented as all continued watching the recording with the song playing in the background.

**Thor leapt into the air as hordes of Berserkers converged and jumped in their center as the lightning threw them all away.**

"YES!" Hill cheered as all clapped again.

**Thor looked up, his entire body emanating lightning.**

"You produce power at this point." Scott said as all looked in awe.

**As more charged at him, he flew at them in a rotatory motion and killed more. He punched many more of them away as lightning bolts emanated from his body and descended from the sky to kill more of the Berserkers. He then kicked another away as his lightning destroyed more before blocking another one's punch and hitting it and many behind it with lightning, killing them all. Crackers burst from the Commodore as Valkyrie walked out, holding Dragonfang. She sliced one down before blocking the other's attack and cutting off his head.**

"Now she's in too." Logan said and the clapping increased.

"This looks so badass." Peter said.

**Hulk struggled to hold back Fenris and punched him before flipping him over as Loki sliced a Bersekrer and rolled to avoid another before hitting him with his helmet and then stabbing him.**

"So that thing does more than just make your head look bigger." Tony joked and all laughed.

**Thor hit another one with lightning, sending it flying off telekinetically before grabbing another and flying up with it and then slamming it to the ground as lightning bolts killed more of the Berserkers. He then snatched swords from two of them and in a rotatory motion, sliced more of them down while his lightning killed more of the Berserkers. Skurge watched from a corner and threw his Bloodaxe away.**

"Now he sees sense." Fury said and all nodded.

**Korg, Heimdall, Valkyrie and Loki took down more Berserkers while Fenris bit Hulk, drawing green blood.**

"That is the second enemy to have drawn blood from you." Tony noted.

"Shows how powerful he is." T'Challa noted and all nodded.

"Yeah." Bruce said.

**Hulk managed to punch Fenris off, freeing himself as Fenris fell down the waterfall while Hulk held on to the edge to save himself.**

"At least he is gone now." Wanda said and all sighed in relief.

**The people started climbing the Statesman as Skurge hid himself in a hood and decided to go with them.**

"Will the people accept him after his work under Hela?" Rhodes wondered.

"I have no idea." Steve said, "He did work under her temporarily but he didn't kill anyone at all for her either. So a 50-50 chance maybe."

**Thor walked towards Loki and said, "You're late." Loki countered with, "You're missing an eye." Valkyrie walked past them, "This isn't over." And then they saw Hela coming at them.**

"I think no more music is needed now." Natasha said and shut off the song on her phone.

"Yeah, things are getting more intense now." Tony noted.

"How is she still alive after that?" Hope said.

"She is too powerful." Odinson said.

"She draws her strength from Asgard." Loki added.

"If I was this powerful right after she had freed herself, I would have won, but this way, I can't." Thor said.

"**I think we should disband the Revengers." Thor joked.**

Everyone chuckled.

"**Hit her with a lightning blast." Loki said. "I just hit her with the biggest lightning blast in the history of lightning. It did nothing." Thor said.**

"Yeah, shows how powerful she has grown." Tony noted while all paled.

"**We just need to hold her off until everyone's on board." Valkyrie said. "It won't end there. The longer Hela's on Asgard, the more powerful she grows." Thor said, "She'll hunt us down. We need to stop her here and now." "So what do we do?" Valkyrie asked.**

"End her somehow." Hill muttered.

"**I'm not doing "Get Help."" Loki said.**

Everyone laughed as Logan said, "I don't think it would work either."

"I might actually need help if we try that." Loki said and all laughed again.

**Thor looked between a marching Hela and the escaping people. "Asgard's not a place, it's a people." Thor said as he turned to Loki, "Loki, this was never about stopping Ragnarok. This was about causing Ragnarok. Surtur's crown, the vault. It's the only way."**

"You're destroying Asgard?" Sam asked as all looked shocked.

"It is the only way." Thor told them, "She is too powerful right now. Not even all of us together would be able to beat her."

"You got a point, Point Break." Tony said.

"**Bold move, brother. Even for me." Loki said as he ran off to do what Thor asked.**

"If you find it bold, it definitely is something." Clint said.

"Unleashing an all-powerful monster on another while destroying Asgard? Yeah." Loki said.

"**Shall we?" Thor asked Valkyrie. "After you." She said as both walked towards Hela. Thor activated his lightning and flew at Hela as she threw two Necroswords. His lightning shattered them as he landed in front of her. He managed to land a few hits with the two swords before she leaned back to avoid and threw him to the other side, only to be kicked by Valkyrie.**

"Hela killed all of her friends. So she has gonna have a lot of anger." Steve said, empathizing with her like everyone else.

"That's why she is angry girl." Bruce said.

**Valkyrie tried to hit again but Hela blocked and threw her off as Thor charged again. He managed to throw her down with a lightning bolt and tried to stab her but she rolled away as the sword was embedded in the Bifrost instead. Hela threw a Necrosword at him, throwing him back.**

"You're so powerful and she is still too much." Scott groaned.

"Asgard increases her power, which is why it needs to be destroyed." Vision said.

**Loki was flying the Commodore towards Asgard's vault. "This is madness." He said.**

"If you're saying that, something big is about to happen." Clint said and all tensed.

**The refugees ran into the ship while Skurge hid with them. Thor flipped Hela to the other side where Valkyrie tried to fight her but was beaten. Thor told Heimdall and the refuges to go and they tried to fly up as Hela threw a huge spear at him, sending him down before manifesting a huge blade that went through the Statesman, stopping it in the air.**

"Oh God!" Steve said as all paled in horror.

"She is a monster." Pepper muttered.

**Loki picked up the crown and ran to the Eternal Flame before looking at the Teserract.**

"Still in love with that thing?" Thor asked and Loki chuckled, trying not to look at anyone. But Benjamin, Odinson and Logan looked at him for a second before looking back.

**The Berserkers climbed the Statesman via blade. A Champion tried to fight them back but was killed. Then they were killed by bullets as the blade shattered. It was Skurge. He threw his hood off and fired with Des and Troy, killing more Berserkers as he leapt down and destroyed the remainder of the blade, killing more Berserkers as he said, "For Asgard!"**

"For Asgard indeed." Thor said, impressed by him.

"Now he will get the recognition he wanted." Steve said, "In a good way."

"Oh absolutely." Bucky agreed.

**Skurge killed more Berserkers with Des and Troy and screamed, "HELA!" Hela turned to him as Des and Troy ran out so he simply kicked and head-butted the Berserkers away. Hela looked betrayed and threw a Necrosword at his chest, killing him.**

"Be at peace, son of Asgard." Odinson said and all had newfound respect for Skurge in their eyes.

**The Statesman started flying off as Loki put the crown in the Eternal Flame, "With the Eternal Flame, you're reborn." He backed as the crown shook.**

"It's happening." Wanda said and all watched in horror and anticipation.

**Thor stopped Hela, saying she could have Asgard if she wanted it. Hela said whatever game he was playing won't work. "You can't defeat me." She said. Ominous fire was seen in the palace behind Thor as he pointed at it and said, "No, I know. But he can." Then the palace shattered into pieces as Surtur, now actually the size of a mountain emerged, holding his Twilight Sword. Hela was horrified.**

"He really is the size of a mountain." Aunt May said as all watched with wide eyes.

**Valkyrie leapt at Hela from behind and stabbed her, pinning her to the Bifrost. Thor then shattered that portion of the Bifrost with his lightning, sending her into the water.**

"Your power really has increased. It took you several strikes from Mjolnir to destroy the Bifrost back in your first recording. Now you can destroy it just like that." Fury said and all nodded.

**Surtur destroyed buildings and said, "Tremble before me, Asgard! I am your reckoning!"**

"Now Asgard is gone." Bruce sighed while all looked sad but could understand why it had to be destroyed.

"**The people are safe. That's all that matters." Valkyrie told Thor as Surtur continued destroying buildings. "We're fulfilling the prophecy." Thor said. "I hate this prophecy." Valkyrie said. "So do I, but we have no choice. Surtur destroys Asgard, he destroys Hela, so that our people may live. But we need to let him finish the job, otherwise..." Thor trailed off as Hulk leapt at Surtur, slightly moving his head and started hitting his crown. "No! Hulk, stop, you moron!" Thor yelled.**

"And you had to ruin it." Tony said as all chuckled.

"Hulk needs to control himself." Bruce said.

**Surtur was mostly annoyed and threw Hulk off effortlessly.**

"If he can throw Hulk like a fly, he must not be messed with." Scott said and all agreed.

"**Hulk, stop. Just for once in your life, don't smash." Thor said. "Big monster!" Hulk pointed out.**

"Who is helping us." Loki said.

"**Let's go!" Valkyrie said. "Fine." Hulk groaned as he picked them up and leapt to the Statesman. A huge blade hit Surtur, staggering him slightly as Hela elevated herself on blades, hitting him with more. But he was unaffected and said ,"I am Asgard's doom!" He stabbed the core of Asgard with the Twilight Sword and drove it deeper, shattering Hela's blades as the fire started destroying all trees and buildings.**

"Oh no!" Wanda said as all watched in horror.

"**The damage is not too bad." Korg said, "As long as the foundations are still strong, we can rebuild this place. It will become a haven for all peoples and aliens of the universe." Then Asgard shattered into countless pieces as Surtur and Hela were killed in the explosion. "Now those foundations are gone. Sorry." Korg said.**

"I'm sorry that happened to you." Steve said as all looked at Thor, Odinson and Loki in sympathy.

"I'm sorry too." Wanda said. Steve, Logan, Bucky and Wanda could understand their grief the most.

"Asgard's not a place." Thor simply told them.

"It's a people." Odinson finished. They nodded with smiles and turned back to the screen.

"**What have I done?" Thor asked as the people wept. "You saved us from extinction." Heimdall said as the two looked at each other, "Asgard is not a place... It's a people."**

"The people are safe. That's what matters now." Bruce said.

**Sometime later, Thor put on an eyepatch and drank some beer.**

"Looks good on you." Natasha said.

"Thank you." Thor told her.

**Loki arrived behind him and said, "It suits you." Thor turned to him and said, "Maybe you're not so bad after all, brother." "Maybe not." Loki smirked. "Thank you." Thor said, "If you were here, I might even give you a hug." He threw the bottle's cork at Loki and he caught it. "I'm here." Loki said.**

"I will be now." Loki said as Thor looked at him with a smile.

**The people then bowed to Thor as he walked among them and saw a throne on the side of the Statesman while Hulk, Valkyrie, Heimdall and Korg watched. "Your throne." Valkyrie smirked and Thor slowly sat on it as Loki arrived.**

"Hail, Thor, King of Asgard!" Loki said genuinely.

"HAIL!" The entire room rang out as Thor and Odinson smiled in appreciation and thanked them all with nods.

"**So, King of Asgard. Where to?" Heimdall asked. Thor waved awkwardly at the people.**

Everyone could see the change in Thor now. In the first recording, he had raised Mjolnir and looked boastful during his interrupted coronation ceremony. And now even after getting the throne all he could do was give an awkward wave.

"**I'm not sure." Thor said, "Any suggestions?" He asked Miek where he was from but Korg who had Miek said he was dead. Korg had accidentally stomped on Miek on the bridge and felt so guilty he'd been carrying him around since. Miek suddenly groaned and Korg happily said he was alive as he told everyone and asked Thor what his question was again.**

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "I like this guy."

"**Earth it is." Thor said.**

"So now you will live on Earth?" Steve asked.

"In Norway." Thor said, "I don't care what that Secretary or those Accords say."

"And what about you?" Clint asked Loki, "I see that you've changed, but many won't."

"I won't show my face." Loki shrugged.

"I have to ask though, where was Sif during all this time?" Tony asked and all wondered too.

"After I banished her, she roamed the Nine Realms, slaughtering any evil beings she encountered." Loki said.

"We have to find her and bring her too." Thor said and he nodded.

**Thor and Loki stood together as Loki asked, "Do you really think it's a good idea to go back to Earth?" Thor said, "Yes, of course. The people of Earth love me. I'm very popular." Loki said, "Let me rephrase that. Do you really think it's a good idea to bring me back to Earth?" Thor said, "Probably not, to be honest. I wouldn't worry, brother. I feel like everything's gonna work out fine."**

Odinson winced as Benjamin and Logan put hands on his shoulder for support. Nothing was going to work out fine now.

"I don't think this has happened yet." Thor noted.

"No." Odinson said, trying to hide the pain in his voice, "This is the future you will see from now on."

They all nodded, their anticipation increasing now.

**Then a shadow appeared in front of the Statesman and in front of it was a giant warship. The screen went black.**

"What is that? What is that? What is that?" Tony asked as all looked horrified.

"The Sanctuary II." Odinson said sadly, "Thanos' ship."

"THANOS!" Thor exploded as he got off his couch, "He is attacking us? My people? What about them?!"

"Calm down." Benjamin said as he got up.

"Thanos will attack our people and I should calm down?!" Thor exploded.

"It hasn't happened yet, bub." Logan said, "Not to you. Why do you think we're showing you the future? So that you can change it."

Thor sighed and calmed down finally as he took his couch again while Loki put a hand on his shoulder and everyone looked at him in sympathy.

**Grandmaster staggered out of somewhere with his women and saw the entire Sakaar standing against him. "Oh, boy." He muttered before announcing to them, "I just gotta say, I'm proud of you all. This revolution has been a huge success. Yay, us! Pat on the back. Pat on the back." He patted his own shoulder and said, "Come on. No? Me too. 'Cause I've been a big part of it. Can't have a revolution without somebody to overthrow. So, you're welcome. And it's a tie." The screen went black.**

"Hope he gets what he deserved." Bucky said.

"Oh the people overthrew him and now run the place themselves." Logan said.

"Nice to know." Loki said.

"He was a creep." Thor said, "Big one."

"Now you will see your future in the next recording." Benjamin said, "It's gonna be very tough. So prepare yourselves."

Everybody looked tense as Steve said, "This is what you brought us here for."

He looked at the others and one by one, they all nodded so he turned back to the three future people, "Do it."

"All right." Odinson said and turned to Logan.

"Let's start with the show already." Logan said as he picked up the remote.

* * *

**Finally! This movie is done!**

**What? The fight scene on the bridge is incomplete without the Immigrant Song in the background.**

**Next chapter, the characters are finally going to see their future with Avengers: Infinity War, the biggest cinematic crossover ever.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	89. Thanos

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now finally, after 88 chapters, we have reached Avengers: Infinity War. Let's get on with it!**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, shit is about to go sideways. Yeah, they did a brilliant job with Thanos and he was the best MCU villain for sure. I'll pick the Time Stone without hesitation and learn the instructions carefully before using it. Yeah I think Thor can. I will use some deleted scenes. I wish we get Doom or Kang after Thanos. After this movie, some other viewers will show up. I'm actually planning on putting my own short deleted scenes for this and Endgame which won't break the flow. Yeah it really is incomplete without Immigrant Song. Yeah Skurge did and I wish too. Yeah, this has been a huge ride. Those deaths will be hard and while I'm not Vision's biggest fan, his death will be hard too. Yeah, Thor really was. Oh it was truly magical and big. Yeah, it sure is the first MCU movie where the villain won like that. Though I have seen other movies where the villain wins, like most horror/slasher movies and the big one- Chinatown. But none of them were as devastating as Thanos' victory in this. Half of the universe just died! Damn it! Enjoy the chapter.**

**Guestie: Thanks for the review. I'm excited too.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. A few months in my opinion. Not many.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. 2 weeks.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. I thought about it but I won't do it anytime soon, especially since my interest in Arrowverse is so low now. I'm only watching Arrow Season 8 right now because it's the final Season and I will watch the Crisis on Infinite Earths episodes but that's it. **

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. Glad it was excellent. Yes that is correct.**

**Alyssa: Thanks for the review. I am.**

**Hell'sAngel666: Thanks for the review. Glad this was great. Glad you loved how I set it all up. Glad this is entertaining and good. Thanks for the vote of confidence too. You're welcome.**

**Shiro Fujimori: Thanks for the review. No one is.**

**XxLostInTheShadowsxX: Thanks for the review. Hope you're enjoying that story.**

Chapter 89- Thanos

"You sure you ready?" Odinson asked one last time.

Steve once again looked at the others and nods followed. When each one had nodded, he said, "Yes. We have to see."

"All right." Logan said and turned the recording on, "It's gonna be really hard though. I'm warning you."

**Voices were heard calling out, saying the Asgardian refugee vessel called the Statesman was under assault. They requested aid from any vessel in range. They were 22 jump points ahead of Asgard and their crew was made up of Asgardian families with very few soldiers.**

"What is happening?" Thor asked in a dangerous growl.

"Thanos." Odinson said sadly as he closed his eyes.

"He is going to kill our people?" Loki asked in horror.

"Yes. Half of them he will slaughter." Odinson revealed.

Thor roared angrily and getting up, angrily smashed a nearby table, his body emanating a little lightning.

Loki, Steve and Odinson all got up to calm him down.

"Brother." Loki said, "You need to calm down."

"But Thanos-" Thor spoke.

"Is still two weeks away from attacking your vessel." Odinson reminded him, "You have time to get away and prepare."

"Thor. Look at me." Steve said and Thor did, "This is the future. It can be changed. That's what we're here for. And we're here for you."

Thor relented and nodded, feeling helpless as all looked at him in sympathy.

"We won't let you down, pal." Bruce assured him as he sat back down.

**The black screen faded to show the Statesman as the Sanctuary II fired blue bolts at it.**

"That monster." Wanda sneered as all watched angrily.

"I remember now." Tony said, "Thanos' ship. That is what I saw all those years ago when I threw the nuke. This is what I was preparing for all this time."

"Now we will prepare for it together." Natasha said and he nodded.

**In the burning wreckage of the Statesman, a wounded Heimdall lay on the ground as someone walked around, passing several dead Asgardians.**

"No." Thor whispered brokenly as Loki and T'Challa tried to comfort him while Odinson closed his eyes sadly.

**The figure walked around and said, "Hear me and rejoice. You have had the privilege of being saved by the Great Titan. You may think this is suffering. No. It is salvation."**

"Salvation?" Scott exploded, "You're slaughtering them just like Hitler slaughtered Jews!"

"They are all self-righteous." Steve sneered.

"**Universal scales tip toward balance because of your sacrifice. Smile. For even in death, you have become Children of Thanos." The figure finished as his face was revealed. It was Ebony Maw.**

"So Voldemort and Squidward had a kid then." Tony joked to lighten the mood but it didn't work. Even he didn't feel better.

**Loki was revealed to be standing there in fear. Proxima Midnight had her spear on him while Corvus Glaive and Cull Obsidian stood there too.**

"I don't think he is pleased with me." Loki paled, "I failed him all those years ago and hid from him."

Everyone tensed and paled in anticipation.

**Then a huge armored figure was shown looking the other way.**

Everyone held their breaths and narrowed their eyes.

"The Mad Titan." Fury said and they all breathed heavily in worry.

"**I know what it's like to lose." Thanos said as he turned around to look at a wounded figure at his feet, "To feel so desperately that you're right... yet to fail, nonetheless."**

Everyone's horror increased when they realized who the wounded figure was.

"That's you!" Clint exclaimed to Thor while all looked horrified and concerned. But Thor himself seemed unresponsive.

"Relax guys, I'm alive." Odinson pointed out but they still didn't seem relieved.

**Thanos lifted Thor up and walked towards Loki, "It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. But I ask you, to what end? Dread it, run from it... destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say... I am." And then he revealed the Infinity Gauntlet in his left hand, the Power Stone glowing in its slot.**

"Isn't that…?" Hill trailed off in horror.

"The Power Stone." Natasha finished as all watched.

"He decimated Xandar a week before this attack." Benjamin revealed and they were even more pale as they remembered Nova Prime, Dey and his family. All of them were slaughtered now?

**Thor groaned how Thanos talked a lot as Thanos asked Loki for the Teserract or he'd kill Thor, saying he would have a preference. Loki coldly told him to kill away.**

"Really man?" Clint asked as all glared at Loki, "After all that, you're still letting Thanos hurt him?"

Loki and Thor didn't respond, just watching the screen in shock.

**Thanos moved the Power Stone to Thor's head and it glowed, striking energy into his head as he screamed in pain.**

Everyone watched in horror. Some were unable to watch Thor's suffering. Wanda shuddered, remembering seeing this in Odinson's memory. And now she was seeing it again. Odinson himself was breathing heavily as he remembered the torture vividly.

**Loki was unable to watch and shouted at Thanos to stop, which he did.**

Everyone looked at Loki apologetically as Clint said, "I'm sorry."

But they still got no response.

**Thor said they didn't have the Teserract as it had been destroyed on Asgard. Loki then lifted his hand and the Teserract appeared in it as Thor groaned how he was the worst brother ever.**

"You had it this whole time?!" Thor roared as everyone looked at the two.

"Yes." Loki said as he lifted his hand and it appeared in it, just like in the recording.

"Why? Why did you take it?" Thor asked.

"Even if the Teserract is destroyed, the Space Stone won't be." Odinson said.

"This thing needs to be kept safe. That's why I took it." Loki said.

"Didn't work out so well." Thor sighed as all turned back to the screen while the Teserract disappeared.

"I'm sorry." Steve said to Thor, Loki and Odinson.

"**I assure you brother….the sun will shine on us again." Loki assured Thor as he moved to Thanos. "Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian." Thanos told him. "Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian." Loki said as he stopped near Thanos, "And for another... we have a Hulk." Then Hulk leapt out with a roar and tackled Thanos away as Loki dropped the Teserract and pushed Thor out of the way.**

"Hulk is here!" Peter cheered and all felt relieved now.

"You stole my line!" Tony said to Loki while all rolled their eyes at his antics.

"Now is not the time." Loki said.

The future people were still tense, knowing even Hulk wouldn't be able to save anyone now.

**Hulk bellowed angrily in challenge.**

"How do you like that?" Hope mockingly asked Thanos.

**Hulk punched Thanos, sending him back before punching him two more times and then elbowed him twice on the shoulders before slamming him into the wall. He then held Thanos in a chokehold.**

"He's doing it." Tony said as all watched, tense.

"We're counting on you, Hulk." Bruce said, hoping they would stop Thanos. The situation had made them all forget Vision's fate.

**Cull Obsidian moved to help Thanos but Ebony Maw raised his hand, "Let him have his fun."**

Now all the relief was gone as everyone had a sinking feeling in their stomachs.

"What?" Aunt May muttered.

"Do it, do it." Bruce was begging Hulk at this point.

**Thanos grabbed Hulk's hands and slowly pushed them back before striking his shoulder, staggering him back.**

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Bruce said in horror as all watched.

"That's not possible!" Tony said.

"How did this happen?" Loki muttered.

"The people." Thor groaned, now feeling even worse.

"Thanos is too strong." Logan muttered while all had pits in their stomachs.

**Thanos blocked Hulk's punch and struck him, staggering him again. He then dodged another and punched his back, throwing him off. Thanos kept blocking Hulk's punches and punched him back several times, smashing him into a pillar. He then kneed Hulk's face before lifting him up and throwing him down.**

"NO!" Bruce said in horror, worried for Hulk, who while part of him, was still a different personality.

"I had no idea that was possible." Pepper said.

"This is Thanos!" Tony said, "He is too powerful! He prepared for us all this time!"

"Their strength seems almost equal but Thanos' skills helped him prevail and he does seem slightly stronger." Vision said.

"I can see that!" Bruce snapped.

"How're we supposed to stop this guy?" Rhodes wondered.

"If he could beat Hulk like that, he needs to be fought with brains rather than brawn." Sam said.

"Or both." Clint said.

"Yes. Both." T'Challa agreed.

**As Hulk lay, Thor struck Thanos' helmet with a pipe but he was barely affected while the pipe shattered. Thor made to strike again but was kicked away. Ebony Maw telekinetically trapped Thor with several pieces of broken metal.**

"Oh no!" Natasha muttered as all paled.

**Heimdall then looked at Thor and as his eyes changed color he said, "Allfathers... let the dark magic flow through me one last... time." The Bifrost appeared and lifting Hulk up, transported him away somewhere else.**

"Thank you. Thank you." Bruce whispered gratefully to Heimdall.

"He saved you." Loki said.

"Where did he send you?" Peter wondered.

"To Earth." Steve realized.

"To warn us." Tony said.

"Smart move." T'Challa agreed.

**Thanos then moved menacingly towards Heimdall.**

"No, no, no, no." Thor was muttering as everyone paled again.

**Thanos glared at Heimdall and took Corvus Glaive's glaive. Heimdall looked sadly at Thor whose eyes widened in fear. "That was a mistake." Thanos said and stabbed Heimdall with the glaive, killing him brutally. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Thor screamed in agony.**

"NOOOOOOOO!" Thor screamed as all watched in horror and sadness.

"Heimdall." Loki whispered sadly, now feeling guilty for his treatment of the Gatekeeper.

"Thanos murdered him before my eyes and I was helpless." Odinson said, struggling not to cry.

Everyone looked at the three sadly again as T'Challa promised, "I will not let Thanos do to your friend was Killmonger did to mine."

Thor looked up at him and nodded gratefully, though he still didn't seem convinced.

"**You're going to die, for that!" Thor yelled in grief but Ebony Maw gagged him with a piece of metal and shushed him.**

"Yeah, I'm gonna blow off your mouth you son of a bitch!" Tony sneered as all glared at him.

"I'm gonna help you do that." Bucky sneered too.

**Corvus took back his glaive as Ebony May picked up the Teserract and bowed before Thanos, "My humble personage... bows before your grandeur." Thanos took off his helmet, revealing his bald head, and also took off his armor, revealing his huge black vest. "No other being has ever had the might... nay, the nobility... to wield not one, but two Infinity Stones." Thanos took the Teserract from Maw who said, "The universe lies within your grasp." He shattered the Teserract in his hands.**

"He's strong." Natasha whispered as all watched with wide eyes.

**The Space Stone was revealed.**

"The Space Stone." Fury whispered, tense, "Can't believe I was experimenting with THAT!"

"That's why we were drawn to it." Loki told him.

**Thanos blew away the glass and slowly fit the Space Stone to the Infinity Gauntlet as power ran through him. **

"Now he has two." Steve said and all tensed more.

**Thanos told his children there were two more Infinity Stones on Earth and to find them. They bowed and said they wouldn't fail him.**

"Mind and Time." Clint said as all looked at Vision while Wanda put an arm around him in fear.

"He's going to kill you." She whispered and all paled at the reminder.

"He wants this." Vision said as he pointed at the Mind Stone in his forehead.

"We will protect you." Steve said genuinely and he nodded in appreciation.

"We need to fight this guy before he has any of the Stones." Rhodes said.

**Loki then arrived and said they might need a guide for Earth. He had some experience in that area. Thanos asked if he considered failure experience and he said he considered experience as experience.**

"You're really sucking up to him?" Scott asked.

"No. I don't think he is." Fury said and Hill nodded.

"I believe I have a plan." Loki said and Thor paled again.

"He beat Hulk! What do you think you will do?" Thor snapped. Odinson was pale already as Benjamin and Logan looked at him in concern.

"**Almighty Thanos... I, Loki, prince of Asgard..." Loki looked at Thor and said, "Odinson..."**

Thor and Loki exchanged a look and turned back to the screen.

**Loki continued, "The rightful king of Jotunheim... God of mischief... " A dagger materialized in Loki's hand suddenly, hidden from all while Thor watched in concern. **

"What are you doing?" Thor asked in concern as everyone watched in horror and anticipation.

"Please do it." Tony begged, even though everyone had a feeling what would happen.

**Loki continued, "Do hereby pledge to you... my undying fidelity." He kneeled and bowed before Thanos, taking a deep breath. Then, moving at quick speed with his Asgardian reflexes, he lunged with his dagger, only for Thanos to press his fist as the Space Stone glowed and the blue energy stopped Loki's hand.**

"Shit!" Sam said and all paled.

"He was so close!" Bucky exclaimed.

"No, no, no." Thor was saying while Loki and Odinson watched, pale.

"**Undying?" Thanos mocked before grabbing Loki's weapon hand and making him drop the dagger, "You should choose your words more carefully." He lifted Loki by the throat, slowly choking him as Thor watched. **

"Let him go." Thor whispered in an almost begging tone.

"You're a monster." Steve sneered to Thanos.

"He's gonna kill you." Natasha sighed and everyone actually felt bad for Loki, even Clint. He had changed after all and was trying to kill the real threat.

"**You... will never be... a God!" Loki wheezed out as his skin color returned to blue. Thanos squeezed his neck and a crack was heard as Loki went limp, his eyes wide and mouth open, blood running down his nose and mouth. "NO!" Thor screamed but the gag muffled him. **

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Thor exploded and lightning shot out of him, destroying another nearby table as all jumped away in shock and fright.

Odinson wiped tears from his eyes, the grief still fresh even after all these years.

Loki was still pale, shocked at how he had been killed like this. With deep breaths, he recovered himself and put a hand on Thor's shoulder, "Brother, I'm still here. We can change this."

"You fool!" Thor exploded, "Why did you have to try to stop him? Even you had killed him, his children would have killed you!"

"Because that's what heroes do." Loki said and Thor glared at him, his expression a mixture of anger, grief and pride. And then, he hugged Loki tightly, never wanting to let go, "Oh Loki."

Loki hugged back as everyone watched, feeling a lot of emotions. Now they could see the change in Loki at last. It was visible for them all.

"We won't let you die, Loki." Steve assured him and he nodded.

Odinson walked towards them and as Thor and Loki let go, he hugged his brother with tears in his eyes, "I've missed you, brother. Every single day. I had to control myself from hugging you joyfully all these days you've been here."

"I can see that." Loki said as he hugged back, "Though I think your hug would have suffocated me."

Odinson gave a watery chuckle and let go. One by one, everyone took their seats again as Thor panted heavily while Loki was still afraid of what he had just seen. Thanos had killed him effortlessly.

"Operation: Protect Reindeer Games, will commence now." Tony said genuinely as well as to lighten the mood.

**Thanos dropped a dead Loki in front of Thor who stared heartbroken. "No resurrections this time." Thanos said.**

"I'm going to kill you." Thor sneered as all glared at him, feeling sad for Thor. He had lost everyone- his mother, his father, his home, half of his people, four of his best friends while one was exiled, and his now reformed brother, all in such a short span of time.

**Thanos activated the Power Stone and the ship started breaking apart as purple flames, explosions and energy covered it. Thanos then activated the Space Stone and a portal appeared behind them as he walked into it with the Black Order, transporting them away instantly. **

"Of course you can teleport, you piece of shit." Clint sneered angrily.

**The metal restraints broke as Thor crawled towards Loki, not caring about the ship being destroyed around him. "No…Loki…" He said in grief as he put a hand on Loki's chest and bowed down, sobbing. The Statesman exploded in a purple energy of fire.**

"Oh no." Pepper muttered as all looked in horror.

"And I survived." Thor whispered to himself hoarsely.

**The Bifrost energy passed the sun and the moon and shot towards the Earth, reaching right above New York.**

"I think that's me." Bruce said and everyone's eyes widened.

"Yes it is." Bucky said.

**In the New York Sanctum, Strange asked Wong if he really didn't have any money and he said attachment to the physical was detachment from the spiritual.**

"Look who's back." Tony said.

"This guy seems a bit too religious." Rhodes commented on Wong and all agreed.

**Strange joked how they will make a metaphysical Ham on Rye when Wong said he had 200. Strange asked if it was dollars but Wong said it was rupees, which was a buck and a half.**

"Yeah I know that." Bruce said, having lived in India for some time.

"This guy has serious financial issues." Tony said.

**The two walked down the stairs as Wong said he would like a Tuna Melt. Then the roof crashed as the Bifrost energy shattered the stairs behind them. They turned as Strange called the Cloak of Levitation while his uniform appeared and Wong summoned Tao Mandalas. **

"I think I know who that is." Hill muttered as all watched in anticipation.

**The two peered into the hole as Hulk was seen reverting back to Banner. "Thanos is coming. He's coming…." Bruce breathed out in terror. "Who?" Strange asked, to confirm what he had heard.**

"Good thing he sent me back." Bruce said and all nodded, saddened by Heimdall's selfless sacrifice.

"We won't let him die this time." Loki said firmly while Thor simply nodded, still feeling grief.

"Now at least Strange and Wong know." Tony said.

**In Central Park, Tony and Pepper were walking together as she told him to slow down and he said how there were some dreams in which they got to pee but there were no bathrooms. Pepper finished, saying they woke up and actually had to pee. **

Everyone burst out into laughter as Sam said, "This is gold."

"I've had that once." Peter said as Benjamin gave him a look, "I had to-"

"We don't need to hear that." Tony said and he shut up.

**Tony said last night he dreamt they had a kid and it was real. They'd named the kid after Pepper's eccentric uncle. Pepper nodded as Tony remembered his name was Morgan.**

"I had a feeling we'd named her after that." Pepper said and kissed Tony's cheek as he smiled.

**Pepper realized Tony had woken up and thought they were actually expecting. Tony said he had a dream about it which was so real. Pepper pointed at Tony's chestpiece and said he wouldn't have done that if he wanted a kid. Tony said it was just a housing unit for nanoparticles. **

"It's not helping your case, okay?" Pepper said.

"**It's not helping your case, okay?" Pepper said.**

"Stop repeating yourself." Tony said and all laughed.

"Wait, nanoparticles?" Hope asked and Tony nodded, "That must be a totally next level suit you've got now. Congratulations."

Tony nodded in thanks.

"I really want to see it now." Bruce said.

"You will very soon." Benjamin said.

**Tony said it was just an attachment and he was trying to protect them, the future them, in case there was a monster in the closet. Pepper finished for him with 'shirts' and he said how she finished all his sentences.**

"You two complete each other." Rhodes said and everyone nodded as they simply smiled at each other.

"I know I'll never get you to stop now. So just do what you have to." Pepper told him, now finally understanding him even more than before from the recordings.

"Thanks, Pep." He said with a smile and the two kissed.

**Tony said they would have a nice dinner and then there would be no more surprises. The two then kissed.**

"So sweet." Natasha said and all smiled while Tony and Pepper blushed.

**Then a portal opened and Doctor Strange arrived, "Tony Stark, I'm Doctor Stephen Strange. I need you to come with me."**

"Did he just interrupt our moment?" Tony asked.

"It appears he did." T'Challa said.

**Tony and Pepper looked nervous as Strange congratulated them on the wedding and Tony asked if he was selling tickets. Strange said they needed his help and it wasn't overselling to say the fate of the Universe was at stake. Tony asked who they were and then Bruce appeared from behind Strange, greeting Tony and Pepper and then hugged them.**

"Now we've met again finally." Bruce said and everyone nodded.

"Why did nobody notice a portal in the middle though?" Peter wondered.

"They're used to it." Logan said.

**Tony sat in the New York Sanctum as Wong explained, "At the dawn of the universe, there was nothing. Then... Boom." His magic showed the Big Bang happening and the projections of Infinity Stones appeared as he said, "The Big Bang sent six elemental crystals... hurtling across the virgin universe. These Infinity Stones each control an essential aspect of existence. Space. Reality. Power. Soul. Mind." Each projection glowed as Wong said their names. "And Time." Strange said as the Time Stone glowed in the Eye of Agamotto.**

"Nice presentation." Peter quipped.

"Thanos already has two of them." Steve said, "And his children are coming for the other two."

"**Tell me his name again." Tony said. "Thanos." Bruce told him, He's a plague, Tony. He invades planets. He takes what he wants. He wipes out half the population. He sent Loki. The attack on New York, that's him."**

"It was him from the start." Tony muttered.

"**This is it." Tony said and asked of their timeline. Bruce said Thanos already had the Power and Space Stones which made him the most powerful creature in the Universe and if he got all Six of them "He could destroy life on a scale hitherto undreamt of." Strange finished.**

"Did he just say hitherto?" Tony muttered.

**Tony leaned casually against a cauldron as he asked if Strange had seriously said hitherto and Strange asked if he was seriously leaning against the Cauldron of the Cosmos. The Cloak of Levitation smacked him, making him leave it.**

Everyone laughed as Rhodes said, "This was gold."

Tony glared at him and said, "No upgrades now."

**Tony said they should throw the Time Stone into the garbage but Strange said they had swore an oath to protect the Time Stone with their lives. Tony said he had sworn off dairy but they had named a flavor after him. **

Everyone laughed at his antics.

**Strange said 'Stark Raving Hazelnuts' was a bit chalky.**

"It's perfectly fine!" Tony said and all laughed again.

**Wong said a 'Hunka-Hulka Burning Hudge' was their favorite, shocking Bruce.**

"That a thing?" Bruce asked.

"Wong has good taste." Loki joked and Tony groaned.

**Tony said things changed but Strange said their oath couldn't as it might be their best chance against Thanos but Tony said it might be his best chance against them too.**

"You're not wrong." Steve agreed.

**Strange said that'd be if they didn't do their jobs. "What is your job exactly? Besides making balloon animals." Tony asked. "Protecting your reality, douchebag." Strange said and he shut up.**

Everyone burst out in laughter as Sam said, "Another snarky guy with a goatee has shut you up."

"I can see that." Tony groaned, "I'm gonna roast this dragon-voiced doctor so badly."

**Bruce said they had a stone and needed to find Vision with the Mind Stone. Tony said Vision had shut off his transponder some time ago.**

"Bad timing." Vision said.

"This is why we talk!" Tony said to him.

"Thanos really chose the perfect time to attack." Odinson said.

**Bruce asked incredulously if Tony had lost another super-bot and Tony said he was evolving.**

"We have a problem with super-bots." Tony muttered.

**Strange asked who could find Vision and Tony said Steve Rogers could.**

"Stings, doesn't it?" Benjamin asked.

"Unlike us, they don't trust each other." Tony said.

**Bruce asked Tony to call him but he said the Avengers had broken up. Bruce asked if it was like a band like the Beatles.**

"That's actually funny." Bruce muttered as all chuckled.

**Tony said Cap and him had fallen out hard and weren't on speaking terms.**

"He must be so shocked." Bruce muttered.

"I leave you lot for one year and you do this to yourselves." Fury said.

"Ross had a hand in it too." Tony added.

"And those Accords." Sam said.

**Bruce said Thor was gone so it didn't matter who he was talking to.**

"Not yet." Odinson said.

**Tony finally took out the flip phone, ready to call, when unusual sounds were heard.**

"At least you were going to." Pepper said.

"Yeah, that's progress." Bruce said and Tony nodded.

"But something's happening." Steve said and all tensed.

**Tony asked if Strange was moving his hair. Strange looked at his fluttering hair and said not at the moment. Tony looked up through the hole in the roof to see metal scraps flying everywhere.**

"Uh-oh." Rhodes said.

"This isn't good." May said.

**Tony walked out of the Sanctum and saw terrified people running as dust and debris flew around. One woman fell and he helped her up as a car crashed on a pole behind him but Bruce and Wong helped the person. Tony put on his glasses and asked FRIDAY what he was looking at but she said she wasn't sure. Tony asked Strange to put the Time Stone in his backpocket but he said he might wanna use it.**

"Yeah, you might, as long as Thanos doesn't get it." Clint said.

**Tony then saw a huge circular ship floating over Bleecker Street.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said as all gasped.

"That's them?" Pepper asked.

"That's them." Logan said.

**In a schoolbus, the hair on Peter's arm stood up as he looked out of the window to see the ship.**

"Now I'm in!" Peter said.

"Yeah you are." Tony groaned, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

**He told Ned to cause a distraction and Ned shouted, saying there was a spaceship and everyone was going to die. The kids all looked out as Peter opened a window with webbing.**

"You're only half-right, Ned." Benjamin muttered.

"Good thing a spaceship was actually there." Scott said, "Actually, bad thing."

"**What' the matter with you kids? You never seen a spaceship before?" The elderly driver asked.**

"And he's here too." Fury said and all chuckled.

**Peter hung to the side and put on his mask before swinging away over the water to the ship.**

"Spider-Man to the rescue." Benjamin said.

"I would ask why you're going, but I know I can't stop you." May said to Peter as he held her hand, "Please be careful."

"I will." Peter said.

**Tony told FRIDAY to evac all beyond 43****rd**** Street and to notify first responders. Strange used the Winds of Watoomb on Bleecker Street and all dust and debris cleared. He winked at Tony.**

"He has grown in power even more." Thor noted.

**Then a beam shot down and Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian appeared.**

"Them." Pepper said and grasped Tony's hand tightly while all paled.

"**Hear me and rejoice. You are about to die at the hands of the Children of Thanos. Be thankful... that your meaningless lives are now contributing..." Ebony Maw was cut off by Tony, "I'm sorry, Earth is closed today. You better pack it up and get outta here."**

"It's always gonna be closed to you idiots." Tony said as all clapped at his response to Maw.

"**Stonekeeper. Does this chattering animal speak for you?" Maw asked Strange.**

"High and mighty coming from Thanos' chattering animal." Steve spoke in Tony's defense and Tony smirked at him which he returned.

"**Certainly not. I speak for myself." Strange said as he and Wong summoned the Tao Mandalas, "You're trespassing in this city and on this planet." Tony added, "He means get lost, Squidward."**

"Nice comeback." Pepper said as all clapped and Tony smirked.

**Maw told Cull to bring him the Stone and Tony asked Bruce if he wanted a piece. Bruce said he didn't but he never got what he wanted as he attempted to transform into Hulk but only his neck turned green. Tony sarcastically said it was good to have him as Bruce said he needed to concentrate and tried again but said they were having a thing.**

"What's happening?" Bruce wondered, "He should be out by now. It's never happened before."

"Thanos scarred him and he was tired." Benjamin said.

"Of what?" Bruce asked.

"Of being used by you." Logan said and Bruce looked offended.

"I don't use him!" He snapped.

"We will tell you what we mean at the end of all recordings." Odinson said.

Bruce pondered over their words.

**Tony pointed at the approaching Cull and said that was the thing. Bruce grunted but failed to release Hulk as Tony said he was embarrassing him in front of Wizards.**

"And myself." Bruce added.

**Bruce apologized but Tony told him to stand down and Wong to protect him. **

"Sorry man." Bruce said.

"No need." Tony said, "I think something is coming now."

**As Cull charged, Tony pulled two strings attached to him and tapped his chestpiece twice as he walked forwards. The suit started forming around him slowly, the armor encasing him. Tony took off his glasses which assimilated into the suit and soon, he stood there in Iron Man Armor: Mark L.**

"I LOVE IT!" Bruce said as all clapped and cheered.

"That is the most awesome suit ever!" Peter cheered.

"That's what the unit is for?" Pepper asked in awe and Tony nodded.

"The fruit of your labor. And very sweet fruit." Steve said as everyone continued cheering.

"Now that's Tony Stark for us." Loki said as all chuckled and cheered more.

"Cull is about to get a taste of you." Thor smirked.

**Tony formed a shield and blocked Cull's hammer before uppercutting him back and then formed Cluster Cannons, blasting Cull back as Maw telekinetically threw him to a side to save himself.**

"How do you like that?" Hope asked as all clapped again.

"Not at all." T'Challa smirked.

**Bruce asked where that was from and Tony said it was nanotech when Maw produced a spike from the Earth which threw him up.**

"Oh no!" Pepper said as she and Tony grasped hands while everyone paled.

**Maw attacked the rest with uprooted trees as Wong summoned the Shield of the Seraphim for defense while Strange opened a portal into which Bruce fell for his safety and half of a cab fell over him.**

"We need to sort things out." Bruce muttered.

**Tony flew back and pushed a car Maw had thrown back at him which he split into two by raising his hand.**

"It's like you cut it with a laser." A pale Wanda said to Vision.

"This guy is the most powerful member in Thanos' group." Steve said.

"No kidding." Bucky agreed.

**Tony told Strange to get the Stone away but he said it stayed with him. Tony flew, avoiding all of Maw's obstacles when Cull threw his chain hammer and it crashed Tony through a building into the park where Bruce was. Bruce asked if he was all right and Tony asked if he would help out but Bruce said Hulk wasn't coming when Cull arrived and threw his hammer again but Tony pushed Bruce away.**

"These guys pack a big wallop." Scott said.

**Tony then flew and fired a beam which deflected from Cull's shield, slicing down trees. Bruce barely evaded one and started slapping himself, telling Hulk to come out. His face transformed into Hulk and roared, "NOOOOOOO!" He transformed back to normal and asked, "What do you mean 'no?'"**

"He is throwing a tantrum like a kid, really?" Bucky asked.

"I have no idea why." Bruce said, though deep down he was figuring it out.

"No problem bro." Tony said.

**Tony was knocked down by Cull who was about to hit again when someone stopped his hammer. It was Spider-Man. "Hey man." He said before turning around, "What's up, Mr. Stark?"**

"Spider-Man has come to the rescue." Peter said as all laughed and clapped. May grasped his hand tightly though.

"You're so strong, kid." Steve said, "Impressive."

"Thanks." He said.

**Tony asked where he had come from and he was about to tell about a field trip when Cull threw him off.**

"Pay attention!" Tony said as all paled, especially May.

**Tony and Peter fought Cull as Peter asked what his problem was and Tony said he was from space and was trying to steal a necklace from a wizard.**

"That covers it." Hill said dryly.

**Cull threw up a cab and Peter grabbed it with webbing and smashed it on him.**

"Nice!" Tony said and all clapped.

**Maw lifted several bricks and turning them into sharp points fired at Strange and Wong. They opened portals to defend themselves and boomeranged them back at him. Maw defended himself with a car but his face was still hit by one. Angrily, he used a broken fire hydrant's stream to throw Wong back, knocking him out.**

"Now he's pissed." Rhodes said and all paled.

**Strange restrained Maw with a whip but Maw flew at him and pinned Strange to a building, trapping him with bricks, saying he must be popular with the children. He tried to take the Eye of Agamotto but his hand was burnt as Strange said it was an unbreakable spell.**

"Take that!" Scott said.

**Maw said he'd take it off his corpse and threw him down. Strange was about to use the Time Stone when utility cables restrained him and threw him down. The tightness knocked him out as Maw raised the pavement but the Cloak of Levitation flew him away.**

"Yes!" Sam said and all sighed in relief.

**Tony and Peter fought Cull when Strange flew by them and Tony told Peter to help him. Peter swung after them but Maw threw him back with a board. Peter swung again as the Cloak was stopped by a pole which Maw had put in the way. Peter webbed Strange and tried to save him as he held onto a pole but Maw broke it with telekinesis and they were all beamed up to Peter's shock as he informed Stark.**

"NO!" May said and all paled.

"What the hell?" Sam said.

"He's taken you all." Steve sighed.

"Why did I have to ask you to help me?" Tony said guiltily.

"It's no use now." Pepper said gently.

"It hasn't happened yet." Benjamin said.

"I'm in a spaceship." Peter muttered.

**Tony was restrained by the hammer which was now a claw. Cull leapt at him with a blade when a portal opened and he was thrown into snow. He tried to jump back up but Wong closed the portal, cutting off his hand. Tony broke the restraints and said Wong was invited to his wedding before flying back up.**

"Yeah he is." Pepper agreed as all smirked.

"These Wizards are pretty good." Tony said.

**Tony then flew towards the ship, increasing speed with FRIDAY's help as the foot thrusters transformed to a larger jet.**

"This thing rocks." Scott said.

**Maw walked to the ship controls which Strange's unconscious body floating behind him and prepared to take off. Tony asked to unlock 17:A and a suit flew out of the Compound.**

"Is that…..?" Peter asked.

"Yup." Tony said.

"For…?"

"Yup."

**Tony told Peter to let go but he said Tony had asked to save the Wizard.**

"Not at the cost of your life!" Tony snapped and Peter looked sheepish as May held him.

**Tony said he was running out of air and Peter said it made sense as he started falling but the suit wrapped around him and a red and black suit with the Spider symbol on it appeared as Peter stood up and said it smelled like a new car.**

"The Iron Spider is born." Benjamin said and all clapped.

"That looks so good on you." May said and he smiled.

"It does." Natasha agreed.

**Tony said 'Happy trails' and asked FRIDAY to take him back as the parachute opened and sent him back.**

"Thank you." May said to Stark and he nodded.

"You can fight Earth stuff. But against that, it's a no-no." Tony said to Peter who nodded sheepishly.

**Tony cut a hole into the ship and walked in as Pepper called and asked what was going on. Tony said they might need to push dinner as he wouldn't make it back. She asked if he was on the ship and he apologized. She asked him to come back but the call was cut due to poor signal.**

"I'm sorry honey." Tony said apologetically.

"I understand." She smiled as they held hands, "I hope the one in the recording does too."

**Peter had shot a web to the ship and climbed back, foiling Tony's attempt. He clambered into the closing chamber and as he saw the receding planet, he said he should have stayed on the bus.**

"Yeah you should have!" Tony snapped, "Are you serious? You came back again?"

"Why are you so stubborn?" May asked and he looked sheepish.

"Please, don't make me worry like that!" Tony begged while May held him tightly again in concern.

"I'm grounded, right?" He joked and both Tony and May chuckled.

**Maw started the mechanism and the ship was accelerated to hyperspace.**

"Now you're all gone." Clint sighed while all looked in anticipation.

**Bruce found the flip phone on Earth and picked it up as Wong walked into the portal and said the New York Sanctum was unguarded. "I'm gonna make a call." Bruce said and Wong nodded before closing the portal. Bruce looked at Steve's name and made the call.**

"Finally!" Sam said as all looked at Bruce.

"Now we will enter I guess." Natasha said.

"We all should have been together when this happened." Steve said, "But because of Ross, the Accords and our own mistakes, we weren't. Sorry Tony."

"I'm sorry too Cap." Tony said, "But now we will be together."

"You better be. I've got my eye on you lot." Fury said.

"This has just begun." Logan said as the recording continued.

* * *

**Finished. I covered a lot didn't I? Hope the reactions were well done.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	90. Guardians in Knowhere

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Glad you liked the reactions and sorry about the tears. Yes Thor is and praise Odinson and Loki. Glad you were reminded of their comic friendship. Yes Thanos was too much and I don't remember either on World War Hulk. Yes, I agree on why Strange never used the Time Stone. Actually I saw a theory which said there were more ways to win but Strange died in the final fight in Endgame in those scenarios and failed to see how the heroes succeeded because like Ancient One, he couldn't see past his own death, so he rejected those possibilities. A bit flawed but makes sense. Yeah, all of that was gold and yeah, bask before Mark 50's greatness. I agree that we saw more of it than Mark 85 so we love it more. Sif was dusted in the Snap and so were Betty, Sharon and Galaga Guy. It just happened off-screen. I have no idea why Captain/Ms Marvel's logo was on Cull. Yes I'm gonna mention. Yes Thanos really was and he is a dictionary of quotes. You're right to expect teasing. I hoped so too but like you, said hard to incorporate X-Men. I wonder too and I'll point it out on Gamora. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Guestie: Thanks for the review and glad to hear you're excited and don't blame you.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. She'll break up with him but she still does care about the guy. **

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Yes Sif will and I agree on Hulk. That's what I said in last chapter, he was tired of being used by Bruce. Yes Tony will and I was just restraining Thor with my writing.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Yes they will. The all-female scene was contrived, stupid and senseless to be honest.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. I will watch the episode tomorrow.**

**Hell'sAngel666: Thanks for the review. Glad this was great and you're welcome. Glad you love that and found it great. Enjoy.**

Chapter 90- Guardians in Knowhere

"What's gonna happen now?" Tony wondered.

"Now some old friends will return." Odinson said and all wondered who he was talking about.

**In Space, the Benatar was flying as 'Rubberband Man' played. Inside, Peter Quill was chair-dancing and lip-syncing to the song with Gamora while Drax was sleeping and Rocket was yawning. Mantis just sat there as Teen Groot was playing a video game.**

"Oh! Them!" Scott said and all burst out into joyful smiles on seeing them again.

"Been a while since they appeared after their two recordings." Natasha said.

"With Thanos coming around, they are gonna be involved as well." Steve said.

"Sounds right to me." Fury said.

**Rocket asked why they were doing this as Gamora said it was a distress signal and someone could be dying and Rocket asked why they were doing it again so Quill said because they were nice and the person would give them cheddar cheese for help.**

"All these years and they're still the same." Bruce said and all groaned.

"Only Gamora has sense out of them all." Clint said.

"And Quill has bits of it." Thor said.

"Distress signal?" Loki said out loud and they realized what was about to happen.

**Gamora added it wasn't the point and Quill agreed as he said they would take his ship if he didn't pony up. Gamora looked at Quill with a raised eyebrow but he shrugged.**

"There is nothing for you to take." Thor said sadly.

**Mantis said they were arriving and Quill told them to put on their mean faces, which Mantis did.**

"You look very mean." Hill joked and all chuckled.

**Groot was still playing his game and Quill told him to put it away.**

"The Defenders game." Peter said.

"**I am Groot." Groot said and everyone was shocked, with Rocket telling him to mind his language.**

"What did he say?" Sam asked.

"He said 'Fuck you, asshole." Odinson said.

"Arnold Schwarzenegger style." Logan added and all laughed.

**Rocket said Groot was a d-hole now and he'd smash the game to pieces if this was kept up. The Benatar decelerated into regular space and they saw Thanos' devastation in front of them. Bodies were seen floating around with pieces of the destroyed ship.**

Everyone tensed again, the funny atmosphere all gone.

"My people." Thor muttered.

"They got the signal." Hope said.

**Mantis asked what had happened and Rocket said they weren't getting paid as Gamora looked around and realized who had done this. And then Thor's body hit the ship's hull with a thump, startling them all as Rocket asked to get it off with wipers but Thor's eye opened and they gasped.**

"You're alive!" A relieved May said as all sighed in relief.

"Of course I am." Odinson said.

"Still, nice to see you're back." Pepper said.

"I don't think you will be well though." Loki said as he put a hand on Thor's shoulder in concern and he nodded in appreciation.

**The Guardians later put Thor on a table as Quill wondered how this 'dude' was still alive and Drax said he wasn't a dude but Quill was while Thor was a handsome, muscular man.**

"Please kill me." Thor groaned.

"He has a crush!" Hope said and all laughed.

"You two would look good together." Loki joked and all laughed while Thor and Odinson sighed.

"Well, you are a handsome, muscular man." May muttered, only for all to stare at her. Peter and Benjamin looked incredulous.

"Never mind." She said.

**Quill said he was muscular but Rocket said he was one sandwich away from fat and Drax said he had gained a little weight. **

"He looks the same to me." Bucky shrugged.

**Gamora moved around the table and looked at Thor as Mantis put a hand on his head and said he was anxious, angry and felt tremendous loss and guilt.**

"I'm sorry." Steve said as all looked at him in sympathy.

"Don't blame yourself." Loki said to Thor and Odinson, "It was my choice."

**Drax said it was like a pirate had a baby with an angel.**

Everyone burst out laughing until Fury said, "Focus!"

**Quill said he was gonna commit and get some dumbbells. Rocket remarked one couldn't eat those as Gamora lifted Thor's bicep and remarked how they were made of Cotati Metal Fibres. Quill told her to stop massaging his muscles and she dropped it.**

"Someone's jealous." Wanda said as all chuckled again.

"What is it about me?" Odinson said again.

**Quill asked Mantis to wake him and she did with her powers. Thor shot out of the table violently before noticing them behind him and asked, "Who the hell are you guys?"**

"The Guardians of the Galaxy." Tony said.

**Later, Thor was eating soup with a towel wrapped around him as Gamora said, "The entire time I knew Thanos, he only ever had one goal. To bring balance to the universe by wiping out half of all life. He used to kill people planet by planet, massacre by massacre." Drax added, "Including my own." Gamora said, "If he gets all six Infinity Stones... he can do it with the snap of his fingers", she snapped her fingers to emphasize her point, "….like this."**

"And kill half of all life." Rhodes said with everyone pale and tense.

"Even if we just stop him from taking one, this won't happen." Sam said.

"Destroy my Stone." Vision said selflessly.

"No." Wanda said as all turned to him, "It will kill you."

"We won't destroy you." Steve said.

"Captain Rogers, you were willing to give your life to save millions, how is this any different?" Vision asked.

"We don't trade lives." Steve said.

"Especially not of those we care about." Tony said.

**Thor noted Gamora knew a lot about Thanos and Drax revealed she was his daughter. Everyone was alarmed as Thor looked at her angrily.**

"By Odin, I hope he doesn't do something I will regret." Thor said about his on-screen self.

"He doesn't look happy." Peter noted.

**Thor got up and growled her father had killed his brother. Quill said he was a stepfather and she hated him as much as him. Gamora looked nervous but Thor's gaze softened and he clapped her shoulder, saying families could be tough, saying his father had told him he had a half-sister in Hel before his death.**

Everyone sighed in relief as Tony said, "You two are relating."

"Both of us have messed up families." Odinson said.

**Thor then said how she had returned and stabbed him in the eye so he had to kill her and this was life, going round and round and he felt her pain.**

Everyone looked at the two in sympathy.

**A jealous Quill moved between the two, saying it wasn't a competition but he had been through a lot too, with his father killing his mother and him having to kill his father which was harder than killing a sister and he came out with both eyes.**

"You're making it look like a competition." Wanda said in amusement.

"Well, he has been through a lot." Thor simply said.

"All of us have messed up families." Loki said.

**Thor said he needed a hammer, not a spoon as he started fiddling with a console. He asked how to open this thing and when Quill, asked he said he was taking their pod.**

"You woke up and you're taking their pod." Pepper said.

"What a boss!" Hill added and all chuckled.

**Quill deepened his voice and said he wouldn't be taking their pod.**

"Now he is trying to match your voice." T'Challa said to Thor while all were amused.

"He feels jealous and short in front of the seductive God of Thunder." May said and all stared at her incredulously again, "I'll just shut up."

"I can't believe this." Peter groaned.

"I'm scarred." Benjamin groaned too.

**Rocket asked if he was making his voice deeper. Quill denied but Drax said he was imitating God-man. Quill denied and again and Mantis said with a gasp he did it again. Quill said this was his voice. Thor strode up to him and towered over him, being taller and stronger and asked if he was mocking him. **

"Now you're dead, Quill." Hope said.

**Quill asked back if Thor was mocking him as the two started complaining.**

"They almost drove me mad." Odinson said.

"I can see that." Loki said.

**Gamora told them to stop and said they needed to know where Thanos was going next. Thor said he was going to Knowhere and Mantis said he had to be going somewhere when Quill realized he was talking about Knowhere.**

"The Reality Stone." Natasha said in realization.

"Easiest Stone to get right now." Tony said.

**Thor rummaged through their stores and took their food, annoying Quill as Gamora asked why Thanos would go to Knowhere and Thor said the Reality Stone had been stored safely with the Collector. Quill said only an idiot would leave it with him but Thor said a genius might too.**

"I have no idea." Fury said.

**Gamora asked how he knew Thanos wasn't going for the other Stones and Thor said Thanos had stolen the Power Stone last week after decimating Xandar and stolen the Space Stone from him after slaughtering half his people while the Time and Mind Stones were on Earth, safe with the Avengers.**

"He'll come for me when he has the other five." Vision realized as Wanda wrapped an arm around him.

"Looks like he saw the Time Stone with Strange." Steve mused.

**Quill didn't know the Avengers and Thor explained they were the Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Mantis asked if Kevin Bacon was one and Thor said he might be but he had no idea.**

"You still have a lot to learn." Clint noted while all laughed.

"Then teach me." Thor said.

**Thor said no one knew where the Soul Stone was so Thanos won't get it. Gamora made a face.**

"She knows." Natasha said as realization hit everyone.

"She found out and is hiding it from everyone." Tony said.

**Thor said Thanos would go to Knowhere to get the Reality Stone and Gamora decided to go there but Thor said they would go to Nidavellir. Drax said it was a made-up word and Thor said all words were made-up.**

"That is true." Peter quipped.

**Rocket was awed that Nidavellir was real, remembering the legendary weapons and decided he wanted to go there. Thor said the rabbit was correct and the smartest of them all, while Rocket was confused on being called 'Rabbit.'**

"And now he has been called a rabbit too." Fury noted.

**Thor said only Eitri the Dwarf King could make the needed weapon and asked Rocket if he was captain. Rocket said he was perceptive as Thor said he was a noble leader and asked him to join his quest. Rocket sarcastically said he'd ask the captain before saying he was and moved with them.**

"He is still so full of himself." Sam said and all laughed.

"And I think he is a leader." Thor frowned.

"Not my best moment." Odinson said.

**Quill said he was captain but Thor shut him up and took his backpack too as Rocket told him to sit down. Quill asked what kind of weapon they were talking about. Thor said the 'Thanos-killing kind.' Quill said they should all have one but Thor said they lacked the strength to wield it and their bodies would crumble as their minds collapsed.**

"Stormbreaker." Thor's eye lit up.

"Stormbreaker." Odinson confirmed.

"Does that have an enchantment?" Steve asked.

"No." Odinson said, "But it is too powerful for mortals."

**Rocket asked if it was weird he wanted to do it more and Thor said a little as Gamora said they needed to go to Knowhere to stop Thanos or he'd be too powerful. Thor said he already was and Rocket said they had 2 ships and a large assortment of morons so him and Groot would go with the pirate-angel while the morons would go to Knowhere. Quill said he knew Rocket was going to Nidavellir because Thanos wasn't there.**

"Busted." Hill smiled.

**Rocket told Quill not to talk to his captain that way and told Groot to come with him and put the game away or it would rot his brain. They sat in the pod as Thor called them 'morons' and said good luck before bidding them farewell as the pod closed and flew off.**

"You insulted them without even knowing it. Nice!" Logan said as all laughed.

**Wanda and a human Vision were in a room together in Scotland, hiding out as the Mind Stone glowed and Wanda asked if it was the Stone again. Vision said it was speaking to him as she walked to him and asked what it said. He said he didn't know but felt something. Wanda used her powers but just felt him so they kissed.**

Wanda looked a bit uncomfortable and so did Benjamin but they rolled with it as Rhodes said, "The Stone is working."

"What happened to your accent?" Tony suddenly asked Wanda.

"I phased it out." Natasha said and all chuckled.

"You can turn into a human?" A shocked Sam asked Vision.

"Yes, I learnt to do it recently." Vision said.

**Later, the two were strolling down the streets as Wanda said he could have a 10 AM train so they could spend more time together. Vision asked what if he missed it. She said there was one for 11 AM. He asked what if he missed all the trains and didn't go back. She reminded he had given Stark his word but he said he'd rather give it to her.**

"As much as I appreciate it, Viz", an uncomfortable Wanda said, "Stark needs you too."

"Right you are." Vision agreed, puzzled by his behavior just like the others.

**Wanda said people were expecting her too and they'd made promises. Vision said for 2 years they had stolen these moments and insisted her to stay with him before realizing he was overstepping.**

"Give her a moment to think for God's sake." Clint said with a glare at Vision who wisely didn't say a word.

**Wanda and Vision then looked at the news on the TV at the kebab shop, with a picture of Tony Stark as the alien attacks were spoken of.**

The atmosphere was tense again as Steve said, "I really hope all of you return to Earth safely."

"I hope so too." May said, holding Peter tightly.

"Wizard must be rescued first." Tony said.

**Wanda asked what they were and Vision said what the Stone was warning him about. He decided he needed to go but Wanda said it wasn't the best idea. Vision was about to respond when Corvus Glaive stabbed him from behind and lifted him up, making him scream in pain as his real form appeared while Wanda screamed, "Vision!"**

"Oh boy!" Peter said as all gasped in horror.

"Vision!" Wanda screamed just like her on-screen self.

"How did that thing penetrate you?" Tony wondered.

"They actually snuck up on you." Natasha said, worry flooding her.

"No, no, no." Steve was muttering.

**Wanda was about to attack when Proxima Midnight blasted her away from behind, knocking her across the street and a window.**

"Damn it!" Sam said.

"I'm gonna kill her." Clint sneered at Midnight.

**Vision struggled to his feet as Glaive and Midnight pinned him down and the former dug his glaive into Vision's forehead, trying to rip out the Mind Stone. Vision yelled in agony.**

Everyone pressed their fists angrily, glaring into the two as Wanda was almost in tears. The relationship wasn't going to work out, but she still cared for Vision.

**Wanda got up and shot out two hex blasts, throwing them both back before grabbing Vision with telekinesis and propelling them both into the air, soaring over a building to another street. She landed on the ground as Vision tumbled and she swiftly brought him to her.**

"That's my girl." Clint said as all sighed in relief.

"Very good." Natasha said and she smiled.

"These things do not look like they want to give up." T'Challa said.

**Vision said the blade had stopped him from phasing to her shock as his systems were failing.**

"How can that be?" Bruce asked, "You weren't supposed to be fallible."

"These aliens have ways of extracting Stones." Vision simply said.

**Wanda knit his wound back together with magic as Vision joked they should have stayed in bed.**

"Not the time." Natasha said as all groaned while Wanda and Benjamin looked uncomfortable.

**Glaive suddenly appeared and knocked Wanda aside as Vision angrily grabbed him and flew them both up, slamming into several walls. Glaive pinned Vision against a wall and said they'd spare Wanda if he gave up the Stone. Growling angrily, Vision pushed off the wall and flew Glaive to the roof of a church, ricocheting off the church onto the roof.**

"Now he's pissed." Rhodes said.

"Would that work?" Pepper asked and all tensed again.

**Wanda and Midnight fight, evenly matched before Midnight blasts Wanda away with her spear. She leapt down, trying to slash Wanda but was held back by her powers.**

Everyone was on the edge of their seats.

**Vision pinned Glaive against the tower and started pummeling him before throwing him across the roof. He then fired a beam from the Mind Stone but Glaive deflected and split it into several beams that hit the surrounding area. Wanda and Midnight were still fighting and narrowly avoided one. **

Everyone gasped in shock as Hope asked, "What is that glaive made of?"

"Alien tech." Tony simply said.

**Glaive redirected all beams at Vision, sending him back. Wanda blocked another strike from Midnight and hearing Vision's cry, she threw Midnight over her into a burning lorry sliced in half by Vision's beam.**

"Take that!" Scott cheered as all clapped.

"Yes!" Peter cheered too.

"Now they'll get a taste of their own medicine." Clint smirked.

**Wanda flew up as Glaive tried to rip out the Mind Stone from Vision. He turned around as Wanda told him to get his hands off and blasted him into the church with a hex blast before grabbing Vision and flying off.**

"How do you like that?" Hope mocked as all cheered.

**Midnight fired a blast and Wanda tried to deflect but the impact made them both crash into the roof of a station. Wanda crawled over to Vision who begged her to leave but she said she was staying and asked him to get up which he couldn't. Glaive and Midnight crashed through the roof and advanced on the two with their weapons. Wanda stood up and stood protectively over Vision as her hands glowed red with magic.**

Everyone held their breaths, anticipation for what was going to follow high. Clint was especially worried about Wanda. None of them saw Benjamin, Odinson and Logan smirking.

**An express train passed behind Wanda and Midnight cocked her head to look at it. Wanda also looked over in confusion. As the train passed, a silhouette was seen on the far side of the platform.**

Everyone sighed in relief as they realized who it was standing there.

"Thank God." Clint muttered.

**Midnight threw her spear but the figure effortlessly caught it. Midnight glared as he then stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself to be a bearded, rugged and furious Steve Rogers. Wanda and Vision smiled in relief.**

"YES!" Peter cheered as all broke out into relieved applause.

"Best entrance ever!" Bruce said happily as the clapping continued.

"It was just epic." Sam said, "We're here."

"Thank you." Clint said gratefully.

"Thank you." Wanda said too as Vision nodded.

"Where did that beard come from?" Tony asked.

"I shave every week. It grows pretty fast." Steve said.

"Now we're beard bros." Tony said and Steve groaned.

"I'd never hear the end of it." Steve said.

"Nope." Bucky agreed.

"You like that look, don't you Hill?" Hope asked.

"I do actually." Hill said and Hope was shocked, "What? Cap asked me out. No need to be embarrassed now."

"I lost my biggest weapon." Hope groaned.

"Tough luck, Hope." Scott said.

"You have someone else to tease." Natasha said as she pointed at Steve who groaned.

**Sam Wilson swooped in and kicked Midnight across the platform through the café's gate. He fired at Glaive with small projectiles which he deflected with his glaive when Steve tossed Midnight's three-pronged spear to Natasha Romanoff who jumped into the fray.**

"The Secret Avengers have come." Logan said as all started cheering again.

"Wanda and Viz are saved." Tony sighed in relief.

**Natasha caught Glaive by surprise and ducking under his swing, stabbed him in the gut as he roared in pain and she knocked him away with a flying kick. **

"Now that is what makes me proud." Fury said as all clapped more.

"It looks epic." Benjamin said.

"That's my girl." Bucky said as the two exchanged a smile.

**Midnight rushed into the fight and summoned her weapon back into her hand and attacked. Steve leapt forward and rolling, grabbed Glaive's glaive to hold her off. Natasha joined with her batons and as the three deflected each other's attacks, Sam swooped in and kicked Midnight away. She crawled to Glaive as Sam held out his two Steyr SPP Pistols.**

"Now your ass is kicked." Scott said and all cheered again.

"Taste of your own medicine." Thor sneered, pleased to see them being beaten after what they had done to his people.

**Midnight begged Glaive to get up but he couldn't.**

"Oh my how the tables are turned." Tony said and all laughed.

"**We don't want to kill you, but we will." Natasha sneered but Midnight said they wouldn't get the chance again as the two were beamed up with Midnight's spear while the glaive was snatched from Steve's hand and beamed up too. The Q ship flew away.**

"Damn it!" Natasha said.

"And they got away." Steve sighed.

"They were pretty skilled and resourceful." Odinson pointed out.

"These children need to be dealt with carefully as well." T'Challa said and all nodded.

**Sam helped Vision back to his feet and he thanked Steve who nodded and said they'd get him on the jet.**

"This is why we stay together." Natasha grumbled to Wanda who looked sheepish.

"Sorry." She said.

"No going away next time." Steve said to her and she nodded.

**They were in the jet as Natasha said they were supposed to stay close and check in with no chances. Wanda apologized, saying they needed more time while Sam asked Steve where to. "Home." He said.**

"New York." Rhodes said in realization, "Now we need to table our feelings and fight Thanos."

"I hope they understand." Tony said about their on-screen versions.

"They will." Steve assured.

**In a flashback, a little Gamora was shown crying as a sobbing woman held her. A massacre was going on outside. Gamora screamed as the door was kicked open.**

"That Gamora?" Natasha asked and the future people nodded.

"Thanos." Fury said and all felt their hatred for the Mad Titan grow at what he was doing.

**The Chitauri and Leviathans massacred stuff outside as a Chitauri dragged Gamora but she hit it and it went somewhere else as an armored Thanos arrived and looked down on her.**

"Their first meeting." Vision realized as all watched.

**As Maw spoke in the background, Gamora asked where her mother was and Thanos asked her name. She said it was Gamora and Thanos said she was quite the fighter. He then kneeled down and showed her a two sided knife, balancing it on his fingers, "Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. Too much to one side or the other... " He asked her to try as Maw said, "Now, go in peace to meet your maker." The Chitauri slaughtered the people and Gamora tried to look but Thanos returned her attention to the knife.**

"This monster." Hill said as all were shocked and saddened by his slaughter again.

"And he killed half." Clint said as all noticed the people on the right hadn't been killed.

"He thinks he is doing some service to the Universe by balancing it but he is only making it worse." Steve said.

**The bodies lay as Gamora continued balancing the knife and Thanos said she was learning.**

"So you can make her do what you want." Natasha sneered, remembering what the Red Room had done to her as Bucky held her hand, uncomfortable himself as he remembered Hydra.

**In present day, Gamora was looking at the knife as Quill arrived and asked about some weapons he needed to hang from his belt. She said she had a favor to ask and he agreed. He tried to interrupt but apologized as she said, "If things go wrong... If Thanos gets me... I want you to promise me... you'll kill me."**

"WHAT?" Peter gasped as everyone's eyes went wide.

"But why?" May asked.

"She knows where the Soul Stone is." Fury said, "She doesn't want to tell Thanos."

"Then why go where he is?" Hope wondered.

"They were hoping to kill him by catching him by surprise." Logan said and they understood the reasoning.

"Still, pretty stupid if you ask me." Clint said.

"If he beat my brother, me and Hulk like that, they are no match for him." Loki said and all agreed, remembering that scene with shudders.

**Quill was shocked as Gamora said she knew something he didn't and if he found out, the entire Universe could be at risk. Quill said he should know too but Gamora said only if he wanted to die. Quill asked why somebody had to die in this scenario and she told him to trust her and possibly kill her. Quill joked he'd like to and she made him swear to her on his mother.**

"Can't get out of that." Tony said, remembering his own mother as Pepper held his hand.

**Quill agreed and the two kissed.**

"Looks like they got a relationship after all." Scott said.

**Then they heard crunching and turned to see Drax eating stuff. They asked how long he'd been there and he revealed an hour to their shock.**

"Is he serious?" Tony asked as all looked amused.

"Just watch." Benjamin said, struggling to control his laughter.

**Drax said, "I've mastered the ability of standing so incredibly still... that I become invisible to the eye. Watch."**

Everyone burst out laughing as Fury realized, "Teenage Treebeard did a number on him."

"Yeah, he can't see incredibly still stuff so he's trying it out." Sam said as the laughter continued.

**Quill said he was eating a zarg-nut and he said his movement was slow until Mantis greeted him while Quill and Gamora shook their heads. He walked off dejectedly.**

"Tough luck." Steve said as all laughed.

"This should be a meme." Peter said as the laughter increased.

**The Benatar arrived at Knowhere and flew over it as Quill said it looked deserted but Drax was reading movement. They stopped at the 3****rd**** Quadrant and snuck into Collector's museum.**

"Thanos is still there. They might stop him." Tony said as all sighed in relief but the future people knew what was about to happen.

**Quill raised his fist to stop the others but they walked past him.**

"You were supposed to raise it higher." Steve grumbled in annoyance.

"How have they survived so long?" Natasha wondered.

**Thanos was seen standing over Tivan and saying how he would sell his own brother if it added to his collection and knew he had the Reality Stone. Giving it to him would spare him a great deal of suffering. Tivan said he had sold it and asked why he would lie. Thanos said it was like breathing for him.**

"He is a greedy hoarder. He won't give up anything." Loki said. But for some reason, he could feel something off about the situation.

**As Thanos continued interrogating Tivan, Drax brandished his knives and said Thanos would pay for the deaths of his wife and daughter while Quill tried to stop him.**

"Control yourself!" Tony snapped, not wanting Drax to make the same mistake as him in an even worse situation while all were tense.

**Quill tried to stop Drax and reason but he muscled past him and was about to attack till Mantis put a hand on his head and made him sleep. He fell to the ground with a clang which Thanos heard.**

Everyone gasped as Rhodes said, "Oh no."

"He's alert now." Thor sighed.

**As Thanos threw Tivan off, Quill told Gamora and Mantis to go right but Gamora still charged and leapt at Thanos. She struck him with her blade but he grabbed and shattered it. She still managed to stab him in the neck with the broken and piece and taking out the dagger he had made her balance all those years ago, stabbed him in the heart.**

"She did it!" Peter sighed in relief.

"It was easy." Steve said, "Too easy."

"Thanos isn't sloppy." Thor agreed and all paled again as they remembered Vision's fate.

"Damn it!" Sam said.

**Blood poured out of Thanos' mouth as he collapsed and died, asking why Gamora as she sobbed while Quill noted that was quick and Tivan started clapping, saying it was magnificent.**

"Shut the fuck up!" Logan said, annoyed by him while all were tense again.

"**Is that sadness I sense in you, daughter?" Thanos' voice suddenly spoke as Gamora looked up in shock.**

"What the hell?" Scott gasped as all were horrified.

"I called it." Loki said.

"**In my heart, I knew you still cared."The voice said as the dead Thanos and the surroundings faded with Tivan, revealing the entire place burning badly and destroyed.**

"Thanos already got the Reality Stone." Steve sighed and all paled even worse.

"Three now damn it!" Tony said as Pepper held his arm for comfort.

"He is too powerful now." Bruce said, tense.

"**But one never knows for sure. Reality is often disappointing." Thanos said as he finally appeared, "That is, it was. Now... reality can be whatever I want." He revealed the Reality Stone in the Infinity Gauntlet with the Power Stone and the Space Stone.**

"Oh no." Natasha said and all sighed, "He is taking them all one by one."

"You all have to stop him before he gets them." Fury said, "Together."

They nodded firmly.

**Gamora realized he'd known she'd come and Thanos said he'd counted on it, saying they needed to discuss something as he disarmed and grabbed her.**

"He knows that she knows." Clint said and all felt a pit in their stomachs.

**Drax roared at him but Thanos used to the Reality Stone to turn him into pieces and a scared Mantis into strips.**

"What the fuck?!" Hill said as all watched, horrified.

"If he can do that, then he already has mastered these Stones already." Thor said, remembering even Malekith had failed to do that.

"Yes, he has studied them a lot and is a fast learner." Odinson sighed.

**Quill arrived, pointing his blaster at Thanos, telling him to let her go and calling him 'grimace.' Thanos recognized him as the boyfriend but Quill joked he was the Titan killing long-term booty call and said he'd blow the nutsack off his face. Gamora reminded him of the promise and he lowered the blaster to her face reluctantly.**

"Will he do it?" Tony asked as horror and sadness for Quill and Gamora filled everyone.

**Thanos said Gamora expected too much from him and pushed her into the blaster, telling Quill to do it. Quill angrily said how he had told her to go left. "I love you, more than anything." Gamora said. "I love you too." Quill said and pulled the trigger but only bubbles flew out as Thanos had used the Reality Stone and the blaster turned to bubbles as well.**

"He was just playing a psychological sick game." Natasha said as all glared at Thanos with anger and disgust.

"I keep hating him more and more every second." Scott said.

"**I like him." Thanos said before opening a portal with the Space Stone and disappearing with Gamora.**

"Oh shit!" Sam said as now Thanos had 3 Stones as well as Gamora.

"He will do anything to make her talk." T'Challa said sadly.

"Was he serious when he said he liked Quill or was he joking?" Tony asked.

"He was serious." Odinson said before quoting Thanos to his own disgust, "Because the hardest choices require the strongest wills."

**Quill looked around in stunned disbelief as Drax and Mantis reformed and got up while Quill picked up Gamora's broken blade as Knowhere burnt around him.**

"Another world destroyed." Bucky said as all watched sadly.

**The Quinjet descended near the Compound as Rhodes was in a holographic meeting with Ross and other officials. Ross asked if there was no word on Vision and he said satellites had lost him over Edinburgh. Ross added he was with four criminals in a stolen Quinjet as Rhodes said they were criminals because he had chosen to call them that. An annoyed Ross said how Rhodes' talent for horseshit rivaled his own.**

"No, nothing rivals you." Tony said as all groaned angrily on seeing him again.

"This Secretary Jackass." Logan groaned.

**Rhodes said Vision would have been here if not for the Accords and Ross asked if he was having second thoughts. "Not anymore." Rhodes said as Steve, Natasha, Sam, Wanda and Vision arrived. Ross said they had some nerve and Natasha said how he could use some of that. "The world's on fire and you think all is forgiven?" Ross asked.**

"Is this guy serious?" Rhodes asked as all were stunned by his response, "Aliens are attacking and he still wants to arrest you guys to show off his power?"

"I can understand wanting to arrest us, but maybe do it after Thanos is dealt with." Steve said and all nodded.

"**I'm not looking for forgiveness. And I'm way past asking permission. Earth just lost her best defender. So we're here to fight. And if you wanna stand in our way... we'll fight you too." Steve declared firmly as he held Ross' gaze.**

"Awesome response, Cap." Clint said and all started clapping while Steve smiled humbly.

"How do you like that, Secretary Jackass?" Tony asked mockingly and all laughed, "You really consider me Earth's best defender?"

"Yes." Steve said respectfully, "I am the leader but I do like the ideas you have to defend Earth. If they're discussed with the team, they might even be perfectly executed. So you are the Earth's best defender."

"Thanks Cap." Tony said humbly too, flattered by the praise.

**Ross asked Rhodes to arrest them and he was all over it as he shut the meeting off and said this was a court-martial. Steve happily shook his hand as Natasha hugged him and he said they looked like crap. Sam joked the hotels weren't exactly five star.**

"No. Three was the best we got." Sam joked and all laughed.

"At least he knows what's important." Rhodes said about his on-screen self and all nodded, happy that this reunion had gone well.

**Bruce arrived and said they looked great as they looked at him in shock and he said he was back. Natasha greeted him as Sam said this would be awkward.**

"Yeah, the cringe is killing me already." Natasha joked and all laughed.

"Me too. What were we thinking?" Bruce wondered.

"Stop talking about it!" Tony said as the laughter increased.

**They stood together as Rhodes said they were coming back and Wanda added they could find them. Bruce asked where Clint was and Natasha answered, "After the whole Accords situation, he and Scott took a deal. It was too tough on their families. They're on house arrest."**

"Yeah, I am." Clint said.

"I still if I remember right." Scott said, "Though it's about to get over."

"So we're not in these." Clint said and the future people nodded.

**Bruce asked who Scott was and Steve said he was Ant-Man. "There's an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?" Bruce asked.**

"He missed a lot." Bruce joked and all chuckled.

"Bug bros." Scott said and shared a chuckle with Peter and Benjamin.

**Bruce said Thanos had the biggest army in the Universe and wouldn't stop till he got Vision's Stone. Natasha said they had to protect it but Vision said they had to destroy it. **

"Here we go again." Tony said and all tensed, knowing the coming conversation.

"**I've been giving a good deal of thought to this entity in my head. About its nature. But also its composition. I think if it were exposed to a sufficiently powerful energy source... something very similar to its own signature, perhaps... its molecular integrity could fail." Vision said as he looked at Wanda. **

"You want me to kill you?" She asked in horror, "No!"

"It's the only way." He said.

"No!" She said again.

"**Yeah, and you with it." Wanda said, "We're not having this conversation." "Eliminating the stone is the only way to be certain that Thanos can't get it." Vision said. "That's too high a price." Wanda said. "Only you have the power to pay it." He said as he put his hands around her but she walked away, "Thanos threatens half the universe. One life cannot stand in the way of defeating him." **

"I can't do it." Wanda shook her head as all watched her and Vision with sympathy.

"**But it should." Steve said, "We don't trade lives, Vision." **

"No we don't." Steve agreed with his on-screen self.

"**Captain, 70 years ago, you laid down your life... to save how many millions of people?" Vision said, "Tell me, why is this any different?" "Because you might have a choice." Bruce said as all looked at him, "Your mind is made up of a complex construct of overlays. Jarvis, Ultron, Tony, me, the stone. All of them mixed together, all of them learning from one another." "You're saying Vision isn't just the Stone?" Wanda asked. **

"No, you are a sum of many parts." Tony said, "A lot of stuff mixed together. You're right, Bruce."

"It is a difficult process though." Bruce said.

"**I'm saying that if we take out the stone... there's still a whole lot of Vision left. Perhaps the best parts." Bruce said. Natasha asked if they could do that but he said not here and Rhodes said Ross wouldn't let them have their old stuff back. Steve looked up and said, "I know somewhere."**

"Wakanda." T'Challa realized with a smirk.

"Yes. Wakanda." Steve agreed.

**In Wakanda, T'Challa and Okoye walked together and spoke in Xhosa, saying the Kingsguard and Dora Milaje had been alerted and they had to send word to the remaining Border Tribe as well as the Jabbari as M'Baku liked a good fight. "And what of this one?" Okoye asked. "This one may be tired of war but the White Wolf has rested long enough." T'Challa said.**

"I'm in too." Bucky realized.

**A one-armed Bucky was feeding goats as a case was opened in front of him.**

"Where did the arm go?" Pepper asked.

"Prototype arms keep being changed until a final one is developed." Bucky said and she nodded.

**Bucky looked at a Vibranium arm inside the case.**

"Whoa!" Peter said as all looked awed.

"Thank you." Bucky said to T'Challa who nodded graciously.

"It was all I could do for you, Mr. Barnes." T'Challa said.

"**Where's the fight?" Bucky asked. "On its way." T'Challa said.**

"The biggest fight of our lives." Bucky said and all nodded, knowing this was about to get even worse.

"Let's keep watching." Logan said as the recording continued.

* * *

**Done finally. We're almost over 1 hour now.**

**And yesterday I was watching an interview of Arnold Schwarzenegger on Jimmy Kimmel Live and my stupid self finally realized something: Star-Lord is now the son-in-law of the Terminator. Damn it!**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. **


	91. Soul for a soul

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now we have over 500 favorites so thank you everyone again!**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes this is the calm and thanks for the correction on Thor. I corrected it. I meant Natasha phased the accent out of Wanda by training her because I'm sure that happened. Glad you love May being in love with Thor and the Spider-Men's reactions. I'd still prefer Tobey Maguire but I like John Hamm too. An author called Cornholio4 said he'd love for Andrew and Emma to cameo as MCU Peter's dead parents in a photo or something. I'd love that so much. Thanks for the banter idea. That will happen later for sure and yeah, Jackass can fuck off and…..never mind! They might have been made of Adamantium. Who knows? Yeah, Steve showing up was so epic and yeah, Midnight was shocked. No I didn't realize that on Chris Pratt till now which is weird as I'm a huge fan of actor-character jokes or different actors-same characters jokes. I just never thought of it as Star-Lord being Terminator's son-in-law till now is all. I do know he got married to Katherine and all that. As for what to give you, how about I tell you of the connection between Tolkien lore, Marvel lore and DC lore in advance if you want to know? Would be so much better than half of the Nicolas Cage. Or anything you ask that I can tell you. Enjoy.**

**marty munster: For what?**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. We'll see how much they change that opinion. In the movie they sure did, but they were ready to trade their own lives instead of that of the others.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. I actually do like Peter/MJ. Far From Home won me over regarding that one. But Peter/Wanda sounds like an interesting pairing and some very nice fanfics sold me on it so I decided to try it out is all. Glad you find this cool and Tony won't apologize at all now except maybe once later because it is unneeded.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. I will do it with Nat and Peter sometime and it sounds great. Thanks.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. We'll see. No, I still haven't seen 8x3 of Arrow because I'm short of time. I'll tell you when I do. I'm sure I will by next chapter.**

**Guest 5: Thanks for the review. Even if they're not in a relationship, Bruce did care about Nat as a friend and that's what I saw it as.**

**Hell'sAngel666: Thanks for the review. Glad this was great. Yeah they are. Glad to hear it. You're welcome.**

**Guestie: Uhhhhhhh….not Thanos. The Terminator. You know? Tall, handsome, thick Austrian accent because he is the Austrian Oak and one of the most inspirational people to ever exist.**

**Hermione Odinson: Not here. I liked the pairing in the first movie but the second movie killed it for me. I'll pair Thor with Sif because that makes the most sense.**

Chapter 91- Soul for a soul

"We're still in the ship." Tony said.

"That's what we're getting to." Logan told him.

**Strange was suspended in midair, a thousand needles pointed inches from his face as Maw said he'd never failed Thanos and there would be judgment if he reached Titan with the Time Stone still attached to Strange's mildly irritating being.**

"You're highly irritating, love child of Voldemort and Squidward." Tony said and all burst out laughing at his joke.

**The needles moved towards Strange, one piercing his cheek as he struggled not to scream while the spell protected the Stone.**

"He must be Thanos' favorite child." Steve said as all watched in horror and disgust, worried for Strange.

"And you're still there." May said as she held Peter tight.

**Tony was hidden up when the Cloak of Levitation tapped his shoulder, startling him as he called it a seriously loyal piece of outerwear.**

"You are mind-blown." Scott said as all chuckled.

"Which is a pretty hard thing these days." Pepper told him.

"Alternate universes would do it." Tony said as all chuckled.

"Not seen any of them till now." Benjamin said, though Reed had told him the theory some time ago.

"Hope it stays that way." Peter said, "Because that'd be too crazy."

"Don't get your hopes too high, kid." Logan told him.

**Then Peter hung upside down, startling Tony who was furious as Peter tried to explain and he said the suit was ridiculously intuitive so it was his fault.**

"What did you say?" Tony asked and Peter paled, "Maybe try listening sometimes! I made the suit fly you back. You webbed yourself back up."

"All of us are now taking responsibility for our actions." Bruce said to Peter, "You should too."

"Yeah, I shouldn't have said that. Sorry Mr. Stark." Benjamin apologized.

"Please don't do things like this." May said in a pleading tone as Peter held her hand.

**Tony was furious as he stepped towards Peter as he took that back and sputtered he was in space while Tony said this wasn't where he was supposed to be. It wasn't Coney Island or a field trip but a one-way ticket. They argued until Peter said, "You can't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man if there's no neighborhood." Tony stared at him.**

"Does that make sense?" Wanda wondered.

"It kind of does." Hope said.

"What is it about you, kid?" Natasha asked and he blushed.

**Peter admitted that didn't make sense as Tony grudgingly told him they had a situation.**

"Better make yourself useful now that you're there." Clint said and all nodded.

**Tony showed him Strange was in trouble and asked if he had a plan. Peter asked if he'd seen the really old movie called 'Aliens.'**

"I have!" Scott piped up.

"A movie again? Really kid?" Fury asked.

"Actually, I have seen that movie and I have a feeling I know your plan." Steve said.

"You guessed it right." Benjamin said.

"I'm getting good." Peter muttered.

**Strange was screaming as multiple pins impaled him and Maw said they had been made for microsurgery originally.**

"Ironic." Vision said and all nodded in agreement.

**Before he could continue, there was a bang behind him and turned to see Tony pointing his repulsors at him and in response to Maw's finished statement, he said Strange wasn't really his friend but saving his life was a professional courtesy.**

"Good enough for him I'm sure." Bucky said.

**Maw used his powers to lift up debris, saying Tony's powers were inconsequential compared to his but Tony retorted the kid had seen more movies and launched a missile from his shoulder, blowing a hole in the ship as Maw and the debris were sucked out. Strange was being sucked out too as the Cloak grabbed him but he slipped. Peter then grabbed him with a web and the suit produced four legs to help him hold Strange.**

"WHOA!" Peter said while everyone's jaws dropped again, "How much did you put into my suit?"

"Everything." Tony said.

"Thanks a lot." Peter said.

"Yeah, thank you." Benjamin agreed, grateful for this suit.

Rhodes mumbled some curses under his breath and everyone chuckled.

Tony started, "Look buddy-"

Rhodes cut him off by muttering gibberish.

"I will-"

Rhodes spoke gibberish again.

"Getting ba-"

Rhodes again spoke gibberish so Tony shut up.

"Got back at ya!" Rhodes said as all laughed, remembering when Tony had muttered gibberish to cut off Rhodes during the first recording of the Guardians.

**Peter used his legs to pull them both back while Tony fixed the hole with his suit's properties. Maw froze to death outside, the vacuum of space killing him. **

"Let off some steam, Maw." Sam joked and all burst out in laughter at the reference.

"One down, three to go." Pepper said of the children.

"Kid's a genius." Hill said and Peter blushed again.

"Dangerous plan but worked." Loki shrugged.

**Peter held out his hand to the Cloak, saying they hadn't met but it drifted away.**

"That thing is rude." May said as all glared at the Cloak.

"At least shake hands with the kid." Natasha agreed.

**The suit retracted back into the chestpiece as Strange said they needed to turn around and Tony said he wanted to run but Strange said he wanted to protect the Stone. Tony wanted Strange to thank him and he asked for nearly blasting him into space. Tony said he had saved Strange's magical ass.**

"You did." Pepper agreed, "I mean- he almost died but you did save him. He should be a little more grateful."

"Yeah he should." Tony agreed.

**Strange said he had no idea how Tony fitted his head into that helmet while Tony said Strange should have ducked out but he had refused, unlike everyone else in Tony's life.**

"Not everyone works for us, Mr. Stark." T'Challa said and he nodded.

**Tony said now they were in a flying donut billions of miles from Earth with no backup and Peter said he was backup but Tony said he was a stowaway so he should zip it up while the adults were talking.**

"What adults?" Thor asked and all laughed, "All of you are fighting like children."

"He's not wrong." Rhodes agreed.

**Strange asked if Peter was his ward but Peter said he wasn't.**

"Nope." May said firmly.

"**I'm Peter by the way." Peter said as he held out his hand. "Doctor Strange." Strange said. "Oh, you're using our made-up names." Peter said, "Um…I'm Spider-Man then."**

"But that's his real name." Scott said as all burst out laughing.

"How was I supposed to know?" Peter asked.

**Tony said the ship was on auto-pilot and Strange asked if they could control it. He asked if Tony could get them home but Tony said he wasn't sure he should.**

"Why?" Steve asked.

"I think I know what I'm planning." Tony realized.

"**Under no circumstances can we bring the Time Stone to Thanos." Strange said, "I don't think you quite understand what's at stake here." Tony asked, "What? No. It's you who doesn't understand...that Thanos has been inside my head for six years. Since he sent an army to New York and now he's back. And I don't know what to do."**

"He gave you nightmares, didn't he?" Steve asked.

"Yeah." Tony said.

"I'm sorry." Steve said and he nodded.

"**So I'm not so sure if it's a better plan to fight him on our turf or his...but you saw what they did, what they can do." Tony said, "At least on his turf, he's not expecting it. So I say we take the fight to him." Strange actually agreed.**

"You sure that's a good idea?" Fury asked as they all looked at him, "Thanos has 3 Infinity Stones by now, only 2 to your knowledge, but that is more than your one. And Strange doesn't look totally onboard. What if you try to stop him on Titan but he gets the Stone? What then?"

Tony sighed, realizing this plan was more flawed than they were all thinking, "You're right. Not the best idea."

"Yet you talked the Wizard into it." Peter muttered.

"Maybe he's a pushover too." Bruce muttered.

"Doesn't look like one." Thor said.

**Strange then said if it came to saving him, Peter or the Time Stone, he wouldn't hesitate to let either of them die as the fate of the Universe depended on it.**

"Really?" May asked as she grasped Peter tighter, "That's cold."

"I think this job has made him like that." Steve said.

Benjamin, Odinson and Logan knew what he was actually going to do though.

**Tony said Strange had good moral compass before walking to Peter and doing the knighting gesture like in medieval times, "Alright kid. You're an Avenger now." He walked off as Peter looked shocked before looking satisfied.**

"Oh my God!" Peter said, feeling awed, "You actually made me an Avenger."

"How do you feel?" Pepper asked.

"Huh." Peter said, "I thought I'd feel….happier."

"We let it get to our heads and now we realize it." Benjamin told him, "Perhaps that's the reason."

Peter nodded before saying, "Still, thanks a lot Mr. Stark. It means a lot to me."

Tony simply nodded, still unsure of his plan which was shaky.

**Gamora sat in the Sanctuary II as Thanos brought her a bowl, saying he'd thought she might be hungry. She took it from him and angrily threw it at his chair, shattering it, saying she always hated that chair. He said he'd hoped she'd sit on it one day.**

"In your dreams." Natasha sneered, once again remembering the Red Room and the madam and all the expectations they had had, to turn her into one of them.

**Gamora said she'd hated all of her life and Thanos said she'd told him that every day for 20 years.**

"Yet you didn't work on it. What a Grade A father." Scott said sarcastically, trying to control his anger.

"Not a father. A kidnapper." Clint corrected and the anger increased.

**Gamora said she'd been a child when Thanos had taken her. He said he had saved her but she said she was happy. Thanos said her people used to go to bed hungry and search for scraps. Her planet had been on the brink of collapse but he had stopped that and now children there knew full bellies and clear skies.**

"How can it be a paradise when you killed half of the people?" Pepper asked.

"He believes what he wants to." Tony said as all grew angrier, "People might live better lives, but what Thanos did won't ever go away."

**Gamora said he'd murdered half the planet but Thanos said it was a small price to pay for salvation. "YOU'RE INSANE!" She screamed.**

"Worse than insane. A total nutjob." Scott said.

"I know. What was I thinking working for him?" Loki wondered.

**Thanos said life needed correction and Gamora screamed, "YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" Thanos said, "I'm the only one who knows that. At least, I'm the only one with the will to act on it."**

"Call it whatever you want, it is mass murder on a universal scale." Steve said in anger and disgust.

"Mad men say everything to justify themselves." Thor said angrily, remembering his peoples' slaughter again, "But there is no justification."

**Thanos stood up and said she had the same will as him for a time, calling her daughter. "I'm not your daughter." She said, "Everything I hate about myself, you taught me." Thanos towered over her, "And in doing so, made you the fiercest woman in the galaxy."**

Natasha was shaking with rage at this point, though her expression remained neutral as she managed to control it. Steve, Bucky and Clint all cast sympathetic glances at her. This was exactly what the madam and everyone else in the Red Room used to say to justify themselves, saying they had made her a fierce woman, when they had brainwashed her into a monster, like Thanos had to Gamora. She could sympathize with Gamora because of that.

She rested her head on Bucky's shoulder and he let her, knowing she needed it.

**Thanos said he had trusted her to find the Soul Stone and she apologized for disappointing him but he said he wasn't disappointed at her not finding it.**

"Oh no." Clint said as a pit formed in everyone's stomachs.

"Now he will ask about the Soul Stone." Fury said.

**Thanos said she had found it and lied as a door opened behind them. Gamora walked into it and some metal bars opened to reveal two guards and in the center suspended in midair by a blue beam was…..Nebula!**

"Nebula!" Steve gasped as all were horrified.

"He captured her. Now he will threaten her." Natasha realized as she had her head back up.

"And he calls himself a savior." T'Challa said in disgust, "Torturing the woman he claims is his daughter."

"He's a sicko." Tony said.

"**Nebula." Gamora whispered as she touched her and begged Thanos not to do this. Thanos said she had snuck aboard the ship some time ago to kill him and almost succeeded so he had brought her here to talk.**

"She almost succeeded?" Clint asked and Odinson nodded, "Must have been good. But not good enough."

He sighed sadly.

**Thanos activated the Power and Space Stones, pulling Nebula's metal parts as she screamed.**

Everyone watched with heavy breaths, saddened and horrified for Nebula while their hatred for Thanos reached a new peak.

"You're going to die for that." Thor sneered like his on-screen self had and hoped he had died brutally in the original timeline.

**Gamora begged Thanos to stop, grabbing the Gauntlet and pulling it down, swearing she had never found the Soul Stone. Thanos nodded at a guard and he pressed a button, revealing holographic footage from Nebula's headpiece. Memory files were accessed.**

"Damn it!" Sam said and all paled.

**Nebula's voice said Thanos was going for all the Stones but Gamora said he could never get them all as she had found the map to the Soul Stone and burnt it to ash.**

"Now he knows." Hope said and the mood plummeted even more.

**The video paused as Gamora looked down in defeat and Thanos said she was strong and generous because of him.**

"How is he generous?" Scott asked disgustedly.

**Thanos said he'd never taught her to lie so she was bad at it. He asked where the Soul Stone was and on getting no response, he used the Power and Space Stones to torture Nebula again. She screamed louder than before as Gamora struggled not to cry.**

Everyone tensed and paled, getting flashbacks to when Thor had been tortured in the first scene to get Loki to give up the Teserract.

"**Vormir!" Gamora relented finally. Thanos stopped as Gamora stroked Nebula's cheek and said the Stone was on Vormir. "Show me." Thanos said.**

"Just like me." Loki whispered as all stared at the screen sadly.

"He will do anything to get what he wants and still claim to be righteous." Odinson said angrily.

**In the pod, Rocket and Groot were sitting as the former flew it while Thor was standing and looking the other way. Rocket and Groot were bickering when Thor interrupted, translating one of Groot's sentences and Rocket was shocked that he spoke Groot. Thor said they'd taught it on Asgard as an elective.**

"Is it even true?" Steve asked as all struggled to contain their amusement.

"No." Thor finally said.

"It's a joke we made up." Loki smirked.

"Then how?" Bruce asked.

"We have the All-speak and All-tongue which lets others understand us and us understand them." Thor revealed and they nodded.

"Yes, but I like messing with people." Odinson smirked.

"I've rubbed off on you badly." Loki said and all laughed.

**Groot said his line again and Thor said they'd know when they were close, saying Nidavellir's forge harnessed the blazing power of a neutron star and was the birthplace of his hammer. It was truly awesome.**

"I need to see this. I need to see this. I need to see this." Tony said and chuckled at his reaction.

"You will, very soon." Benjamin said, "And yeah, its awesome."

"I wanna see please!" Peter said and all laughed more.

**Rocket said it was time to be captain and walking up to Thor asked, "So, dead brother, huh? Yeah, that could be annoying." Thor said, "Well, he's been dead before. But, no, this time I think it really might be true."**

Thor looked down sadly as Loki put a hand on his shoulder while Odinson was saddened too at remembering his losses and this conversation.

"**And you said your sister and your dad?" Rocket asked. "Both dead." Thor said. "But still got a mom, though?" Rocket then asked. "Killed by a dark elf." Thor sighed. "A best friend?" Rocket asked. "Stabbed through the heart." Thor replied.**

Everyone could feel their hearts go out to Thor and Odinson. The God of Thunder had lost so much in so little time and was still pushing through, trying to defeat his enemy.

"I'm sorry." Steve said to them both softly.

"**You sure you're up to this particular murder mission?" Rocket asked genuinely. "Absolutely." Thor said, "Rage and vengeance, anger, loss, regret...they're all tremendous motivators. They really clear the mind. So I'm good to go."**

"They cloud it." Tony said, knowing from experience.

"I get it." Thor said.

"**Yeah, but this Thanos we're talkin' about...he's the toughest there is." Rocket said. "Well, he's never fought me." Thor said confidently. "Yeah, he has." Rocket pointed out. "He's never fought me twice." Thor said, "And I'm getting a new hammer, don't forget."**

"An ax actually." Odinson corrected.

"**It better be some hammer." Rocket said. "You know, I'm 1,500 years old. I've killed twice as many enemies as that. And every one of them would've rather killed me, but none succeeded. I'm only alive because fate wants me alive. Thanos is just the latest in a long line of bastards...and he'll be the latest to feel my vengeance. Fate wills it so."**

Now everyone could see Thor's growth even better than before. He was an arrogant warrior and now he believed fate will everything.

"**Mmm-hmm." Rocket said, "And what if you're wrong?" Thor said sadly, "If I'm wrong, then...what more could I lose?" He wiped a tear from his eye and walked off.**

"We will not let that happen." T'Challa assured and Thor nodded numbly while Logan put a hand on Odinson's shoulder.

"**I could lose a lot. Me, personally, I could lose a lot." Rocket muttered.**

"He wasn't scared of Thanos." Hill said as realization dawned upon them all, "He was trying to protect Groot from him."

Everyone could sympathize with Rocket as well. In spite of his sarcastic and rude personality, he cared a lot for his friends and it would hurt him to lose any of them. Just like Tony.

**Thor then walked to the front as Rocket said if fate wanted him to kill Thanos, he'd need more than one eyeball and gave him a prosthetic one, saying a jerk in Contraxia had lost it in a bet with him. Thor was shocked he'd given him his eye but Rocket said he'd given him 100 units but he'd snuck into his room and stolen the eye at night. Thor thanked him.**

"He still seems obsessed with prosthetics." Bucky muttered as he looked at his metal arm.

"So that's why you have two eyes." Thor said.

"Yeah." Odinson told him, "But please wash it before taking it."

**Thor put it on as Rocket said he'd have washed it, having snuck it off Contraxia up his ass.**

"EUGH!" Everyone in the room went.

"You put that in your socket?" A disgusted Thor asked.

"Yeah. Still feel like an idiot." Odinson said, "I had to take it off and wash it later before putting it back."

"I'm not taking any eyes from rabbits." Thor said.

"Wise choice, brother." Loki agreed.

**Thor managed to get the eye to work as they reached Nidavellir but Thor said the eye didn't seem to work as all was dark. Rocket said it wasn't the eye. Nidavellir had gone dark. Thor said something was wrong as the star had gone out and the rings were frozen.**

"Thanos?" Steve asked.

"Thanos." Logan said.

**The three entered the Realm, Groot still playing his game as Rocket said he hoped they were better at forging than cleaning and had probably realized they lived in a junk pile in the middle of space. Thor said the forge hadn't gone dark in centuries. Rocket noticed something and asked Thor if Thanos had a gauntlet. He pointed at a model of an Infinity Gauntlet, unnerving all three as Thor told them to get back to the pod but was knocked away by a huge figure along with Rocket and Groot. Thor stopped the figure before it could attack again. It was Eitri.**

"That's a dwarf?!" Tony asked and all agreed. While this wasn't the time, it did seem like a valid question.

"Yes, why?" Thor asked.

"I was expecting Gimli. Instead we're seeing Tyrion before he walked into a brothel with a jackass and a honeycomb." Tony said and most ended up laughing at the joke. [1]

"Yes, the misconception has gone on for ages." Loki said.

"Dwarves aren't short." Odinson said, "At least not the ones in Nidavellir. But they do not have supernatural powers like other mythical beings. So in a sense, they're shorter in power. And that makes them Dwarves."

Everyone had thoughtful expressions as Fury said, "Does make sense to me."

"Let's roll with it." Hill shrugged and all agreed.

"Thanos has taken everything from him too." Thor said and the atmosphere was tense once more.

**Eitri recognized Thor as he asked what had happened here and he roared Asgard was supposed to protect them. Thor said Asgard was destroyed and Eitri relented in that moment, looking shocked. Thor asked what he had done and Eitri collapsed, revealing the metal casings on his hands, "300 Dwarves lived on this ring. I thought if I did what he asked, they'd be safe. I made what he wanted. A device capable of harnessing the power of the stones. Then he killed everyone anyway. All except me. "Your life is yours," he said. "But your hands are mine alone."" And then he revealed the metal casings.**

"Goddamn it!" Scott said angrily, with everyone's anger and disgust at Thanos increasing.

"He killed the Dwarves and encased his hands so that another weapon won't be made by him." Odinson said as Thor and Loki looked sadly and even guiltily, "Yet he thinks he is a savior."

"He is an insane lunatic is what he is." Loki said, "And coming from me, that says a lot.

**Thor gently said, "Eitri, this isn't about your hands. Every weapon you've ever designed, every axe, hammer, sword... it's all inside your head. Now, I know it feels like all hope is lost. Trust me, I know. But together, you and I, we can kill Thanos." Eitri looked at him.**

"That is exactly how I'm supposed to speak to him when we meet, right?" Thor asked.

"Yes." Odinson said, "Word to word."

"I will." Thor said, feeling saddened for his old friend's loss.

**At Sanctuary II, a guard was putting Nebula's pieces back together when she woke up and her headpiece loosened. He fixed it but then she snapped his neck.**

"Shouldn't have messed with her." Natasha said as everyone smirked now.

**Nebula dragged her body to a console and contacting the Guardians, asked them to meet her on Titan. **

"They're going where we're going." Peter realized.

"Which means we're about to meet them." Tony said.

"Yeah." Odinson said, sharing amusing smiles with Benjamin and Logan.

**In the Benatar, New York Groove was playing until it was shut off and Quill asked Drax to turn it back on but he refused, saying it was the same song again and again. Quill said he needed to get back into New York Groove and asked Drax to give the Zune back which he refused.**

"A team member is taken, the universe is at stake, and they're fighting over a song?" Bruce asked as all looked incredulous.

"That's Guardians of the Galaxy for you." Benjamin said.

**Quill made to charge at Drax across the table as he ran.**

"How old are they, 8?" Tony asked while all were shocked.

**Drax said this wasn't helping as they weren't far from Knowhere and Quill blamed him for mission's failure. Drax said he hadn't seized the moment and had tried to kill Gamora. Quill said it'd have saved the Universe as Mantis said she'd kill them both if they didn't stop the blinking yellow light. They turned to see the coded message channel on and asked how long it had been that way.**

"Someone's about to be yelled at." Pepper said.

**Quill was about to scold Mantis before they remembered it was Drax' job and scolded him. Drax tried to argue but Quill read the messages from Nebula which said Gamora was alive and Thanos was taking her to Titan, followed by several 'Why aren't you responding?' messages and then the coordinates. Quill quickly put them on.**

"Now we'll meet." Tony realized.

"Pretty soon." Logan said.

**Tony, Strange and Peter were near Titan as Tony realized the ship didn't have a self-park function and asked Peter to put his hand in a steering wheel while he put his in the other and his suit appeared too. They needed to move it at the same time. They did, trying to prevent it from crashing but it hit a building and started breaking as Strange used a huge barrier to protect them all. The broken ship crashed on Titan's surface.**

"Now we're there." Peter paled as May grasped his hand tightly.

"Been a few hours since the Guardians got the message actually." Benjamin revealed.

**Strange then helped Tony up as Peter hung upside down on a strand of web and said, "Let me just say, if aliens wind up implanting eggs in my chest or something... and I eat one of you, I'm sorry." Tony said, "I do not want another single pop culture reference out of you for the rest of the trip. You understand?"**

Everyone laughed as Steve said, "You both know a lot about pop culture."

"Yeah, that's why we're connected." Tony joked and all laughed.

**Peter jerked his thumb backwards, "I'm trying to say that something is coming."**

"Couldn't you have said that as it was?" Hope asked incredulously and Peter looked sheepish.

"Who is it?" Tony asked.

"Just watch." Odinson said.

**A space grenade fell near them, sending them flying off with a blast. Quill, Drax and Mantis entered as Drax roared for Thanos. He threw daggers at Strange but he defended himself with his Tao Mandala before his Cloak of Levitation wrapped on Drax's face while Quill and Tony flew and fired at each other.**

"This is going well." May said sarcastically as all watched.

**Tony fired a missile at Quill which he dodged but the blast threw him back as Tony threw him down but Quill had attached a gravity mine to him which trapped him.**

"Smart vs. selectively smart." Pepper muttered.

**Peter crawled back on seeing Mantis, asking her not to put her eggs in him before webbing her up.**

Everyone laughed as Steve said, "Nice one."

**Then Quill kicked him away and tried to fire but he jumped away. Quill then restrained him with a bola just as Tony freed himself and flew at Drax while the Cloak of Levitation left him. Quill had Peter on gunpoint, asking them to chill the eff out and said, "I'm gonna ask you this one time. Where is Gamora?" "Yeah. I'll do you one better." Tony said as his visor retracted, "Who's Gamora?" "I'll do you one better." Drax said, "Why is Gamora?"**

Everyone burst out into hysterical, uncontrolled laughter as Peter said, "No one's asking how is Gamora."

The laughter increased as Loki said, "Or when is Gamora."

The laughter only increased.

**Quill said to tell them where she was or he'd kill Peter.**

"No!" May said with a glare.

"Peter, let Peter go." Wanda said.

**Tony said if he shot Peter, he'd shoot Drax and aimed the Cluster Cannon at him.**

"Now talk." May said.

**Drax said he could take it but Mantis said he couldn't as Quill said he'd kill all 3 of them and beat it out of Thanos himself, shocking Strange who asked, "All right, let me ask you this one time. What master do you serve?" Quill asked, "What master do I serve? What am I supposed to say, "Jesus"?" "You're from Earth." Tony realized. "I'm not from Earth, I'm from Missouri." Quill said. "Yeah, that's on Earth, dipshit." Tony said.**

"Finally!" Clint said, "Misunderstanding cleared."

"He doesn't know Missouri is on Earth?" Wanda asked incredulously.

"Everyone called it Terra in space so he forgot." Logan said.

**Peter realized they weren't with Thanos as Quill said he was here to kill him. He asked who they were. "We're the Avengers, man." Peter said as his mask retracted and Mantis remembered Thor mentioning them. Tony was shocked she knew Thor as Quill said he was a tall guy, not that good looking and needed saving.**

"Not that good looking? You kidding?" May asked and all rolled with it this time.

**Eitri led Thor, Rocket and Groot to a mold as Rocket joked if they were gonna hit Thanos with a brick.**

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "I love this place."

"You're not the only one." Peter said.

They were drooling while the others snickered.

**Eitri said it was a mold, a King's weapon and meant to be the greatest in Asgard, summoning even the Bifrost in theory.**

"It can do that?" T'Challa asked and Odinson nodded.

"Damn!" Tony said.

"**Did it have a name?" Thor asked. "Stormbreaker." Eitri revealed.**

"To defeat Thanos." Thor smirked.

**Eitri said they'd have to restart the forge and awaken the heart of a dying star as Thor told Rocket to fire up the pod.**

"Something big is about to happen." Scott said as all smiled.

"Oh it is." Odinson agreed.

**At Titan, Quill noted it was 8 degrees of its axis with bad gravitational pull as Mantis hopped high behind them.**

"She's having fun." Peter said and all laughed.

**Tony said their plan was to draw him in, pin him down and get what they need. He noticed Drax yawning and was angered, asking if he had heard him. Drax said he'd stopped listening after Tony had said "We need a plan." Tony said he was on his own page as Quill said this was exactly what they did and Tony asked what they did. "Kick names. Take ass." Mantis said and Tony's expression looked like he was going to kill himself before facing Thanos.**

Tony had the same expression as his on-screen self.

"Are these guys serious?" Fury asked incredulously, "This is no time to joke."

"There is a time for everything." Bruce agreed.

"Take ass." Hope said, "Did she realize how dirty that sounds?"

Everyone burst into laughter at that moment.

**Tony and Quill argued a bit as Quill told him not to call them plucky and said, "All right, we're optimistic, yes. I like your plan. Except it sucks, so let me do the plan... and that way it might be really good."**

"Wow." Tony said.

"I'd throw Quill away if I could go back to that moment." Benjamin said.

"Don't blame you." Logan told him.

**Drax reminded Quill off the dance-off to save the Universe as Peter asked like Footloose and Quill said exactly like that before asking if it was still the greatest movie and Peter said it never was. Tony told him not to encourage this, saying they weren't getting help from Flash Gordon. Quill took that as a compliment and said he was half-human so the 50% of him that was stupid was a 100% of them. Tony said his math was blowing his mind.**

"Well, his Celestial dad was an idiot, telling him he killed his mom and still thought he'd help him." Logan said, "That explains why he is 100% idiot."

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "That was an awesome roast. Wish I could have said it to him."

**Mantis pointed at Strange and asked if he often did that. Strange was hovering in the air in a meditation pose with the Time Stone glowing in his hands as his head jerked wildly. He then fell down as Tony caught him and they asked what he was doing. "I went forward in time to view alternate futures. To see all the possible outcomes of the coming conflict." Strange said. "How many did you see?" Quill asked. "14,000,605."**

"WHOA!" Peter said while everyone's jaws dropped.

"We got to win a few chunks of those." Tony said.

No one noticed the grimaces on the faces of Benjamin, Odinson and Logan.

"**How many did we win?" Tony asked. After several moments of silence, Strange said, "One."**

A tense silence settled over the past viewers as they felt a sense of helplessness.

"Just one?!" Natasha snapped, "But why?"

"There were several minute factors to consider." Logan said, "Even the minutest change could lead to disaster."

"And it did in several other timelines when we asked Strange about them." Odinson told them.

They all just felt silent again, feeling helpless.

**A portal opened in Vormir as Gamora and Thanos stepped out and he said the Stone better be there on the mountain in the front for Nebula's sake.**

"He's here." Bucky said and all tensed.

**They hiked up the mountain as a cloaked flying figure appeared, "Welcome, Thanos, Son of A'Lars. Gamora, Daughter of Thanos."**

"Who's this clown?" Tony wondered.

"That voice. I know it." Steve said.

"You remember it too?" Bucky asked and he nodded, "I think I've heard it too."

Benjamin, Odinson and Logan exchanged looks.

**The figure said it was his curse to know all that journeyed there and Thanos asked where the Soul Stone was. He said it extracted a terrible price. "I am prepared." Thanos said confidently. "We all think that at first." The figure said as it flew out, revealing his red face, "We are all wrong."**

Steve's and Bucky's jaws dropped in horror and disbelief as everyone looked between them and the screen.

"SON-OF-A-BITCH!" Steve actually cursed as Bucky's clenched his fists angrily. Because of the situation, no one could make fun of Cap for cursing.

"How is he alive? How is he still alive?" Bucky asked.

"We saw him die in an earlier recording." Scott remembered.

"The Teserract didn't kill him." Odinson revealed, "It teleported him to Vormir where he became Guardian of the Soul Stone."

"Guardian?" Steve asked, finally recovering slightly as Natasha tried to comfort both him and Bucky, "But he wanted to rule the Universe with power."

"He had no way to take the Soul Stone as he couldn't sacrifice anything." Benjamin said, "So he was forced to become its guardian. And now he can only advice others about it. He is tantalizingly close to what he wanted."

"But he can never get it." Logan said.

After a few seconds of silence, Steve said, "A fitting punishment."

"And he doesn't care about his old plans or Hydra anymore." Benjamin said.

"Good to know." Natasha sighed.

"We don't want him coming back." Fury agreed.

"Current Hydra was enough." Hill said.

"More than enough." Clint added.

"Let's just see what they do." Bucky finally said.

**The three walked to the top of the mountain where a rocky plateau with 3 stone pillars stood as Thanos asked how he knew the place so well and he said he had sought the Stones a lifetime ago but when he had held one it had banished him here and now he had to guide others to a treasure he couldn't possess.**

"No more than you deserve." Steve sneered and all nodded.

"But now he's guiding the wrong guy to the treasure." Fury pointed out and they tensed.

**They stopped in front of a cliff as Schmidt said what they sought lay in front of them along with what they feared. Gamora asked what this was and Schmidt said, "The price. Soul holds a special place among the Infinity Stones. You might say it has a certain wisdom."**

"It is sentient." Vision realized and all were even more shocked.

"Yes." Odinson said, "It is. To an extent."

"This is just getting worse." Pepper said as she held a tense Tony's hand.

**Thanos asked what it needed and Schmidt said it demanded a sacrifice so its bearer understood its power. "In order to take the stone, you must lose that which you love. A soul... for a soul."**

A pit formed in everyone's stomachs.

"It wants to eat a soul to give itself away." Odinson said.

"To prevent wrong-doers from getting their hands on it I reckon." Scott said.

"That might not always be the case." A tense Steve said, "And this is Thanos."

Everyone watched in anticipation while Benjamin, Logan and Odinson were already prepared for what was coming, though it was still heart-breaking to watch.

**Gamora laughed, "All my life, I dreamed of a day... a moment... when you got what you deserved. And I was always so disappointed. But now... You kill and torture... and you call it mercy. The universe has judged you. You asked it for a prize, and it told you no. You failed. And do you wanna know why? Because you love nothing. No one." Thanos turned to her with tears in his eyes.**

"Why is he crying?" Peter asked.

"He is gonna do it." Fury said and all were horrified as it hit them.

"NO!" Hope said as Scott held her hand, trying to comfort both himself and her.

"You monster!" T'Challa sneered angrily.

"**Really? Tears?" She asked. "They are not for him." Schmidt said and her smile faded as she backed off, "No. This isn't love."**

"His definition of love is askew." Clint said, shaking with rage.

"**I ignored my destiny once. I cannot do it again. Even for you." Thanos said. Realization dawned on Gamora's face as she managed to take the old knife Thanos had given her from his belt and was about to stab herself when he used the Reality Stone to turn it into bubbles.**

"It's not going to work." Benjamin said sadly about her failed suicide attempt, shocking the already horrified viewers.

"**I'm sorry, little one." Thanos said as he grabbed her and dragged her to the cliff. She screamed and tried to hit him but to no avail.**

"No, no, no, stop, please." Wanda was begging. In spite of only having seen the Guardians in the recordings and having been annoyed by them, the past viewers still liked them all a lot and could relate to them.

"HIS OWN DAUGHTER!" Scott exploded.

"He doesn't know the true meaning of love." Clint said, shaking with rage.

"He would sacrifice even his daughter for his version of a better world." Tony said, clutching his fists angrily, thinking of ways to kill Thanos.

Peter, Wanda, Pepper, May, Hope, Scott and even Clint had tears in their eyes while Natasha had a hand on her mouth and Bucky was holding her hand, breathing loudly. The others just watched, trying not to show emotion though they had lumps in their throats.

**Thanos threw Gamora off the cliff and she screamed as she fell down. Thanos stood there sadly as her bloodied and broken body lay down there.**

"I'm going to kill you in ways that will hurt." Thor sneered angrily as tears streamed down the cheeks of Peter, Wanda, Pepper, May, Hope, Scott and Clint.

"I-I don't even have words to describe this madness." Loki said.

Natasha had a hand on her mouth. She could feel for Gamora as they both had the exact same background. It wasn't fair to Gamora.

"This guy needs to DIE!" Clint roared, "In the worst ways imaginable."

"Calm down, Agent Barton." T'Challa said but he was still fuming.

**A light shone up as Thanos closed his eyes. Sometime later, Thanos woke up in a pool and saw the Soul Stone in his other hand. He looked at it sorrowfully as well as in anticipiation.**

"Thanos must be dealt with quickly and efficiently." Tony said, "Before he gets any of these Stones."

"He is a strong, fast, skilled and cunning warrior even without those." Odinson said, "But you will have a far better chance of defeating him that way."

"We have to stop him from killing anyone. Loki, Gamora, Vision, all of them must be saved." Steve said firmly, "And he must be put down."

"To the core of the Earth." Scott said and all nodded.

Wanda held Vision's hand as all feared for his life. The recording continued.

* * *

**This was so hard to write with the bickering with the Guardians and Gamora's unfortunate demise. Hope I did well.**

**[1] A reference to Peter Dinklage's role as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones as well as a joke about the time he had walked into a brothel with a jackass and a honeycomb.**

**And I hoped my explanation of why Dwarves are big made sense.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	92. Battles for the Stones

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, that was the worst thing for sure. Glad you liked the revenge part. I'm not blaming Tony, just saying the plan was flawed. And imagine if they'd found an army there. Agreed on Strange. Alternate universes didn't happen in THIS timeline. But the future is about to be changed soon. I don't remember any other Thor pairings. I know on the deleted scene but the video was a bit cut. Thanks again for the idea. Yes that is amazing on Andrew and Emma and thanks on Stormbreaker. If you want to know the connection, I'll tell you. Final chance. Or ask for something else which is reasonable. Enjoy.**

**Guestie: Thanks for the review. Yeah you're first. If I was Ethan James or Nathan Stanish from Quora, I'd call you Antonio now.**

**marty munster: Thanks for the review. Villain attacking during break was a one-off.**

**Hermione Odinson: Thanks for the review. Glad you love it. Then don't. I won't be changing my preferred pairings.**

**Alyssa: Thanks for the review. I will do those as well.**

**Hell'sAngel666: Thanks for the review. Glad this was great and glad you liked those reactions. Yes I will do Endgame as well as Far From Home. It's all movies. You're welcome. Glad to hear it.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. I heard it too. I also think fans oversell it and its only mentor-protégé at best, with some emotional moments in between. And yeah, it does seem silly. I agree with you.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. I'll see on Tony and Eitri.**

Chapter 92- Battles for the Stones

"Now we'll have to fight the guy I reckon." Tony said as all recovered themselves a bit.

"Yes." Benjamin told him.

**The Quinjet flew towards Wakanda, passing through an illusion of trees to get to Wakanda.**

"That is always so awesome." Peter said about Wakanda as all drooled.

"Yeah it is." Scott agreed.

**T'Challa walked with Okoye, the Dora Milaje and the Kingsguard, with Okoye saying she had not imagined this when he'd said he'd open Wakanda to the rest of the world. He asked what she had and she said Olympics or maybe a Starbucks.**

Everyone laughed as Sam said, "Starbucks. Coffee that inspires."

"I think we should get one of those." T'Challa agreed.

"Please do, Your Majesty." Rhodes said.

"I'm sure Wakanda will win all the Olympic events." Clint said and nods followed.

**The Quinjet descended as the Avengers walked out, with Bruce asking if she should bow and Rhodes saying he should as T'Challa was a King.**

"But I've not seen any bowing so far." A confused Bruce said.

"Rhodes is screwing with you." Loki smirked as Bruce gave him a minor glare while he smirked and the others chuckled.

**Steve shook hands with T'Challa, saying he was always thanking him for something when Bruce bowed and Rhodes asked what he was doing. T'Challa said, "We don't do that here." They walked as Rhodes laughed at Bruce.**

Everyone laughed as Rhodes said, "Gotcha!"

"You're really in the mood today." Tony said, "Getting back at me. Playing a joke on Bruce."

"That's what happens when you rub off on people." Fury said to him and all laughed.

**T'Challa asked how big of an assault they were expecting and Bruce said quite big as Natasha asked how many people they had. T'Challa said they had the Kingsguard, the Border Tribe and the Dora Milaje. He then pointed at someone and Bucky arrived, with his new arm attached while his hair were well-kempt and his beard was shaved. "And a semi-stable 100 year old man." He joked as Steve hugged him and asked how he was doing. He said not bad for the end of the world as Natasha walked up to him and they shared a kiss.**

"Reunion of the lovebirds." Hill joked as all laughed.

"You clean up nice." Scott said to Bucky who smirked.

**Later, Bruce and Shuri scanned Vision as she said the structure was polymorphic and Bruce said they had to attach each neuron non-sequentially. Shuri asked why they didn't reprogram the synpases as Bruce said they never thought of it while she said they'd have done their best.**

"Uhhhhh….we didn't make Vision's body." Bruce said.

"Nope. We didn't." Tony agreed.

"My sister is a teenager but the behavior needs to be improved." T'Challa said and nods followed.

**Shuri said one misalignment could cause a cascade of circuit failures but she could do it in time. She needed as long as they could give her when Okoye's beads beeped and she activated them, saying something had entered the upper atmosphere. From the Q-ships above, some dropships flew out.**

"They're here." Steve said as all paled.

"We're too late." Vision said, "The Stone needs to be destroyed."

"Shut up!" Wanda said.

"Please stop talking like that." Thor said too.

**Bucky, Sam and Rhodes noticed outside as one dropship crashed on the barrier around Wakanda and Bucky groaned how he loved this place. Several others fell outside the barrier as Vision got up and said they needed to destroy the Stone but Natasha told him to get his ass back on the table while Steve told Wanda to blow it to hell once it was extracted and she said she would.**

"Hope that works." Pepper said.

"**Evacuate the city. Engage all defenses." T'Challa said before looking at Steve, "And get this man a shield."**

"A new shield? Finally." Bucky said.

"Yeah, you needed one of those." Natasha agreed.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Steve said gratefully as T'Challa nodded.

**At Nidavellir, the pod flew to the rings as Rocket said they were gigantic and they needed something big to yank them lose. "Leave that to me." Thor said as he held the pod with a rope. Rocket was skeptical as Thor started spinning the pod and it gained speed as Rocket fired the engines at Thor's command and it gained more speed, with Thor digging his heels into the rings.**

"You're doing it." Hope said as all watched in anticipation.

**Rocket pushed the pod to full power as the rings started moving and there was a burst of light as the star began glowing again.**

"Nice job, Point Break and Raccoon." Tony said as all clapped for him.

"Thank you." Thor and Odinson said.

**Eitri complimented Thor who jumped at pod's windshield and said, "That's Nidavellir." The star shot out a beam of light to where Eitri stood but a part snapped off and the light shut off.**

"Damn it!" May said as everyone tensed.

"The mechanism's crippled." Thor realized.

"Thanos covered all his bases." Logan said.

**Eitri said the mechanism was crippled and he won't be able to heat the metal with the Iris closed. Thor asked how long it'd take to heat it and Eitri said a few minutes. "I'm gonna hold it open." Thor said.**

"NO!" Loki snapped, "That'll kill you."

"Only if I die." Thor said and Odinson chuckled.

"Uhhhh…that's what killing you means." Peter said.

**Eitri said that was suicide but Thor countered so was facing Thanos without the ax as he flew towards the star beam. In Wakanda, the army was speeding to the front line on floating ships. Bruce was in the Iron Man Armor: Mark XLVIII, which was another Hulkbuster. **

"WHOA!" Bruce said as all were wide-eyed.

"It is pretty ironic." Vision said.

"Yeah, I'm wearing what was supposed to stop Hulk." Bruce said.

**Bruce happily said it was like being Hulk without being Hulk when he tripped on a rock and Okoye gave him a look.**

"Epic fail." Hill said and all chuckled while Bruce looked sheepish.

**Bruce got back up as Rhodes said he had 2 heat signatures breaking through the tree line. Proxima Midnight and Cull Obsidian were those two.**

"They're here." Clint said and all tensed.

**The army all leapt off the ships and took positions while T'Challa walked to the front where M'Baku and the Jabbari tribe were chanting. T'Challa shook hands with him and thanked him for standing with them as he called him brother in Xhosa.**

"He truly has changed." Tony said as all had respect for M'Baku.

"For the better." Steve added.

**Midnight touched the barrier with her blade as Steve, Natasha and T'Challa walked to it. "Where's your other friend?" Natasha asked. "You will pay for his life with yours." Midnight sneered, "Thanos will have that Stone."**

"He's dead?" Sam asked, but wasn't convinced.

"Just watch." Benjamin said.

"**That's not gonna happen." Steve said. "You are in Wakanda now." T'Challa said, "Thanos will have nothing but dust and blood."**

Benjamin, Odinson and Logan winced, knowing Thanos would have dust.

"**We have blood to spare." Midnight said as she raised her blade and dropships rumbled. Steve, Natasha and T'Challa returned as Steve and Bucky shared some talk and the dropships opened, with several four-armed white aliens running out.**

"What are those?" A horrified Peter asked as all others looked shocked too.

"Outriders." Logan said.

"The berserkers of Thanos' army." Odinson said.

"Shit!" Sam said as all paled.

"This is gonna be something." Wanda muttered.

**T'Challa and the Wakandans started chanting 'Yibambe' as Midnight brought down her sword and Outriders rushed them through the trees. They rushed the barrier, trying to pass through but were killed or maimed but they didn't care, shocking everyone.**

"Do they not feel pain?" Bucky asked as the others gasped.

"They don't care." Benjamin said.

"Tough sons of guns." Steve said.

**Some entered as the Wakandans put on their barriers and fired from their spears, killing some as Bucky put some down with his rifle and Sam flew around, firing with his Steyr SPP pistols and took more down while firing his projectiles as Rhodes dropped bombs from his suit's back, killing many as they exploded while several more swarmed at the barrier.**

"They're endless. Like a sea." Natasha said while everyone was pale.

**Bruce noticed them circling the barrier and said there would be nothing between them and Vision then. Steve said they needed their attention on them as T'Challa ordered to open North-West section seventeen of the barrier.**

"This has gotten worse." Bucky said and all paled.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness." Steve said to him, "For involving Wakanda in this."

"Do not apologize, captain. We would have helped no matter what." T'Challa said.

"**This will be the end of Wakanda." M'Baku said. "Then it will be the noblest end in history." Okoye said.**

"This will not be our end but his." T'Challa said.

**Everyone put down their barriers as T'Challa stepped to the front and shouted, "WAKANDA FOREVER!"**

"WAKANDA FOREVER!" Everyone said too.

**They charged at the enemy just as a small portion of the barrier opened and Outriders streamed in. Sam and RHoedes were flying up. Steve and T'Challa outran the others and leapt at the Outriders, Steve gutting them with his new shields as T'Challa killed them with his claws and the armies clashed.**

"So it begins." Fury whispered.

"Those are the shields?" Clint asked.

"Yeah. Look like those." Steve said, "Different from what I'm used to but thank you."

T'Challa nodded, feeling tense as he anticipated what would happen to his country now.

**The battle continued as Steve killed more Outriders with his shield as T'Challa asked Shuri how much longer and she said she had barely begun as she worked on Vision's Stone. T'Challa said she might want to pick up the pace as the fighting continued. **

"Do it fast." Wanda begged as all watched with shaky breaths.

**At Nidavellir, Thor in the beam of the forge, "Allfathers, give me strength."**

"All of it." Loki added, worried for his brother.

"**You understand, boy? You're about to take the full force of a star. It'll kill you." Eitri said. "Only if I die." Thor said.**

"That's what he meant!" Loki snapped.

"**Yes, that's what killing you means." Eitri said.**

"See!" Hope said.

**Thor held the parts and with all his might, pulled as the beam shot out through him and the mechanism started working.**

"You're doing it." Steve said as all watched in anticipation.

"Please don't die." Natasha said.

**Thor roared as Eitri told him to hold it and saw the metal melting in fires. Thor roared as the energy burnt him.**

"How much power is that?" Tony asked as all watched with wide eyes.

"More than enough to destroy Jupiter." Benjamin said and all of them gasped.

"My God!" Hope said to Thor and Odinson, "You're too powerful."

They simply nodded, watching the recording.

**Eitri poured the metal into the mold and started forging as Thor fell down with Rocket flying after him when he bounced off the pod. Groot then looked up from his game, looking worried.**

"Finally got your eyes off that thing!" Peter said.

**Rocket tried to help Thor and said he was dying as Eitri tore the forge open and asked Groot to help him find the handle, which was missing, because Thor needed the handle. **

"Find the handle!" Loki said as all watched with breaths held back.

**Groot reached out and growing a hand, wrapped it around the two pieces of the ax, lifting them up and connecting them as the branches intertwined, straightening into a handle. With a roar, he cut off his arm as another started to grow, with the completed ax now falling to the ground.**

"Groot finished it!" Steve said as all started clapping.

"Thank you, Groot." Loki whispered.

"Yes, thank you." Thor said too.

"He helped me finish it." Odinson said, still feeling grateful.

**The ax started floating as lightning ran through it while Thor's hand twitched, lightning running through it.**

"Something big is about to happen." May said as all smirked.

"Oh you have no idea." Logan said with Odinson smirking, waiting for it.

**At Wakanda, the battle was going on as Bucky was thrown down by an Outrider and tried to stab it.**

"Oh no!" Natasha paled as she held Bucky's hand tightly.

**Rhodes was firing at them all, killing many when Cull's hammer smashed him down while Cull and Midnight walked into the barrier.**

"Damn it!" Tony said as him, Rhodes and everyone else paled more.

**T'Challa was thrown around by several of them as they ganged up on him.**

"Your Highness!" May called out as T'Challa was watching with shaky breaths. Was this the end?

**Steve tried to hold one back when several ganged up on him, trying to bite while Bruce was knocked down too and yelled there were too many of them.**

"Like a sea." Hope said again as all watched, shaking.

"They are gaining on us." Steve sighed.

"Even the Hulkbuster is overpowered." Bruce said.

Everyone watched, almost biting their nails.

**Then a beam of light shot down from the heavens, incinerating all the Outriders standing there.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said all started getting excited.

Natasha asked, "Is that….?"

"Yup." Odinson said.

"I'm going to love this." Thor said.

"Oh I need to see this too." Loki said.

**Stormbreaker flew out of the Bifrost, flying and twirling in the air as lightning ran through it. It killed several scores of Outriders, including the ones that were upon Steve and Bruce. It flew back towards the Bifrost which dissipated as Thor caught it in his hand on return, with Rocket and Groot standing with him.**

"YES! YES! YES!" Scott yelled as all started clapping and cheering excitedly.

"GO THOR!" May yelled too.

"You're here." Steve simply said, "We're not dead."

"I won't ever let you all down." Thor promised with a smile.

Odinson winced, knowing he had, but now was not the time to bring it up.

"You look so badass, brother." Loki said as the two laughed.

"Best entrance ever!" Sam clapped.

"Oh yeah! Thanos' army are gonna wish they were never born." Tony smiled as the clapping continued.

"I love this!" Peter said.

"You guys are so screwed now!" Bruce laughed.

**Natasha, T'Challa and Steve watched in relief as Bruce retracted his helmet and laughed, "You guys are so screwed now!"**

"And I repeated myself." Bruce said and all laughed.

"**BRING ME THANOS!" Thor roared as lightning surged through him while Cull and Midnight watched in fear.**

"Come on out, Thanos! No point hiding." Bucky said as all clapped more.

"Get this man a Thanos." T'Challa joked and all burst out laughing.

**Thor charged and leapt up, Stormbreaker raised as lightning emanated from him and the now darkened skies. He then brought Stormbreaker down on the ground, with the exploding lightning killing more than 100 Outriders as the ground they were on became a smoldering crater.**

"How do you like that, huh?" Hope asked as all clapped.

"Not very much." Wanda said.

"We will not go down." T'Challa said firmly.

**A portal opened on Titan and Thanos walked out, seeing the remnants of the Q-ship when he saw Strange sitting in front of him who said, "You're much more of a Thanos."**

"Now he is here." Tony tensed as Pepper held his hand, knowing he and the others were about to battle Thanos directly.

**Thanos realized Maw was dead and said the day extracted a heavy toll and saw the Eye of Agamotto, saying he'd accomplished his mission. "You may regret that. He brought you face to face with a Master of the Mystic Arts." Strange said while Quill was hiding behind scrap metal and Peter was perched above him. Strange knew this was Titan.**

"His home turf." Tony said.

**Thanos used the Reality Stone to conjure an illusion of Titan in its glory days, with people roaming too, "It was. And it was beautiful. Titan was like most planets. Too many mouths, not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution." "Genocide." Strange realized. "But random, dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike." Thanos said.**

"Still genocide." Steve sneered as all watched in disgust.

"**They called me a madman." Thanos said as the illusion faded, "And what I predicted came to pass." "Congratulations, you're a prophet." Strange said sarcastically. "I'm a survivor." Thanos said. "Who wants to murder trillions." Strange pointed out. "With all six Stones, I could simply snap my fingers. They would all cease to exist. I call that mercy." Thanos said.**

"MERCY?!" Thor exploded, "You call universal genocide mercy?!"

"Insane lunatic nutjob." Loki simply said.

"**And then what?" Strange asked. "I'd finally rest... and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe." Thanos said.**

"You don't get to rest after everything you've done!" Tony snapped angrily.

"**The hardest choices require the strongest wills." Thanos said. "I think you'll find our will equal to yours." Strange said as he summoned Tao Mandalas. "Our?" Thanos asked when Tony flew at him from above with a huge chunk of a building, smashing his face just as he activated the Power Stone.**

"Another fight." Steve said and all tensed while May tightly grasped Peter in worry and Pepper grasped Tony.

**Tony flew off with Quill as Thanos shattered the building with the Power Stone and turned them into bats with the Reality Stone as they chased Tony.**

"Goddamnit!" Sam snapped while all watched in anticipation.

**Then webbing hit his face as a swinging Peter hit him and Drax sliced at his leg, with Strange arriving in his front via portal. He made and Eldritch sword as the two dueled Thanos who then kicked Drax away and grabbed Strange's sword while removing the webbing. The sword dissipated as Thanos kicked Strange back but he used a Tao Mandala to protect himself.**

"Please, do it." Wanda was muttering.

**Quill fired at Thanos from behind as Strange conjured platforms for him to jump on. He planted an explosive on Thanos' back and showed him the finger, "Boom!" He then jumped into an inter-dimensional portal Strange had conjured as the explosive exploded and Thanos was stunned.**

"Nice plan." Steve smiled, "Very coordinated."

"Star-Lord isn't the worst." Odinson told him.

**The Cloak of Levitation wrapped itself on Thanos' left hand on Strange's command to prevent him from closing his fist as Strange conjured portals from which Peter jumped to attack. "Magic!" He said as he jumped into a portal. "More magic!" He said as he jumped out and kneed Thanos before jumping into another. "Magic with a kick!" He said as he kicked Thanos and leapt into another. "Magic with a-" He was cut off as Thanos grabbed him in a chokehold and furiously slammed him to the ground, "Insect."**

"No, no, no!" May was saying as she held Peter so tight his knuckles were pale.

"Technically, it's an arachnid." Peter quipped to lighten the tone but it didn't work.

Wanda shuddered, remembering seeing this scene in Benjamin's memory as all watched, tense.

**He threw Peter into Strange and ripped the Cloak off as Tony fired missiles at him but he absorbed the flames into the Infinity Gauntlet and fired back at Tony, sending him back as Peter webbed Thanos' hand and swung at him but was smacked down as Thanos ripped the web off.**

Everyone watched, shaking and breathing heavily as May and Pepper grasped Peter's and Tony's hands respectively.

**Then a Necrocraft rammed into Thanos from behind, sending him down as debris fell upon him. As he got up, Nebula leapt out and punched him.**

"Hell hath no fury as a woman scorned." Fury said as all watched, tense.

**Thanos greeted her as she said, "You should have killed me." "Would have been a waste of parts!" Thanos snapped.**

"Fuck you!" Scott said as all glared at Thanos.

**She furiously attacked Thanos with her electric baton, asking where Gamora was when she was kicked away just as Strange conjured dark red metallic bands to restrain Thanos' left fist while Drax kicked his knee, sending him down as Quill threw a gravity mine, restraining his other hand just as Peter webbed his chest and swung in the front. Tony flew down and grabbed his left fist, trying to pull the Infinity Gauntlet out as the binding spell disappeared. Thanos struggled and Peter had to use the legs while Strange opened a portal above Thanos and Mantis jumped down, using her powers to temporarily put him to sleep and told them to be quick as he was very strong. Peter ran up to Tony and both started pulling the Infinity Gauntlet out.**

"It's working! It's working! It's working!" Tony said as all started feeling some relief.

"Star-Lord made a good plan." Steve said.

"Pull it out. Pull it out." Hope was saying.

"It's about to be over." Scott said. Once again, the situation had made them forget Vision's fate.

Benjamin, Odinson and Logan were grim again.

**Quill stopped in front of Thanos and taunted him, saying this was his plan as Mantis said he was in anguish and he mourned. Quill asked why he was mourning and Nebula said he had gone to Vormir with Gamora and returned while she hadn't. Quill started getting angry as Tony begged him to cool it, "WE ALMOST GOT THIS OFF!"**

"Uh-oh." Rhodes said as all paled.

"Please, don't!" Tony begged as all watched with wide eyes. Tony didn't want Quill making the same mistake as him in an infinitely worse situation.

"**Asshole. Tell me you didn't do it!" Quill roared as Thanos said, "I had to." Quill snapped, "No you didn't." And then he started hitting Thanos with his blaster, "NO YOU DIDN'T!" Mantis' hold was broken as Tony stopped Quill.**

"Shit!" Sam said and all sighed as mood plummeted.

"Why couldn't he control himself?" Scott asked and all found themselves blaming Quill now, feeling disappointed in him.

"It was the only way." Odinson said, "Strange's plan is working out."

"How?" Steve asked.

"Just watch. And don't hate Quill." Benjamin said, "He reacted. Just like any of us."

Everyone found themselves softening on him a bit as Benjamin was right.

**Peter almost had it off when Thanos woke up and head-butted Mantis, knocking her out before snatching it back and pushing Peter off.**

"NO!" May said as the tension worsened.

**Thanos pulled Strange to him and pushed him off before throwing Mantis away as Peter grabbed her and saved her with his legs. He then kicked pushed Tony off and kicked Drax away before knocking the Guardians out with the Power Stone. Tony attacked with a blade he had conjured but was head-butted away as Thanos used the Power Stone to break the moon above and rain down huge chunks of it. Tony flew around to avoid as one hit him while Quill, Drax and Nebula were sent flying around.**

"Shit's getting worse." Logan said as everyone's hearts hammered against their chests, hoping that someone beat Thanos.

**In Wakanda, Shuri continued the procedure as Wanda looked out. Cull killed some Wakandans when T'Challa leapt at him and punched him, the kinetic energy sending him down.**

"Good one!" Hill cheered as T'Challa smirked.

**Bucky picked up Rocket and they both fired at several Outriders, killing them. He put Rocket down as he asked, "How much for the gun?" "Not for sale." "Okay, how much for the arm?" Bucky looked at him and walked off as he said, "I'll get that arm."**

Everyone chuckled as Bucky said, "Please keep him away from me."

"Will do." Thor said.

**Thor killed several Outriders with Stormbreaker as Steve asked, "New haircut?" "I noticed you've copied my beard." Thor said and Steve nodded with a smile.**

Everyone chuckled as Thor said, "They do look the same."

"All of us are beard bros." Tony said and more chuckles followed as Steve and Thor groaned.

**Groot stabbed Outriders with his elongated hand and lifted them as Thor introduced him and he roared, "I am Groot!" Steve thought he was introducing himself and said, "I am Steve Rogers."**

Everyone burst out into hysterical laughter as Steve said, "At least we know each other now."

"He said 'let's fuck them up.'" Odinson said and laughter increased.

**Wanda watched from above as the forests shook and five giant spiked wheels burst out from the ground.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"Damn it!" Rhodes said.

"What the fuck?" Tony said.

"What are those?" Hill asked.

"Threshers." Odinson said as the mood tensed more.

"No." T'Challa muttered.

**T'Challa ordered everyone to fall back while up above, the flame of decision formed in Wanda's eyes.**

"Oh boy!" Clint said as he looked at Wanda.

**Natasha and Okoye killed Outriders when the threshers came at them. Then Wanda leapt between them and using her powers, stopped the threshers and crushed scores of Outriders with them.**

"That's my girl!" Clint beamed with pride as all cheered.

"Nice one." Bruce said too.

"Thanks." She said.

**Wanda looked at the two as Okoye asked, "Why was she up there all this time?"**

"To guard- oh no!" Steve said and all paled as it hit them.

"This was their plan." Fury realized.

**Midnight told someone to take it and in Glaive snuck into the palace.**

"Son of a bitch!" Tony said.

"He was alive after all." Natasha said, "They were planning this."

**Glaive fought the guards outside, beating them down as Ayo attacked. Shuri worked faster but Ayo was beaten down so she took out her blasters and fired, fighting Glaive as the table was shattered.**

"Sister!" T'Challa yelled in worry as Loki put a hand on his shoulder.

**Ayo got back up but both were thrown down as Glaive saw the table empty. Then Vision leapt at him and threw them both out the window as it shattered.**

"Oh no!" Sam said.

**Sam noticed and told the others as Steve asked someone to get him. Bruce flew up as Wanda said she was on her way when Midnight punched her down and stood over her, "He will die alone and so will you."**

"Get your hands off her!" Clint snarled as all glared at her.

"**She's not alone." Midnight turned around to see Natasha and Okoye, ready to fight.**

"OH yeah!" Tony cheered as all smirked.

"She is screwed." Hill said about Midnight.

**Midnight attacked with a roar as Natasha blocked with her baton and Okoye also helped with her spear. Vision was kicked down by Glaive and smacked away by Cull when Bruce flew in the way. Cull grabbed him and they both flew to a distance as Bruce tried to fight but his arm was chopped off while Hulk didn't come out in spite of his begging.**

"Why is he not coming out?" Hope asked but Bruce didn't answer.

"That suit doesn't have spares." Tony said and Bruce sighed.

**Bruce begged Hulk but his face transformed and roared, "NOOOOOOOO!" Bruce returned to normal and said, "Screw you, you big green asshole! I'll do it myself!" **

"Let's see." Tony said.

**Bruce punched Cull several times before being thrown down. As Cull was about to land the finishing blow, Bruce attached the severed gauntlet to him and said, "See ya!" He activated it and Cull was sent into the air, with the barrier destroying him.**

"YES!" Scott cheered as all clapped.

"I did it!" Bruce said.

"Yes. You did. Good job." Steve smiled.

"**Hulk, we got a lot to figure out, pal." Bruce said.**

"Yeah we do." Bruce agreed.

**Natasha and Okoye continued battling Midnight as a thresher passed above and Midnight beat them both down. Glaive stabbed Vision, "I thought you were a formidable machine. But you'll die, like any man." He retracted glaive as Vision fell down.**

"NO!" Wanda said as all tensed, worried for Vision.

**Steve then pushed Glaive away and fought him, telling Vision to get out.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

**Natasha split her baton into two and disarmed Midnight before being punched down. Midnight tried to stab with her blade as Natasha tried to push back. Then Wanda lifted Midnight with mer magic and a thresher ran into her, killing her.**

"Ugh!" Bruce said as all looked a bit disgusted.

"Still, she's down." Natasha said.

"Which leaves one." Steve said.

**Natasha got up, Midnight's blue blood on her face as she said it was gross.**

"It is." Natasha said as all looked a bit disgusted.

**Steve fought Glaive and disarmed him but was thrown down as Glaive started choking him when his own glaive burst from his chest and Vision lifted him from behind, killing him.**

"Nice one!" Tony said as all cheered.

"Thanks, Vision." Steve said and he nodded.

"Not a problem, Captain." He said.

"Now all four of them are done for." Thor said and smirks followed.

**Steve helped Vision and said he'd told him to go as he said, "We don't trade lives, Captain."**

Everyone smirked again.

**On Titan, Peter saved the Guardians with his webs as Strange flew down to battle Thanos. Strange summoned Tao Mandalas and fired bolts of Eldritch energy at Thanos which he leapt to avoid and fired a blast with the Power Stone. Strange countered by opening the Mirror Dimension in the middle to absorb the beam and pushed it back at him. Thanos destroyed it with the Power Stone's punch and transforming the remnants into a Black Hole, threw it back at Strange. Strange cast a spell and the Black Hole was transmuted into mystical butterflies.**

"WHOA!" Peter said as all were awed.

"He is so powerful." Loki said, feeling a bit jealous.

"Thanos is having a hard time." Thor said, "Maybe he can do it."

"I hope so!" Tony said.

**Strange then made an army of clones and all restrained Thanos with Eldritch whips.**

"He's doing it!" Fury said.

**Then Thano activated the Soul and Power Stones, destroying the clones as the real Strange was sent back and his astral form was seen for a second.**

"No, no, no!" Scott was yelling as all watched desperately.

**Thanos activated the Space and Reality Stones, pulling Strange to him by changing the landscape and held him by the neck, "You're full of tricks, Wizard. Yet you never once used your greatest weapon." He ripped out the Eye of Agamotto and crushed it as nothing was inside, "A fake."**

"Where's the real one?" A shocked Tony asked.

"Just watch." Benjamin said.

**He tossed Strange away, knocking him out, when a nanotech clamp stopped him from closing his fist and Tony flew down, "You throw another moon at me, and I'm gonna lose it!"**

"Now I'm pissed!" Tony said angrily as all watched with anticipation.

"**Stark." Thanos said. "You know me?" A shocked Tony asked. "I do." Thanos said, "You're not the only one cursed with knowledge."**

"How?" Tony asked as all were shocked, "How does he know me?"

"He found out about you when you thwarted Loki's plan by flying up the nuke." Odinson said as all listened, "He kept up a bit with the happenings on Earth."

"He considered you the biggest threat because of that and because you prepared for him to an absurd degree." Benjamin said, "He feared you."

"You are both futurists." Logan said and Tony was unnerved by the comparison a bit, "Two sides of the same coin."

Tony panted as Pepper held his hand, "He knows me. He has been in my head since 2012."

"**My only curse is you." Tony said and fired missiles which Thanos blocked with his Infinity Gauntlet. He flew at Thanos, transforming his feet into the huge jet as he kicked Thanos down before punching him back with conjured battering rams. Thanos ripped off his helmet but another appeared as Thanos punched him back and ripping off the clamp, fired from the Power Stone, with Tony using a shield to block.**

"Please don't die." Pepper whispered as she held Tony's hand and all watched with wide eyes, worried for Tony.

**Thanos stopped and Tony kicked him and pinned the Gauntlet with a foot clamp before hitting him with battering rams, sending him down. The force was enough to make him bleed a little as he said, "All that for a drop of blood."**

"If you can make God bleed, then people will cease to believe in him. And there will be blood in the water. And the Sharks will come." Tony said as all looked at him with respect shining in their eyes while glaring at Thanos. They were the sharks that would devour him.

"You did it." Steve said, "At least you showed he was fallible."

Tony simply nodded as all watched.

**Thanos threw him of and started pummeling him before blasting him away with the Power Stone. Tony fired with his reforming suit but Thanos used the Power Stone to block as they fought and Thanos blocked an attack of Tony. Tony formed a dagger and tried to stab but Thanos grabbed his hand and broke it off before stabbing him.**

"NO!" Everyone in the room yelled as Pepper held Tony so tight his knuckles were pale.

"I'm here." Tony said, "Relax."

"He's killing you!" Pepper yelled.

Steve clutched his fists angrily, worry for Tony filling him like all others as all glared at Thanos.

"**You have my respect Stark." Thanos said, "When I'm done half of humanity will still be alive." As Tony gasped, he said, "I hope they remember you." He pointed the Infinity Gauntlet at Tony.**

"NOOOOO!" Pepper yelled, holding Tony's hand tighter.

"DON'T!" Scott yelled at the same time.

"No, no, no." Peter was muttering.

All watched in anticipation.

"**STOP!" Strange said as they turned to him, "Spare his life...and I will give you the stone."**

Everyone sighed in relief.

"But he said he would choose the Stone over them." May said.

"Things have changed." Logan said.

"**No tricks." Thanos said and in spite of Tony's protests, Strange conjured the Time Stone.**

"Where was it?" Peter asked.

"He had disguised it as a star of Titan." Odinson revealed to their shock.

**Thanos took it and inserted it into the Gauntlet as power surged through him, "One to go."**

Wanda held Vision's hand tightly.

**Quill fired at Thanos angrily but he escaped via portal as Quill asked, "Where is he? Did we just lose?"**

"Yeah." Tony sighed as he looked down while Pepper cradled his head and everyone watched them sadly.

"**Why would you do that?" Tony asked Strange. Strange looked at him and said ominously, "We're in the endgame now."**

"That's part of the plan?" A shocked Pepper asked.

"Yes." Odinson sighed.

"But how?" Hope asked, "Thanos has caused too much damage."

"Just watch." Logan said.

With heavy hearts, they continued watching.

* * *

**Next one will be the end of this one.**

**And thank you to Spider-Man999 for some recommendations which I used in this chapter.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	93. Snap!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Well, this chapter is the big one. It was really, really hard to write and I teared up while doing so quite a few times. Let's get on with it.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. It's gonna be really tough for the characters AND me. I love those confrontations too. Glad you liked the little thing I added with Bucky and Natasha there. I have no idea why the Russos didn't reunite those two. Sorry about your Starbucks experience. I've actually noticed that about my updates too but thanks for informing still. I agree with you Thor headcannon there. Thanks for the correction on Outriders as well. As for your request, I have something like that in mind myself but you'll have to wait a long time. You can see how much writing this story has taken a toll on me and I'll need to process it once it's over (though I'm still enjoying it). I did your Thor/Supergirl story like one year after you'd asked so maybe you'll have to wait that long for this one too whenever I get to it. Enjoy the chapter though.**

**marty munster: Thanks for the review. That I can do. Thanks a lot.**

**Alyssa: Thanks for the review. Glad you love this.**

**GIJose: Thanks for the review. Glad it was good. It wasn't an Arrow reference. It was a line Ivan Vanko had said in Iron Man 2.**

**Antonio Guestie: Thanks for the review. Glad you like the name then XD. Yes, it was an outburst for sure like when Tony had tried to kill Bucky. I can't hate them but I can't support their actions either.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. Glad it was great. Thanks for pointing out on Jabari.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. The character won't come to view because I'm not her biggest fan but her movie will be shown. Agreed on all other points.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Still failed to watch 8x3 but I'm watching it right after posting this chapter. While I don't like Olicity, I've softened around Felicity a bit and it makes sense that she'll appear in the finale.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. He will.**

**Alfa123: Thanks for the review. Glad you love it.**

**Hermione Odinson: Thanks for the review. Glad you really love it. I wasn't offended and apologies if I came off slightly stronger than intended. Thor isn't getting any pairings in this story but he will get together with Sif in the next one. Fair enough on couples. You don't like Thor/Sif. I don't like Thor/Jane. Everyone has a preference.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Ant-Man and the Wasp and then Captain Marvel. Glad this was great.**

**Nora 11: Thanks for the review. I agree on Quill actually and yes it will be sad. Glad to hear it.**

**Hell'sAngel666: Thanks for the review. Glad this was great. You're welcome. Glad to hear it. Yes Strange really did.**

Chapter 93- Snap!

"What's going to happen now?" Tony asked in a hollow voice.

"A lot." Benjamin simply said in a heavy voice and everyone felt huge pits forming in their stomachs. Not even pits. Abysses.

**In Wakanda, M'Baku and the Jabari killed several Outriders and chanted while Thor casually slaughtered Outriders with his lightning before flying into a dropship, destroying it as he emerged from its top and then flew into another one.**

"Damn!" Scott said in awe and no one could stop themselves from clapping at this small victory.

**Wanda flew to Vision and helped him up when his Mind Stone flared and he grunted in pain. She asked about it and he said in fear, "He's here."**

Everyone paled.

"We're out of time." Natasha muttered.

**Steve looked around and sensed something as he said, "Everyone on my position. We have incoming." Natasha looked around and muttered, "What the hell?" Everyone's eyes darted back and forth. Then Bruce turned around as a portal opened and out marched Thanos.**

Everyone's eyes widened. This was it!

"No." Steve muttered sorrowfully. Thanos was here and had five Stones already. How would they stop him?

"**Cap. That's him." Bruce said.**

Bruce gulped. He sounded…..afraid.

**Steve brought his shield up, "Eyes up. Stay sharp." Thanos stalked forwards menacingly.**

Everyone's hearts hammered wildly against their chests, wondering what would happen next while Benjamin, Odinson and Logan looked saddened.

**Bruce leapt at Thanos but he used the Space Stone to make him intangible and Bruce passed through him and went into solid stone where Thanos turned him tangible again and he was lodged inside it.**

"Damn it!" Bruce cursed himself. Hulk had failed to stop Thanos and so had he.

**Steve charged at Thanos but was flung away by energy from the Power Stone. T'Challa leapt at him but Thanos grabbed him by the throat and punched him hard. As he fell down, his suit discharged all the kinetic energy inside in a powerful but useless burst.**

"He is killing us." T'Challa whispered.

"Only destroying the Stone can do it." Vision whispered while Wanda was pale.

**Sam flew at Thanos and fired but was knocked down by the Space Stone. **

Sam gulped and looked down as Steve put a hand on his shoulder.

"**Wanda. It's time." Vision said. "No." She said. "They can't stop him, Wanda, but we can." He said, "Look at me." Her lips quivered as he said, "You have the power to destroy the Stone." "Don't." She begged. "You must do it. Wanda, please." He urged, "We are out of time." "I can't." She croaked. "Yes, you can. You can." Vision said, "If he gets the Stone, half the universe dies. It's not fair. It shouldn't be you, but it is."**

"Why is it me?" Wanda cried out with tears in her eyes as Vision held her hand.

"It's all right." He said.

"No it isn't." She said.

Clint once again got up from his couch and sat next to her instead, taking her head in his arms, allowing her to cry as everyone watched her and Vision in sympathy.

"**It's all right." Vision said, "You could never hurt me. I just feel you." With quivering lips, Wanda finally fired a powerful beam at the Mind Stone as Vision gasped in pain but allowed her to proceed.**

"Oh God!" Natasha whispered as all watched the on-screen Wanda and Vision and the ones in the room sadly.

**Rhodes fired at Thanos but he crushed his suit with the Space Stone and Rhodes fell down.**

Rhodes breathed heavily, trying to control himself as Tony put a hand on his shoulder.

**Bucky, Natasha and Okoye charged at Thanos, the former firing with his rifle. Thanos was unaffected and sent him down with a wave of energy from the Power Stone as Okoye threw her spear but it was sent back by a wave of energy from the Power Stone as well while Okoye was knocked out. Thanos then formed stone pillars from the Reality Stone, trapping Natasha.**

Bucky and Natasha gripped each other's hands tightly, the dread in their eyes visible.

**Groot attacked Thanos with roots but he broke free of them. Wanda looked back with tears and turning back to Vision, fired a beam from her other hand as well, breaking down.**

Wanda's tears increased as Clint hugged her tighter while Vision looked at her in sorrow and guilt, knowing this was causing her a lot of pain, even if it was for the greater good.

**Steve slid next to Thanos and arrived in front of him. Using his shields, he hit Thanos' abdomen, his left wrist and gave him an uppercut on his chin, though the Mad Titan was barely affected. Thanos then brought his Infinity Gauntlet covered hand down on Steve which he grabbed with all his might and roared, trying to stop Thanos from closing it.**

Everyone watched, very pale, though their respect for Steve increased. In spite of seeing what Thanos could do, he was ready to fight him till the end.

**Then Thanos punched Steve hard, knocking him out.**

Steve sighed and put a hand on his head, feeling like he had failed as Natasha and Bucky tried to comfort him.

**Thanos then walked to Wanda and Vision and Wanda used one hand to blast Thanos with magic as he used the Infinity Gauntlet to defend himself, being sent back a little but he persisted.**

All watched in anticipation, wondering what would happen now.

"**It's all right. It's all right." Vision said, "I love you."**

"I'm sorry." Wanda said in a raspy voice.

"Don't be." Vision said.

**The Mind Stone cracked and soon, exploded along with Vision as a small explosion occurred. The pieces of Vision lay in the forest.**

"NOOOO!" Wanda screamed and covered her mouth, sobbing more as Vision and Clint both tried to comfort her.

"We'll get the Stone out faster next time." Vision said in a vain attempt to soothe her as all watched sadly. Losing her parents, being duped and experimented on by Hydra, trying to control her powers, working alongside Ultron and causing a lot of damage by giving the Avengers visions which still haunted her to this day, trying to fight for good while losing her brother, accidentally killing innocents and being crucified by the media, being tortured by Ross' sadistic guards, and now this. Her life was hell, it seemed.

**As Wanda looked down with tears, Thanos said, "I understand, my child. Better than anyone." Wanda looked up at him in grief and rage and said, "You could never." Thanos reached down and patted her head, "Today, I lost more than you can know."**

"Get your filthy hands off of her!" Clint snapped, shaking with rage as all glared at Thanos.

"**But now is no time to mourn." Thanos said as he walked past her, "Now is no time at all." And then he pressed his fist as the Time Stone activated.**

Everyone's eyes widened in horror.

"Damn it!" Tony said angrily. Because of his mistake, Thanos had the Time Stone now and because of the others' mistakes, Vision's Mind Stone was still available.

**Thanos used the Time Stone and the pieces reassembled, with Vision being reformed and whole again along with the Mind Stone.**

"NO!"

"**NO!" Wanda yelled and lunged forward but was smacked away as Thanos lifted Vision by the throat and reaching out, ripped the Mind Stone as a hole was formed in Vision's head and he went pale, dying in Thanos' grip as the Mad Titan tossed him away.**

Everyone looked away, not being able to look at Vision's corpse. He had died twice! And failed to stop Thanos the way he wanted!

**Thanos put the Mind Stone in the Infinity Gauntlet and power surged through him.**

Everyone clutched their fists angrily. Thanos had callously murdered Loki, his own daughter and now Vision and was all powerful now.

**Then a huge blast of lightning hit Thanos and sent him flying back. Thor had come! Thanos fired a powerful beam from all six Infinity Stones powerful enough to destroy a planet but Thor threw Stormbreaker, charged with all of his power and it cut through the beam and lodged itself in Thanos' chest.**

"YES!" Scott cheered, "Take that asshole!"

"Thor will stop you!" Hope sneered.

"Please stop him." Loki said.

Everyone watched, tense, as Thor mentally urged his on-screen version to do it. Odinson looked down in shame which no one noticed.

**Thor flew down in front of Thanos and sneered, "I told you...you'd die for that." Grabbing Thanos' head, he drove Stormbreaker further into his chest as the Mad Titan yelled in agony.**

Everyone sneered in satisfaction. Thanos was getting exactly what he deserved.

**Looking up at Thor, Thanos groaned, "You should have...You should...You should have gone for the head." And then raising his left hand, he snapped his fingers. "NO!" Thor yelled as the screen went white.**

"NO!" Everyone yelled at the same time as Thor.

Then everyone was speechless for a full minute, absorbing what they had just seen.

Then Steve asked, "Did we just lose?"

Looking up in shame, Odinson said, "Yes."

Thor wiped tears of frustration from his eyes as Loki put a hand on his shoulder.

**Thanos then found himself in an orange landscape. He looked down at his chest and the wound wasn't there. But the Infinity Gauntlet was missing too. He saw a tiny figure under an archway and walked towards her. The ground was covered in water. "Daughter?" Thanos asked as the figure turned around, revealing herself to be a little Gamora.**

Everyone felt their hearts jump into their throats at this point.

"The Soul World." Benjamin said with a quivering voice.

"**Did you do it?" She asked. "Yes." Thanos said sadly. With tears in her eyes, she asked, "What did it cost?" After a moment, he said, "Everything."**

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Scott was shouting, startling everyone, including Hope. Never had anyone seen him this angry.

**Back in reality, Thor backed off as the Infinity Gauntlet now looked decayed, as if it had gone several rounds with a monster truck while Thanos' left arm was scorched as well. "What did you do?!" Thor exploded, "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Thanos used the Space Stone to open a portal and escaped into it as Stormbreaker, now coated in the Mad Titan's blood dropped to the ground.**

Everyone watched the screen while shaking, waiting for what was coming. Something was about to happen.

"**Where'd he go?" Steve asked as he arrived, "Thor. Where'd he go?" Thor looked ashamed and guilty.**

Thor had the same expression as his on-screen self and so did Odinson.

"**Steve?" Steve looked over to see Bucky, whose human hand seemed to be disintegrating. Then his gun fell to the ground and he turned to dust.**

A strangled, pained wail pierced the air and everyone knew it was Natasha, staring at the screen with horror upon her face.

Steve was pale with shock while Bucky was watching with wide eyes which looked like they were screaming for help.

Steve reached out and put a hand on Bucky's shoulder to assure himself he was there.

"No." Clint whispered in a raspy voice as all looked horrified at the screen.

**Steve walked to the spot Bucky had been at and kneeling down, touched it as Thor looked around in guilt.**

"I failed!" Thor moaned, "I failed to stop that monster!"

**Wakandan soldiers turned to dust all around as M'Baku watched in horror. One of their ships crashed too due to losing the pilot.**

"NO!" T'Challa yelled in grief and despair, seeing so many of his people just turn to dust like that, because they had failed.

Loki put a hand on his shoulder and another on Thor's, trying to comfort both.

"**Up, General. Up!" T'Challa helped Okoye up, "This is no place to die." Then he turned to dust as she watched in horror and screamed, "OH GOD!"**

"Your Highness!" Sam screamed in horror as T'Challa gulped, tears in his eyes. His people were turning to dust and he couldn't do anything about it either as he was one of them. What about Shuri and his mother? His heart pounded wildly as he thought of that.

"**I am Groot." Groot said sadly and turned to dust as Rocket watched in pained sadness. "Oh... No, no, no!" He cried out as he walked towards Groot just as he fully disintegrated, "Groot! No."**

Everyone had tears in their eyes by now.

"What…..What…What did he say?" Scott asked, his voice quivering.

Odinson simply said one word, his own quivering as well, "Dad."

No one could stop muffled sobs and tears of sadness at this point.

**Wanda, still crouching over Vision's body, turned to dust.**

"NOOOO!" Clint screamed like a madman as he pulled Wanda to himself tighter, trying to assure himself she was there, "No, no, no, no, no!"

Vision put a hand on her shoulder too, feeling pained. Wanda was numb with pained sadness at this point as tears fell out of her eyes. Clint now blamed himself, feeling like he could have changed Wanda's fate if he was there.

Steve was shaking in grief and rage as he watched the scene.

Benjamin closed his eyes sadly as some tears fell out at seeing her death.

**Okoye looked like she was going to cry as Sam struggled to get up while Rhodes called out, "Sam!** **Sam, where you at?" And then Sam turned to dust before he could reply.**

Sam put a hand to his throat in horror as Steve turned to him with wide eyes, grasping his shoulder to assure himself again while Rhodes looked at him sadly and he returned the look, equally sad.

**On Titan, everybody struggled to get back up as Peter helped Tony, who had used the remaining nanites to stich his wounds, back up. "Something's happening." Mantis then said and disintegrated in Quill's arm. They looked at where she stood, shocked. Quill turned to Drax who called out, "Quill?" And then he turned to dust too.**

May closed her eyes, praying, '_Please. Not him! Not my boy! He's still a kid!'_

Pepper was hugging Tony's chest at this point, horrified at what was happening and worried for him. Likewise, Tony hugged her back, begging that she didn't turn to dust in the recording.

"**Steady, Quill." Tony then said to Quill. "Oh, man." Quill said in horror as he realized the consequences of his outburst. With guilt on his face, he turned to dust too.**

While all still blamed him to an extent, it was impossible not to feel for him. He had messed up and it had cost him his life.

"**Tony." Tony turned to look at Strange. "There was no other way." And then, he turned to dust as well.**

"NO OTHER WAY?!" Tony exploded, "People are turning to dust and there was NO OTHER WAY?!"

"**Mr. Stark?"**

May's heart jumped to her throat as Tony clutched his chest in pain while the others looked on in horror and disbelief. Peter was the numb one now while Benjamin too started panting as he still used to suffer nightmares of the incident. Logan put a hand on his shoulder for support as he panted more.

**Peter staggered forwards, "I don't feel so good."**

Wanda pressed a hand to her mouth in horror as Steve's knuckles turned pale. This was wrong! Peter was just a kid who should be having fun in class! Not this!

May let out a sob and hugged Peter so tight he would have complained of being suffocated under simpler circumstances.

Tony looked down in guilt, telling himself he should have tried harder to get Peter back to Earth, not realizing it wouldn't have made a difference anyway.

"**You're all right." Tony said. "I don't... I don't know what's happening. I don't know..." Peter tumbled into Tony's arms, hugging him desperately.**

Everyone could only watch helplessly as Benjamin tried to calm himself down, closing his eyes and looking away from the screen.

"**I don't want to go." Peter sobbed as dust formed around him, "I don't want to go, sir. Please. Please, I don't want to go. I don't want to go."**

"DON'T TAKE HIM FROM ME!" May screamed at the top of her lungs. This was wrong! Her boy couldn't die! She had already lost Ben! She couldn't bear to lose him too.

Tony was feeling numb now as Pepper held his hand while Rhodes put a shaking hand on his shoulder as the others tried to wipe their tears but more formed.

**They collapsed as Peter lay on the ground and Tony looked over at him. Peter looked Tony in the eye, "I'm sorry." And then he looked away and turned to dust too.**

Peter looked away and started sobbing, feeling scared and horrified at what had happened to him.

"WHY?!" May sobbed out loud and all could only watch with tears of horror, sadness and frustration. She had lost her husband and now her boy who was still so young. She latched on tightly to Peter and kept kissing his forehead and cheeks, "Please don't! Don't go! Don't leave me!"

"I won't." Benjamin whispered in a raspy voice but it sounded hollow to even him while Peter continued sobbing into May's chest.

"Why did you apologize?" Tony said with tears in his eyes, his throat raspy, "You shouldn't say sorry. You died! I am sorry! I couldn't protect you! I failed!"

He started crying and put his head on Pepper's thigh as she tried to comfort him and sobbed herself at Peter's death.

The others could only sob more as their anger at Thanos increased while Thor roared in a rage, angry at himself as well as Thanos. Odinson could only clutch his fists in shame and guilt.

**Tony fell forward, clutching at the dust in horror and grief. He looked down at himself, hoping he was turning to dust too but to his horror, he wasn't.**

'_The worst part was that you didn't._' Fury remembered his words to Tony at Clint's farm. And now it had happened. Fury could only watch the man sadly, his heart going out to him.

"**He did it." Nebula said as Tony shook his head sadly, feeling hollow and defeated and both closed their eyes sadly.**

No one said a word, the tears still streaming out as they snuggled and tried to comfort each other but failed.

**At Wakanda, Steve turned over Vision's body as Natasha ran over, her hand on her stomach. Thor stood there in guilt as Rocket sat on a log and looked down sadly and Bruce stood there too, numb while Rhodes walked over. "What is this? What the hell is happening?" He asked as Steve collapsed, feeling hollow and defeated. After several moments of silence, he said, "Oh, God."**

Everyone closed their eyes sadly. Steve, Tony, Thor, Bruce, Natasha and Clint were all horrified. This was the first time the Avengers had lost. And it was devastating. The worst kind of defeat had been dealt to them. Death and destruction was upon the Universe.

Scott worried about Maggie, Cassie, Jim, Luis, Dave and Kurt. He couldn't bear to lose Cassie after everything that had happened. Him and Hope held hands tightly, both worrying for Hank and Janet too. Especially Janet. Hope had just got her back. She couldn't bear to lose her so soon. It was wrong!

Clint, while clutching Wanda, also though about his family. What about them? Had they survived this madness?!

T'Challa wiped tears from his eyes, thinking about Shuri and Ramonda.

Bruce breathed heavily, feeling sorrow and guilt as tears streamed down his cheeks. If Betty died because of this, then he would never forgive himself.

**On another green and beautiful planet, Thanos sat down with a sigh and watched the sunset as he had said he would, the beginning of a smile on his face. The screen went black.**

That did it! With a roar of rage, Steve leapt up and charged at the TV, about to punch it when Logan grabbed him from behind and restrained him, "Stop"

"HE DOESN'T GET TO REST! NOT AFTER WHAT HE DID!" Steve roared angrily as everyone looked at him in shock. Never had they seen him this angry. Not even when Tony had destroyed Bucky's arm.

He then panted heavily before calming himself down bit by bit. Feeling him relax a bit, Logan finally let him go as he just collapsed on the ground, feeling hollow, defeated and guilty.

"**Still no word from Stark?" Fury's voice was heard as him and Hill appeared, driving. "No, not yet." She said, "We're watching every satellite on both hemispheres, but still nothing." Then she paused. "What is it?" Fury asked. "Multiple bogeys over Wakanda." She said. "Same energy signature as New York?" Fury asked. "Ten times bigger." She said. Fury turned to her, "Tell Klein we'll meet him at..." Hill cut him off as a car skidded to a stop in front of them, "Nick! Nick!" Fury stopped his car just at the right time.**

Fury and Hill watched in anticipation, wondering what would happen as the others recovered themselves very slightly and made themselves look.

**Hill walked to the empty car and to her shock, no one was inside. "They okay?" Fury asked. "There's no one here." She said. Then they looked up to see a chopper crashing on a building as the pilot had turned to dust. "Call Control. Code red." Fury said. "Nick." Hill called out from behind. He turned around and was horrified to see her slowly turn to dust, "Hill."**

Hill shook in fear. She had died just like that? Everyone looked at her sadly. Another casualty of Thanos' madness. Just like half of the Universe. Fury's hand shook as he grasped her shoulder firmly. While he didn't show it, he cared for her. And Natasha. And Clint. And Steve. And Tony. They were like children to him and he was the strict no-fun daddy. He tried to assure himself she was still there.

Steve clutched his fists as more tears fell out at Hill's death and he tried to wipe them but failed.

**Fury ran back to the car as people around him turned to dust. He opened the backdoor and took out a pager, trying to message someone before noticing he was turning to dust too. "Oh, no." He said as half of his hand turned to dust, "Mother..." He was cut off as his face disintegrated but he managed to send the message just before his right hand disintegrated too while the pager fell down.**

"Mother….." Fury trailed off. And now he was dead too! Who would try to fix this with him gone? Everyone looked between the screen and him in horror and shock. While he ticked them off a lot and was no fun, they cared about him too just like he cared about them.

"Don't do this to me." Natasha whispered like she had when he had faked his death. Bucky and Natasha hugged each other tightly, trying to comfort each other.

**The pager sent whatever message it was sending and a red glowing star appeared on it as the screen went black.**

Fury's eye widened as he realized what his on-screen self had done before dying.

"What was that?" Loki asked in a raspy voice, "Who did you message?"

Trying to keep his cool, Fury said, "The glowing woman you two spoke about."

His head jerked into Fury's direction as he asked in shock, "You know her?"

"I do." Fury said.

The others heard but didn't respond, still shaken and traumatized to their core by what they had seen.

Logan finally managed to get up first and looked at all of them sadly for one full minute before saying finally, "Come on."

And then he managed to walk out. One by one, everyone wiped their tears, though more threatened to pour down. Then they got up and staggered out of the room, emotionally drained. No one was going to get over this. No one.

They had lost!

* * *

**This is the second time I have cried while writing a story. The first time was when Oliver talked Matt down from killing himself in 'The Devil Reborn.' **

**My app project has finally succeeded today and I'd be happy normally but my stress prevents me from feeling happy and writing this has only made me sadder and sadder.**

**Now I'd like to inform you all that I have exams coming soon again and won't be able to update before 16****th**** November (15****th**** for those in the USA). I'm really sorry but you gotta do what you gotta do. And it sucks that I had to give this message at the end of this chapter of all things. **

**I'll still update 'Heroes in Middle-earth' but that's because its chapters are shorter and it's about to get over as well. And some one-shots might be posted at times.**

**So see you all on 16****th****. If I get a chance to update before that, then awesome. Or I'll see you all then with Break VII where they will get even worse after finding out who died off-screen. Until then my friends, please just wait. And now I'm gonna watch Arrow 8x3 which has eluded me for quite a few days.**

**Bye bye everyone and we'll meet on 16th now.**


	94. Break VII

**Disclaimer: I'M BACK! I'M BACK! *Trips and falls down while running towards laptop and hurts back* My back! My back! **

**Anyway, today I was lucky enough to get a chance to update and post Break VII. Next update will be on 16****th**** though.**

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, the feels. Yes, it's horrible for them too. Glad the reactions are accurate and absolutely on Scott. Yes, Break VII will be hell. Yes, both these movies break our hearts. Endgame has a theme of grief running through it. Yeah Logan will. Glad you feel the 'Arrowverse watching MCU' would be worth the wait for you. Thanks a lot bro. I managed to update today but next one will be on 16****th**** for sure. In case you read this, please read and review the last 3 chapters of 'Heroes in Middle-earth' as well. Enjoy.**

**GIJose: Thanks for the review. Glad it was great. Yeah, it does sound like something Anatoly would say. Thank you. Glad to hear it.**

**Nora 11: Thanks for the review. Oh absolutely.**

**Anna: Thanks for the review. Glad it's great. As for question 1, yes I am. As for question 2, no I won't bring it up. I don't want May to faint. You're very welcome and thanks a lot. :)**

**Panther-10: Thanks for the review. Yes all of them do.**

**Roman-X: Thanks for the review. I'm thinking of it but not anytime soon.**

**Antonio Guestie: Thanks for the review. No problem. Yes Scott is. Glad you love the name. :)**

**Rex Stone 12: Thanks for the review. LOL!**

**Webhead 87: Thanks for the review. I might if I get the chance.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. Zemo seems to have lost his humanity so he probably won't care.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Yes it is Break VII and everyone does.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Yes it will be based on the extended version. Agreed on most of your points, except 2 and 7. It was already made clear that Natasha was working to somehow get everyone back in Endgame so her own movie isn't needed for explanation. And for point 7, look, I am all for women empowerment and stuff like that but forced displays of women empowerment have the exact opposite effect of what was intended. That scene was forced and contrived and Hope being there was the straw that broke the camel's back. Seriously, in that moment, all the women were reduced to SJW symbols which is sad as except Carol, all of them are great characters. Now this is what I feel about that scene. If you have a different opinion, more power to you. I did like seeing all the women teaming up but the way it was done took me out of the movie and the scene was done badly.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. I watched Arrow 8x3 and 8x4 and enjoyed them both, minus the Oliver hate portions and yeah, even I think Felicity should show up one last time.**

**Guest 5: Thanks for the review. No, they won't harp on Tony for that. They will understand and assure him they do. Yes, Tony solved time travel and I can't wait for Steve and Mjolnir either.**

**Guest 6: Thanks for the review. Yes, that is exactly what the final chapters will be about.**

Chapter 94- Break VII

Everyone sat silently in the dining room. The food was in front of them but none of them were really eating. All of them were too traumatized to eat. May still had Peter in her arms and was unwilling to let him go and Clint and Wanda were in the same situation.

They had seen themselves lose badly and most of them were dead in the recording. The ones who weren't dead felt guilty, thinking their mistakes had led to this catastrophe.

That was until Fury realized something. Looking at Benjamin, he asked, "They did manage to beat Thanos later, didn't they?"

Everyone looked at him and then at Benjamin, realizing he was still alive. And so was Scarlet Witch. And Sam too. Doctor Strange as well.

"So…." Tony asked, clearing his throat and wiping his eyes, struggling to control his emotions, "We did beat him later?"

"Yeah." Benjamin said with a sore throat, "And all of us were brought back."

"But at a high cost." Logan said as he shot Tony a look and glanced at Natasha for a second as well but she didn't notice as she was just holding Bucky's hand and looking at him while he was looking at her. Steve had his head in his hands.

He then looked up and said, "We lost because we weren't together."

"People died." Hill muttered, "The world was damaged. How did anyone even recover?"

"They didn't." Odinson said, "No one fully did."

"It's my fault!" Thor snapped angrily as everyone looked at him, "I should have gone for the head!"

"That's what I kept telling myself every day for years." Odinson said, "Doesn't make a difference."

"Yes, all of you made mistakes." Loki told them, "I did as well. I took the Teserract from Asgard. Tony took the Time Stone to Thanos. Vision and Wanda were away. You didn't go for the head. But blaming ourselves is not going to solve a damn thing! We need to think about how to beat this guy without making any mistakes!"

"How are we going to do that?" Tony asked.

"Together." Steve said and the two looked at each other with firm gazes before nodding.

"Who else died?" Bruce asked as all shot him looks, "We need to know."

Benjamin sighed, preparing himself. He knew he'd have to tell them sometime.

He looked at T'Challa remorsefully and said, "Shuri."

T'Challa felt the ground shift from his feet as he fell to the ground on his knees, tears coming to his eyes. Half of his people were dead. He was dead. And now Shuri too. Loki put a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer comfort.

Logan then looked at Bruce and told him, "Betty."

"WHAT?!" Bruce snapped as his skin turned a shade of green for a second before he controlled himself, "He killed her too?"

"Yes." Logan sighed.

"Did Ross die too?" Tony asked hopefully.

"Nope." Logan said.

"Damn it!" Tony said, "This guy can't even kill the right Ross."

"Betty." Bruce whispered, trying to get a hold of himself.

Benjamin turned to Steve and said, "Sharon."

Steve felt a tear drop from his eye. He had failed Peggy as well by failing to protect her niece from Thanos' madness. He looked down, trying to process everything.

Odinson looked at his younger self and said, "Erik. Sif."

Thor roared angrily and hit the table hard, shattering it. Tony, Scott, Peter or Benjamin would have made a quip about him breaking tables but none of them had the heart to. Benjamin made a mental note of getting the table replaced by next day.

Loki put a hand on Thor's shoulder and helped him sit back down. This was getting worse for everyone involved.

Now it was time for the really hard revelations.

Benjamin looked at Scott and Hope and said, "You died too, Hope. And your parents as well."

Hope's jaw dropped in horror and shock as Scott looked horrified too, wrapping an arm around Hope to assure himself she was there. She had just gotten her mother back. And now she had lost her life along with her mother and her father? Why? This was just wrong! And unfair!

Hope felt tears drop from her eyes as Scott tried to comfort her. He still dreaded something. Looking up at Benjamin with pleading eyes, he asked, "Cassie?"

"She was fine." Benjamin assured and he was a little relieved, "Maggie, Jim, Luis, Kurt and Dave survived too."

He nodded. At least his daughter, ex-wife and friends had escaped that monster's madness. But Hope and her family hadn't, he mused sadly. He could only wrap his arm around Hope as she cried into his chest while tears dropped from his eyes too.

Benjamin looked at Aunt May and his younger self, who were still holding each other. Struggling to maintain a calm voice, he said, "You died, Aunt May."

She actually didn't react at all, simply hugged Peter tighter as the boy seemed to cry. She just kissed his forehead. He needed her more than she needed herself.

"Ned, Michelle, Flash, Betty and Jason were killed too." Benjamin told her and Peter's cries of sadness increased as May hugged him, crying herself.

Logan now turned to Clint. This was going to be the worst part. He took deep breaths himself. He had brutally killed and maimed his enemies, who were the worst of the worst. But telling a family man about the potential death of his family seemed much worse than all of it.

"Clint." He said and the master archer looked at him, dread in his eyes, "Your family. They-they-they….They didn't make it."

Clint immediately got off his chair and walked out while his chair fell off. He went out into the hallway and stood there, trying to process what he had just heard. Logan closed his eyes and sighed sadly. He knew this wasn't gonna be easy.

Natasha had recovered herself a bit now and looked to Bucky who nodded. She got up and Wanda got up as well. Both walked out to where Clint was. He seemed numb. He couldn't move or feel a thing.

"Clint." Natasha called out but he didn't respond. She put her arms around him, trying to offer comfort as Wanda put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey!" She said to him, "We will change this."

"How?" He snapped and the two backed off a little. They knew he could get angry. But they had never seen him like this before. The only thing keeping him from snapping totally was that his family hadn't died yet. It seemed if they died, he would go over the edge.

"Because you're not alone."

The three turned to see Lila standing there, tears in her eyes. Clint couldn't control himself now. With tears in his eyes, he walked up to her and hugged her tightly, never wanting to let go, "Oh! My baby girl!"

"Daddy." She cried too while Natasha and Wanda simply watched.

Back inside Hope, Peter, May and T'Challa had calmed a little and were just sitting silently, staring into space. Bucky, Sam and Rhodes were rather quiet too from normal.

"What happened to you guys?" Fury asked Logan and he knew he was referring to the X-Men.

"Jean and Scott died." Logan said in a pained voice and all felt their sympathy for him, "Many other kids died too. The Professor was gone as well. Magneto also died. Which is why when he came back, he returned to his old habits of mutant supremacy."

Everyone nodded, just absorbing what they had seen and heard.

"Would you like to rest?" Benjamin asked, knowing they would need it. Steve nodded gratefully at him as they all started getting up one by one.

Tony hugged Peter, "Please, do not put yourself in danger like that, kid. I can't let anything happen to you."

Peter simply nodded and started walking away with May as Benjamin walked with them.

Tony and Pepper walked out too.

"Mom. Dad."

The two turned as Morgan walked to them and hugged them both, trying to offer comfort. They hugged her back, none of them saying a word, just grateful to their daughter for her support.

"Take care of yourself." Benjamin told Peter and May both, "If you need anything, I'll come."

They just simply nodded as May kissed his cheek and he kissed hers too before the three parted ways, their hearts heavy.

Scott and Hope walked to their room to see Cassie standing near the door, waiting for them.

"Peanut." Scott said, but his voice didn't sound as happy as it normally would.

"Dad." She said before turning to Hope, who was eventually going to become her step-mother, "I'm here for you. Both of you."

They nodded at her as she held both of their hands, trying to offer them comfort.

Benjamin was walking to his room as Scarlet Witch arrived, "I came as soon as I heard."

"Thank you." He said in a sore voice as she held his hand and both of them walked towards their room, gazing into each other's eyes, trying to be there for each other.

Steve saw Bucky and Natasha going to their room and Sam to his.

"Buck?" He called out, "Sam?"

The two turned to him and he hugged them both one by one, "You're both important to me."

They nodded at him with smiles as he walked off and Sam went to his room as well.

Bucky and Natasha walked to their room as Natasha asked, "Would you hold my hand as I go to sleep?"

"I will." Bucky said with a comforting smile, though he needed some for himself as well due to his on-screen death. The two held hands and lay on the bed.

Only four recordings were left now. Next day was going to be something.

* * *

**Well, this was hard to write but I did my best. Hope it was enough. **

**Next chapter is gonna come on 16****th**** for sure and we will begin Ant-Man and the Wasp. Not before that. Hope you all understand. **

**So see you all then. Until next time, my wonderful friends.**


	95. Janet's message

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far. **

**Well, guess what? 5 seconds after posting the previous chapter, I found out one of my exams got postponed so that gives me time to milk out one more chapter before 16****th****. **

**Hope everyone enjoys.**

**Anna: Thanks for the review. Well, hope you enjoy. Yes, Ghost really is SHIELD's own Winter Soldier and I agree, her life was very painful. They will know that for sure on her problem. You're welcome.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. I don't think it's possible for Magneto to be their dad in MCU even if Disney had bought X-Men before Phase 4 somehow due to established backstory. Yeah, Wanda could have.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review and telling me about the article. Now I think I can use what you said in your last review. Thanks. You'll see on the other points.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Knowing Beck, he would probably figure out another way and he does need to be dealt with as he is still a bad guy with motives for revenge.**

Chapter 95- Janet's message

The next morning, everyone was still rather gloomy from what they had seen in the recording, for very good reason. Though they were all a little better than the previous day. Just a little.

Benjamin had the table replaced during the night and all of them were just sitting there, eating rather slowly. Scarlet Witch, Morgan, Lila and Cassie had joined them for this one too. They would be sitting with them for the last four recordings because it was needed.

Soon, all of them walked into the viewing room. None of them had any idea what they would see now.

"Before we get to the remaining future recordings, there are two more recordings about the past." Logan told them but got no reactions really, "We need to get them watched first."

At a nod from Benjamin, he took out the remote and started that recording.

**A house was shown as Hank's voice was heard saying how he still thought about the night he and Janet had to leave Hope. A little Hope was shown watching as a younger Janet kneeled down to her and said they were leaving on a last minute business trip and Rose would take care of her. Hope said she didn't want them to go but Janet joked how she won't be able to keep her eyes due to how boring this was and did mimicked a sleeping person, amusing Hope. Hank said they had to go and Janet snorted funnily, making Hope laugh.**

That was enough to alleviate the tension a little as everyone chuckled a bit at that.

"You were just like me, aren't you?" Cassie joked to Hope and both smiled.

**The two went off as Hope watched and Hank's voice was heard saying how they had wanted to put down their bags and tuck her in bed but too many lives were at stake. The two were shown in their suits on the nuclear warhead, with Hank failing to penetrate it due to its thick coating. The only way was to go subatomic and Hank was shown trying to, only to fail as his regulator was damaged. But Janet's wasn't. "Tell Hope I love her." She said as she pressed her regulator. "Janet, no!" Hank yelled as she went subatomic and into the warhead.**

Hope pressed a hand to her mouth, struggling not to cry as Scott had his arm around, watching sadly as all looked at her in sympathy.

**Hank was heard saying how she had saved thousands of lives knowing she would be lost in the Quantum Realm. The warhead was shown falling into water while Janet shrunk into the Quantum Realm. Hope was shown playing with toys when Hank arrived. His expression was all she needed to know what had happened as she burst into tears and the two hugged each other. "Telling you that she wasn't coming home, was the hardest thing that I ever had to do." Hank was heard saying.**

Hope closed her eyes sadly at the scene.

**Then Hank and adult Hope were shown talking to each other in 2015 as Hank said, "But then, Scott showed up...Or should I say, broke into our house. And when he went to the Quantum Realm...And came back, everything changed." A flashback of Scott returning from the Quantum Realm and hugging his daughter was shown.**

Scott and Cassie smiled at each other.

"**I started to wonder...Could your mother still be alive?" Hank mused as the two walked together, "So I dusted off some old plans." He opened up plans of some kind of machine.**

"That looks like a…" Tony trailed off.

"Quantum Tunnel." Morgan finished for him.

"**Dad, what are you saying?" Hope asked. "I think it's possible, to bring her back." He told her as both of them looked at the plans.**

Everyone watched in anticipation, knowing this recording was just about getting Janet back.

**In present day, Scott and Cassie were crawling in a tunnel and Scott took out a map, asking Cassie if she was ready and said if she showed hesitation or fear inside, they were done. "I eat fear for breakfast." Cassie said and Scott found it cool as the two crawled inside.**

Everyone burst out into laughter as Lila said, "That's actually very childish."

"Well, what am I in this recording?" Cassie asked with an eye roll.

"It's endearing actually." Natasha smirked.

**The two then saw a model of a giant ant in the front which Scott called Anton and asked which way to go. On not getting a response, he asked a bit more forcefully and Luis heard. He ran to his position and pulled a string, making Anton point in the direction as the two crawled away.**

"Ah! So he's in too." Steve said as all smiled, the tension getting a bit lighter now.

"You really devised this entire game for your daughter." Clint said, one father to another, "Respect."

Scott simply nodded in thanks.

**Scott saw how ants had burrowed into this facility and there were lasers too. Scott got lased but they still moved to the secret vault.**

"Pretty ineffective lasers." Pepper said as all chuckled.

**Cassie had brought the contact lens, which was some kind of giant eye as she put it on and Scott opened the vault.**

"The lens works." Morgan said as all chuckled.

**There was a microtreasure there, a trophy. They picked it up as Cassie said she wanted it for show and tell but Scott said it was too important and the best birthday present she got him, saying how he was touched she thought of him as the 'World's Best Grandma' as that was plastered at the bottom.**

Everyone laughed as Peter asked, "Grandma? Really?"

"That's all they had left." Cassie shrugged.

**Scott joked how he wanted to knit her a sweater as Luis arrived and said he was looking at the schematics of the Karapetyan Buildings and they had too many security cams. Scott argued as Luis said they needed to land the bird. Scott said the investor could go anywhere and the expression was 'land the fish.' Luis asked how they would land a fish as it couldn't walk and if it swam to shore and battled a hawk, it wouldn't win. Scott said Luis had turned it around on him now and said they would land Karapetyan.**

Everyone laughed as Bucky said, "But it is to land a fish."

"Ignorance is bliss." Scott said and all chuckled again.

**Scott said he was trying to steal something with his daughter and they crawled into the tunnel, getting on top of an ant called Antoinette. Scott removed the support and they slid down across the entire house. Cassie had a helmet for protection. They managed to slide out of the house and 'crash-landed' as Luis looked down and said he was headed to the office and apologized for freaking out earlier, saying he had this and was the boss. That was when the alarm beeped and Scott and Cassie realized his foot, which had the ankle monitor, had broken through the fence and was out.**

"Oh no." Bruce said and all groaned.

"Yeah, bummer." Scott said.

**The feds were then at the house, searching the place as Scott told Jimmy Woo he just had 3 days and wouldn't try to escape. Woo said rules were rules and they had to search the perimeter if he tripped the alarm. Scott said his foot had crashed through the fence and Cassie said their flying ant had crashed. Scott told him to try to entertain a 10-year old without leaving the house.**

"No can do." Clint said.

**Scott said he had gone to lengths, including close-up magic, producing a card from his fingers and showing it to them both.**

"Okay, that looks awesome." Peter said and all chuckled.

"It's a trick." Scott shrugged.

"I know." Benjamin said.

**Cassie asked why they couldn't leave daddy alone and Woo kneeled down, explaining to her about the Accords in a convoluted way, saying how their school had rules of not drawing on walls and her daddy had gone to Germany and drawn on walls with Captain America.**

"Drawn on walls?" Sam said in amusement as all chuckled.

**Scott dryly said how he was great with kids.**

"Oh he really is." May said and all laughed.

**Woo also said he was a youth pastor and asked if he had contact with Hank or Hope because their tech was in violation too but Scott hadn't. Woo said talking to them would give him 20 years minimum in prison but he said he hadn't spoken to them in forever and Cassie said they hated his guts. **

Everyone laughed.

**Woo pulled Scott to a side and asked how he had done the card trick.**

"I thought he was going to threaten you." Thor said as all chuckled.

**Maggie and Jim arrived, with her saying how they couldn't just show up and search the place but Jim said they could without a warrant to her shock.**

"Not the most knowledgeable about law then." Tony said and Scott nodded.

**Later Jim, Maggie and Cassie were going away as Maggie said Scott would be free next time they see him. They both hugged him and Jim did too, twice.**

"I had no idea husband and ex-husband could be besties." Hope said and all burst out into laughter.

"Yeah, shocking, I know." Scott said.

"Your superpower must be instant likability." Benjamin joked to him and all laughed.

**They walked off as Scott said once he got out they would have so much ice cream they would puke and Scott ended up puking cards, shocking Jim who asked how he did that as Maggie said he was getting good.**

"Okay, how did you do that really?" Tony asked as all were impressed by Scott's trick.

"I'll teach you sometime." Scott said and all were amused.

**Jim, Maggie and Cassie went off as Scott went back into the house after waving goodbye. Scott decided to have some fun, playing drums to 'Hello World' and later trying to hit pins with a bowling ball but missed.**

Everyone laughed as Hope asked, "How old are you?"

"Not my best moments." Scott said.

"I can see that." Cassie said and all laughed again.

**He then watched a video, learning more card tricks but failed to do this one in spite of snapping his fingers like instructed.**

"I'm sure you'll learn. You seem to be good as this." Loki told Scott.

**Scott then sang the song on a karaoke set while looking at the lyrics.**

"You're pretty good." May told him.

"Thanks." He said.

**Scott later read 'The Fault In Our Stars' and cried.**

"Oh this is gold." Hope said and all laughed while Scott looked embarrassed, though he didn't really comment. As long as Hope's mind was off hers and her family's potential deaths, he was good.

**Scott made paper birds in his room and later threw a ball which managed to fall into the hoop.**

"Nice one!" Peter said and Scott smirked again.

**Later, Scott wrapped a plastic bag around his left leg to protect his ankle monitor from water and went into the bathtub, muttering 'easy peasy' as he closed his eyes.**

"You do have abs." Hope said and all laughed.

"Of course I do." Scott said.

"He is not a show-off." Odinson told her, "That's why you never saw them."

Everyone laughed again.

**He then suddenly found himself in the Quantum Realm and saw a projection of someone else around him.**

"My mom?" Hope asked as all watched in shock.

"Yeah." Scott said.

**He was suddenly in a house and said in Janet's voice how he was going to find someone, calling the person 'jellybean.' He then opened a red wardrobe and found a little Hope in it. She laughed and said how mommy always found her. Scott looked into the mirror and was shocked to see he was Janet. And then he woke up.**

"What the hell was that?" Rhodes asked as all were a mix of shock and amusement.

"I became Janet." Scott muttered and everyone found the situation rather funny, "I know. I know."

"She was trying to send a message through you." Hope said.

**Scott then took out a secret phone from where he had hidden it and sat on his bed, thinking. He then called Hank and it went to voice mail. He said how he was the last person Hank would want to hear from but he had a weird dream which felt real. He saw Hank's wife back in the Quantum Realm and then he was his wife, not in a weird way or anything. He said it didn't sound like an emergency now that he had said it out loud.**

"You never know, dad." Cassie said.

**He apologized for bothering Hank and other things before dismantling the phone. Later, he was watching 'Animal House' when a flying ant bothered him and he was shot by a miniature dart, being knocked out.**

"Was that you?" Hill asked Hope.

"Yup." Hope said.

**Scott later woke up to realize he was being driven away and saw Hope next to him. He said out loud if it was another dream and she asked if what he had seen was a dream or real. He said he didn't know before realizing he couldn't be here and tried to open the door, reminding her of his house arrest but she said system was engaged and they won't open. And then a giant eye looked down.**

"Oh I get it! I finally get it!" Tony said as all realized the car was shrunken.

"Doesn't look like a pleasant reunion to me." Fury said.

"No it's not." Scott said.

**Giant pigeons pecked the car as a truck passed over. They drove again as Scott said cops could arrive any second but Hope said they won't and Scott realized his ankle monitor was gone. A giant ant sat in his home with his ankle monitor on it, startling Luis who wondered if Scott had transformed into an ant.**

"Seriously dude?" Scott asked as all burst out into laughter.

**Hope said he was programmed to replicate Scott's daily routine- 9 hours in the bed, 5 hours in front of the TV and 2 hours in the bathroom whatever that was about. Scott said it was inaccurate before asking how she knew of it.**

"It is inaccurate though." Logan noted.

**Hope said they looked into all security threats and he was the biggest one.**

"Sorry about that." Scott said.

**Scott apologized, saying it was a matter of national security and Cap needed help. Hope asked who Cap was as they drove into a pipe and Scott said it was Captain America and that's what friends called him and that he knew him a little.**

"We're friends." Steve told Scott who seemed overjoyed to everyone's amusement.

**Scott said he hadn't thought he'd get caught and Hope said he hadn't thought of a lot of things as he asked how Hank was and she said the house and their freedom was gone. Scott apologized and she said she wasn't looking for an apology but needed what was in his head. They stopped in front of a building as the car enlarged and they went inside as Scott looked around.**

"That's a nice place." Pepper noted.

**They went into the elevator which went down as Scott asked if they needed money, he'd help. She said they were fine as they stepped out into a lab where giant ants helped move around stuff.**

"Never thought I'd find that normal." Wanda said and all chuckled.

**Scott then saw a machine and Hank in front of it.**

"This is gonna be good." Tony said dryly.

**He was about to apologize but Hank told him to save it as they needed to get ready. Hope said while Scott was relaxing at home, they had built this. It was Quantum Tunnel to the Quantum Realm and to Janet. Hank said they thought she was down there but didn't know the location. Hope said if they pinpointed the location, the pod would get her. Scott was shocked they had built all this and didn't even know if she was alive. Hank said it was a hypothesis as they had powered up the Quantum Tunnel the previous night and it had shut down but for a split second, the doorway was open.**

"Now comes the good part." Morgan said.

**Five minutes later, Scott had called about Janet and they thought he had entangled with her down there. Scott said he respected Hank too much but Hank said he meant Quantum entanglement.**

Everyone laughed and Scott looked embarrassed.

**Hank said Janet had put a location in Scott's head and the tunnel had activated it. Scott said it was insane but Hank said insane was going to Germany to fight the Avengers without telling them. Hank asked if he had destroyed the suit and Scott said he had. Hank moaned how that was his life's work and he wasn't supposed to go away with it.**

"Did you really?" Tony asked.

"Nope." Scott said as he and Hope smirked.

**Scott apologized for everything, saying he had only dreamt of Janet playing hide-and-seek with a little girl, shocking the other two. Scott said it was no big deal as he and Cassie did it all the time. Hope asked if the girl was Cassie and Scott said it wasn't. She asked if she had hidden in a wardrobe and Scott said it was a tall dresser. Hank said that was a wardrobe.**

Everyone laughed as Scott said, "This is embarrassing."

**Hope asked what color and Scott said red. Hope asked if there were horses on it and Scott realized he had seen Janet play hide-and-seek with Hope. She said that was where she always used to hide as a kid and Scott joked she didn't get the gist of the game.**

Everyone laughed as Rhodes said, "Man's got a point."

**Hope and Hank were overjoyed and hugged as she said, "I knew it! I knew it!" They needed to get the last component from Burch now to stop the tunnel from overloading.**

"Sonny Burch?" Tony asked as Scott and Hope turned to him in shock, "That guy showed up in the same conventions Klaue did."

They nodded, realizing that made sense as Tony said, "The guy's an asshole."

"Tell me about it." Hope groaned.

**They walked out as Hope tossed him clothes and he said he'd help but needed to be back home when they took off the ankle monitor or he'd be gone forever. Hope said they only needed the part and to open the tunnel and would send him back before lunch. Hank said he owed them as he shrunk the van and Scott asked if he could just wait inside when Hank shrunk the building and pulled it like a suitcase.**

"Damn!" Sam said as everyone's jaws just dropped.

"Even Wakanda cannot top that." A shocked T'Challa said.

"People bring work to home. He can take his home to work." Tony said and all laughed at that.

**They drove away as an intangible figure watched them.**

"Who's that?" Loki asked.

"You'll see." Lila said.

**They stopped out Oui as Hope went inside and Scott asked if he could have one of those but Hank refused. Hope walked inside and looked around before seeing Sonny on his suit who greeted her and said Oui was French for yes and in yes they found a table, yes she saw them and yes to plan before property. Hope also said yes to if he had the component she ordered as she put the money on the table.**

"Nice one." Pepper said as all watched in anticipation.

"Still an asshole." Tony said.

**Sonny said he always loved her sense of humor, calling her Susan.**

"Fake name. That's the right thing to do." Fury said approvingly.

"Until they find out that is." Hope groaned.

**He asked her to have a seat but she refused as Scott and Hank watched via camera. Scott asked who that was and Hank said he was Sonny Burch who specialized in black market technology and was getting them what they needed. Scott asked if he could have one again but Hank slapped his hand away.**

Everyone laughed as Hill wondered, "What's his problem?"

**Sonny said he had a friend in FBI who told him things he didn't know, like Susan wasn't her real name but Hope van Dyne was while her unseen associate was her father Hank Pym.**

"Oh no!" Rhodes said.

"And now I'm busted." Hope sighed.

**Scott and Hank were shocked as Sonny made her have a seat and said relationships were built on trust and the business landscape was shifting. Hank Pym was a real opportunity and he knew what they were building as he looked at the component. He said Quantum Technology was the real future and they could forget nanotechnology, AI and cryptocurrency. **

"Not nanotechnology." Tony said and all chuckled.

**Sonny said he had arranged buyers for their lab and starting bid was $1 billion but Hope said they had more pressing issues so they should stick to the original arrangement. Sonny said his buyers wouldn't take no so they were in business or not. Hope said they weren't then and was going to take her money back but Sonny refused, saying it was compensation for his injured feelings.**

"You keep this up and you will injure something else." Logan said as all watched in anticipation.

"**Listen, Sonny." Hope said, "This is gonna be so much easier on everybody if you just give me that component." Sonny said she was only taking his heart and it would mend in time. She smirked and walked off as Scott asked now what and Hank said he'd see.**

"Oh we will." Scott said as Hope smirked.

**Sonny and his men were walking as he told them to find out who they were working with when one of the men was sent flying off on being hit by something. They looked around in shock as Hope flew in her Wasp suit. Scott was shocked she had wings.**

Everyone clapped at Hope's entrance as she smirked.

"Well, wasps sting." Peter said and all laughed.

**Hope enlarged and flipped a man down before hitting some with stingers, sending them down too. She then shrunk and knocked another out as Sonny and his men backed off while she enlarged and flip kicked another guy down, taking more down with her stingers and skills as Sonny and the others ran. She flipped and grabbed a guy's head before throwing him off.**

"That looks awesome." Peter said as all continued clapping.

"I remember that one." Scott said and they laughed.

"Of course you do." Cassie said.

**She shrunk and flew into the chandelier as the others fired but Sonny told them to stop as he didn't want the chandelier gone.**

Everyone laughed as Hope said, "You should have thought of that before."

**They started walking away when Hope flew down and crashed a man into a kitchen. The others tried to run when she threw a jar at the door and enlarged it, blocking their way. Another tried to throw knives at her but she shrunk and ran across their surfaces, hitting a frying pan as the hot water inside it fell on his face and he fell down. **

Everyone clapped again as Tony said, "Nice one."

**She dodged another man who tried to hit her with a spatula and threw flour around, blinding them all as she lit a fire, burning another guy's hand and threw him down on enlarging before grabbing another's hand and hitting the other with a frying pan the man had before knocking him out and taking the money.**

Everyone clapped happily as Hill said, "Take that!"

**Scott said Hank didn't have wings and blasters available for him but Hank said he did.**

Everyone burst out laughing as Scarlet Witch said, "He didn't want to use it for you."

"I know." Scott groaned.

**Hope put the money down and took the part, saying it was a pleasure doing business with Sonny but he said their business hadn't started yet. Then the intangible figure appeared, shocking Sonny.**

"Who is that?" Tony asked.

"Just watch." Hope said.

**Hope tried to attack but the figure's intangibility protected it, though she managed to hit it a few times. She asked Hank what to do and he told her to get out. The figure was getting the upper hand as Scott said he needed to help and Hank took out a new suit which was a work in progress.**

"Ant-Man is back." Scott said as all chuckled.

**The figure overpowered Hope and pinned her to the pillar. It was about to punch her when Scott blocked and kicked it away. He said how Hope had taught him the kick and she complimented his form. He reminisced about good ol' days but she told him this wasn't the time as they realized the figure was gone.**

"Now it's gone because nothing is easy!" Natasha said as all sighed.

**Scott and Hope looked around as Hank tried to say something but was cut off. The figure had punched through his throat and asked for the lab. **

"Oh no!" Pepper paled.

"This thing is something." Tony muttered.

**The two returned as Hank said she had the lab. They got into the van and drove away, wondering what that thing was and said they needed to regroup. Scott said they could go to his house and Woo could show up but Hank said that was why they weren't going. Scott asked about their house before remembering it was stolen and apologized and suggested one place. Hank said 'no' multiple times before adding another one.**

"I think I know what that is." Tony said and everyone chuckled.

"Oh you do." Scott said.

**Luis welcomed them into X-Con, saying how he had turned to them in his hour of need. He said they needed to cut the food budget and would eat oatmeal packets but Kurt found it insult because it tasted like sand.**

"Here we go again." Steve said as all chuckled.

**They argued about it until Scott told them to focus before noticing his desk and was shocked it was so small. Luis said he wasn't there when they were picking one and Scott pointed out he was under house arrest and the argument re-started. Hope called out to him and then he said they had to focus, amusing her. Luis said he had heard of what had happened to them, with someone who could walk through walls stealing their stuff.**

"One of the people at the school can do that." Logan revealed.

**Kurt said it was Baba Yaga, the witch, asking if they knew her.**

"I know Baba Yaga but he uses a pencil." Tony said and all laughed.

**Hope said they needed to find the person but Dave said such a person would find them. Luis asked if Hank had put a lojack on the lab or they had options. Hank said they had but it was disabled. Hope remembered the person was phasing and explained to Scott, who pretended he knew.**

"Now I know." Scott said and all chuckled.

**Hope and Hank said they could modify a Quantum spectrometer to track the radiation of the lab but all the equipment was in the stolen lab.**

"That sucks." Pepper said and all groaned.

**Hank said they knew a man called Bill Foster who was a colleague of his from his S.H.I.E.L.D. days but they had a falling out. Luis noted he had a lot of falling outs as Scott said he was risking everything and they needed to at least try.**

"Yeah you do." Bucky agreed.

**The intangible person put the case down somewhere and opened the suit, revealed to be a young woman.**

"That ain't Baba Yaga." Tony said as all watched in shock.

"Something's up." Fury realized.

**She staggered into a machine and shutting herself, activated Quantum energy.**

"She appears to be in pain." Steve noted.

**Scott, Hope and Hank walked to Bill's university wearing cap and glasses as disguise but Scott said it wasn't a disguise as they looked like themselves at a baseball game.**

"Oh don't worry. Everyone disguises themselves like that." Benjamin told Scott and all chuckled.

**Bill Foster was teaching a class when he noticed Hank and decided to end it a few minutes early with a joke. He later sat with them and talked about Quantum entanglement with Scott, who joked if they put 'Quantum' before everything.**

"I thought I was the only one who noticed." Tony said as he and Scott chuckled.

**Hope said they needed to find the lab but Bill said he couldn't make the equipment. Hank said they should go but Bill asked him not condescend as he was on the run from the FBI for growing to a size his ego could fit in. Hank said that was Scott and Bill noted he would have been tired from that. Scott said he had slept for 3 days and Bill said he had been Hank's partner on a project called Goliath back in the day. Hank was angered but Bill said the only thing more tiring than going that big was putting up with Hank's bullshit and the two laughed as Hank looked angry.**

Everyone laughed at that too.

"Yeah, dad is difficult to work with." Hope agreed.

**Bill said he had grown to 21 feet while Scott had grown to 65 feet. Hope said they needed to find the lab and Bill mocked Hank, saying he seemed to have all the answers back in the day and that's why he had left. Hank said he had fired him but Bill pointed out all of Hank's flaws, saying he pushed everyone away. Hank said just the mediocrities as Bill said only Janet could endure him and chose to stick it out but paid the price. Hank was going to attack him but Scott and Hope restrained him.**

"That did cross a line." Thor said.

"Yeah it did but we didn't need any fighting there." Hope said.

**Scott then notice Woo and other FBI outside and thought someone would have seen him but Hank looked at the camera and saw an ant playing the drums, asking if Scott was 15.**

"You're the one showing off here!" Scott said.

**They needed to go right now as Bill told them if they modified the diffraction units on the regulators, they would improvise the trackers. Scott and Hank ran out as Hope thanked him gratefully before the three ran out as Woo and the others arrived.**

"At least he gave you the idea." Tony noted and they nodded.

**Woo later told Bill campus police had ID'd Hank and Hope but Bill said he hadn't talked to Hank in 30 years and he was the last person Hank would want to meet. Another agent tried to argue but Woo asked why and Bill said they hated each other's guts.**

"Yeah. That helps." Hill noted as all chuckled.

"It's gonna get messy." Logan said as the recording continued.

* * *

**And I'm done with 36 minutes of this movie now. I love this movie so much. A low-stakes heist movie was a breath of fresh air after the dark and gloomy Infinity War and made me happy. **

**Next chapter comes on 16****th**** for sure. **

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time on 16****th**** with another chapter.**


	96. Ava Starr

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now we got over 600 follows! Thanks a lot everyone!**

**Also, I know its been a few days but let us remember the legend who left us 4 days ago last year with happy memories and a broken heart. We miss you. **

**Thank you, Stan.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, we needed Ant-Man and the Wasp after IW. And people say Captain Marvel is a better movie than this *Rolls eyes* Yes, Paul Rudd is love. Agreed on Break VII. Yes, I'll have Steve and Tony note that for sure. Yeah, it certainly was ironic and Loki, just like I intended. Not a fan of the Amora pairing so probably not. I like MCU Thor with Sif or Valkyrie. Though to be honest crossover pairings are more interesting for Thor like Wonder Woman (Been done a lot but I love it as it makes sense) and Supergirl. Yeah Scott is among the best dads in movie history and the best dad in MCU for sure. Oh I'd love a movie on just Scott living his life with all of his family as well. Sounds awesome to me. Oh the scene of Scott and Janet you described is killing me with laughter already. Yeah, the truth serum part approaches. No problem on the hiatus, it's great to have you back at last bro. And my exams went well. Thanks for the review on 'Heroes in Middle-earth' as well. The only LotR fics I read are crossover fics to be honest because I find having them interact with characters from other fandoms entertaining. If I read just LotR fics, it's mostly fluff about Aragorn and Legolas because like you said, it's perfection and mustn't be messed with. Though I think if true fans of Tolkien's works like me or Dr. Matthattan write LotR fics, then it can only turn out good because we know the themes of the series to their very core. Yeah, Galadriel saved our dear Weaving XD. The Silmaril has…..ambiguous abilities. They do have the last light of The Two Trees of Valinor as they were made in their time and bring joy to anyone who sees them. That and Varda hallowed them so no mortal flesh, hands unclean or evil people can touch them. Morgoth simply desired their light and beauty. Earendil is much older than that. Arwen was 2700 years old and he is her grandfather so that makes him very, very old. The only Men with that much longevity are the Numenoreans from whom Aragorn is descended. They are long-lived and can choose when to die. The only people in Middle-earth who seem to have normal life-spans like real people are the Rohirrim to be honest. Yeah, only one week on Earth. Yeah, some magic timey stuff probably surrounded Middle-earth for sure. We'll see if the heroes use their honors sometime or not, though you way of doing it sounds awesome for sure. So glad you loved the Steve and Tony hug and I loved doing it too. As for how long Constantine was inside the Soul Stone, I'm leaving it ambiguous. It fits for some reason. And yeah, he has a smart plan there. Glad you liked the Adam Warlock reference as well. And yeah, Cisco would be killed by everyone if it was longer than a week. That's why I found Caitlin to be a great counterpart to him as she tempers his excitement. And that's why Team Flash was perfect with those two, Barry and Harry. Speaking of which, I think the best genius in MCU who can stand alongside the likes of Tony and Hank is Harry. Awesome to know on the updates and thanks a lot. Glad you found that to be a great story. Now enjoy the chapter. **

**Knox: Thanks for the review. Glad you like the John Wick reference.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. Nope. No one can defeat Baba Yaga. Okay, maybe Shaggy can but that's it. Don't mess with Baba Yaga. He killed 3 men in a bar with a pencil! A fookin' pencil!**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Well, you know, not all high school relationship last forever as people change and want different things so they probably broke up. **

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. I agree with all of your points and thanks for the joke in Point 1 as well. As for Carol, Fury paged her when the Snap happened and I remember it was specified that 23 days have passed since then. Carol came to them sometime before 23 days so probably a week or two. Though I don't think Thor needs 2 weapons.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. You'll see on the threats as well as Secret Wars.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. I'm excited to see Tony again. Not excited to see Jackass again.**

**Guest 5: Thanks for the review and yes, I saw that scene and I'll add it too because I loved it.**

**Guest 6: Thanks for the review and the tip on Lila channeling her anger into something good. That is a great idea.**

**Anna: Thanks for the review. Yeah, that scene is my favorite too. Really sorry to hear about your condition. Hope you're doing well in spite of it though. You can overcome anything if you try hard. That's why we accomplish so much. Yeah, the comment made me sad for sure but don't apologize. I had a good week. Hope you did too. :) **

Chapter 96- Ava Starr

"So I guess that idea works." Tony said.

"It does. But nothing is easy." Hope said.

"Nope." Scott agreed.

**In the van, Hank ranted how Bill never had a good idea his entire life but Hope said his diffraction idea could work so he grudgingly said one decent idea.**

Everyone laughed as Rhodes said, "Looks like we found someone even more arrogant than you."

He turned to Hope, "No offense."

She simply shrugged.

**Hank reminded he had eliminated the defractors on upgrading the suit and Scott realized this could work if they had an old suit. Hank said they didn't but Scott then said they did, with Hope realizing he had never destroyed the suit.**

"Told ya!" Scott said as everyone chuckled.

"So where is it?" Bruce asked.

"Life's funny." Scott said.

**Hank was angry but Scott said it was his life's work and he couldn't destroy it so he had shrunk it down and sent it to Luis through mail. Hank was angry his suit had been sent through the mail but Scott said they were very reliable and did tracking numbers like UPS. He said it was in a very safe place.**

"Mail? Really tic-tac?" Sam asked in amusement as all laughed.

"Oh come on! They are reliable!" Scott said.

"Yeah I know, I know." Tony said.

**Scott called Luis asking about the trophy but he said it wasn't there, shocking Scott while Luis was pestered by the giant ant. Scott then remembered putting out to Cassie and realized something as Luis scolded the ant for startling him. Scott cut the call and said the good news was that he knew where it was.**

"And the bad news?" Peter asked.

"Just watch." Scott groaned as Hope snickered.

**A miniature Scott sat on a flying ant and flew to Cassie's school along with Hope and joked how everything was supposed to look smaller when you returned to school but this looked huge.**

"Cause you're too small." Clint said and all chuckled.

**Then Scott suddenly grew to a medium size and fell down as Hope realized the new regulator was malfunctioning and Scott asked how much of a work-in-progress it was. Then the recess bell rang and students ran out so Scott ran to a side room and opened it, hiding inside with Hope as he grew too large.**

"The Universe hates you too much or what?" Bucky joked and all chuckled while Scott sighed.

"The Universe doesn't. Hank does." Scott said and all laughed more.

"We can see that." Natasha said.

**Hope grew slightly larger and opened the regulator, noting that the sizing coils were malfunctioning and fixed them as they both grew to normal size before it malfunctioned again and shrunk Scott to the size of an elementary schooler. Scott tried to fix it but nothing happened.**

At this point, Scott covered his head in his hands as all burst into hysterical laughter.

"Okay, this is gold. I need to keep the scene forever." Sam said.

"Don't blame you." Benjamin laughed.

"So you got your revenge then?" Scott asked.

"Dating minors isn't exactly legal, Hope." Hill said and Hope and Scott both groaned while everyone laughed.

"So my dad and I are the same age then." Cassie joked and all laughed again.

"Yeah. Looks like it." Lila said.

"**If only Cap could see you now." Hope smirked as she leaned down.**

"Cap's seeing. Still working on believing." Steve said and everyone laughed, Tony being the loudest as Steve had used his words.

"You love me, don't you?" Tony asked Steve as all laughed again.

"I'm sure everyone does." Pepper said with a good-natured eye roll.

"I do." Morgan popped up.

"Awesome." Tony said.

"Poor daddy." Cassie said and all laughed again.

**Scott then saw a hoodie that was oversized and wore it. Hope shrunk and the two snuck out as a teacher spotted Scott from behind and thinking he was a kid, asked if he had the hall pass but Scott ran off as Hope flew with him, the oversized sleeves flaying.**

"This is getting better and better." May said as all continued laughing while Scott again put his hand in his heads.

"Don't worry, daddy. It puts smiles on everyone's faces." Cassie said to him good-naturedly.

**Scott eventually found the room and the two snuck in as Scott tried to reach Cassie's schoolbag and Hope jokingly cheered him as if he was a kid before enlarging and getting the bag.**

Everyone laughed again as Scott asked, "What does a guy got to do to be taken seriously around here?"

"Be normal-sized apparently." Loki said and all laughed again.

**Scott opened it and found the trophy, getting a little emotional on seeing 'World's Greatest Grandma' and opening the bottom part, took out the miniature suit and handed it to Hope before putting the bag back.**

"Now you got it." Logan said.

"Time to implement the idea then." Wanda said and Hope nodded.

**Hope shrunk and flew out as the bell rang again while Scott ran, struggling due to the oversized clothes and struggled to jump into the van as Hank jokingly asked if school was good that day. Scott laughed sarcastically and told him to joke later and fix the regulator first. Hank asked jokingly if he wanted juice box and string cheese and Scott asked if he had that as the van started.**

Everyone laughed one more time as Cassie said, "Don't worry. It's over."

"Oh thank God." Scott said.

"Oh it was still worse with me on Sakaar." Thor muttered.

"That is nothing." Odinson said with a shudder.

**The three then worked on the suit as Hank wondered if the idea could work and it did, with the location being triangulated as the three looked happy.**

"At least that works." Fury said.

"Yup." Scott said, "But nothing is easy."

"No Mr. Lang. Nothing is." T'Challa agreed.

**They stopped in front of the house and Scott and Hope changed into suits, with him commenting how they were teaming up twice a day and Hope said it made her think about Germany. They were working together, training together and other stuff-ing together.**

"I did not need to hear that." Cassie groaned as Scott and Hope sighed in embarrassment while Morgan and Lila snickered at her expense.

**Scott asked if she'd have come had he asked. She said they'd never know but she did know he'd have never been caught if she had as she shrunk and flew off while Scott smiled.**

"You sound right about that." Natasha said as Hope smirked.

**Hank turned to him and asked him to stop daydreaming about his daughter to get his lab.**

Scott flushed as all snickered at his expense.

**Scott shrunk and sat on a flying ant as Hope asked what had taken him so long and he said he was coming up with a name for his ant- Ulysses S Gr-ant. Hope found it hilarious.**

Everyone laughed as Rhodes asked, "What's next? Ant-oine?"

"Or Ant-onio." Sam said.

"Or Ant-ero." Hill said.

"I'm pretty sure he'd name it Ant-hem because he loves Cap." Hope said and all laughed again while Scott sighed and Steve shook his head in amusement.

"Ant-thony was good." Tony said.

"Because it's your name." Pepper reminded and he groaned while all chuckled.

**Hank said he wasn't getting anything on the monitors due to electronic disturbance and asked them to be careful. Scott said he always was before being startled on seeing Ghost until he realized it was the suit.**

"You were saying?" Fury asked.

**The two then saw Ghost was lying in a chamber with Quantum energy surging through her as they wondered what she was doing. They saw the lab and Scott joked about it being their shrunken building and not anybody else's. Hope told him to do it fast and both enlarged. Hope then looked to see Ghost wasn't in the unit anymore and was knocked out by her, with Scott following a second later.**

"Oh no!" Peter said and all paled.

**Scott woke up later to find out he was tied to a chair and Hope and Hank were tied next to him, both unconscious. He tried to wake them when Ghost said they couldn't hear him. She greeted him and introduced herself as Ava.**

"Well, she is sweet." Sam said sarcastically.

"She isn't a bad person." Scott said before turning to Bucky, Wanda and Scarlet Witch, "Like you, she was used."

"How?" Bucky asked.

"Just watch." Hope said.

**Scott then saw she was turning intangible and realized she didn't need the suit to go through walls. She said it was only needed to control it as Scott asked her not to phase through his chest and crush his heart. She said he was funny and told him she wouldn't hurt him unless she had to before knocking the chairs of Hope and Hank, waking them both up.**

"Intense." May muttered.

**Hope told her not to touch Hank and she said she was going easy on him all things considered. Hank asked what she was talking about and Bill's voice was heard saying, "Another casualty of Hank Pym's ego." He walked into plain sight.**

"He works with her?" A shocked Peter asked, "I thought he was just a grumpy guy."

"And I thought Pierce was just a good but strict guy." Fury told Peter.

"Things are never simple." Scarlet Witch said.

"Tell me about it." Steve groaned.

**Hank asked what Bill had done but Bill said Hank had done it. Scott groaned how he had thought Bill was cool. Ava said she doubted Hank had ever mentioned her father Elihas Starr, shocking him.**

"Elihas?" Fury said in shock as all looked at him.

"You know about him?" Clint asked.

"Yes. He used to be Pym's colleague." Fury said, "And he was a traitor."

"They are going to reveal everything." Benjamin said about the recording.

**Hank and Elihas had been colleagues at SHIELD until Hank had fired Elihas for disagreeing with him and discredited him for good measure. So he had continued his work on his own, desperate to restore his stock and name and had taken too many risks. A machine of his was shown malfunctioning in a flashback as he told his wife and Ava to run and they did but Ava was heard saying she didn't want him to be alone and she was shown running back to him in the flashback, with her mother running after her to stop her. And then there was an explosion.**

Wanda covered her mouth with her hand, reminded of what had happened to her to an extent as the others watched the screen in horror and sadness.

"That did it to her, didn't it?" Thor asked and Hope nodded.

**Ava was heard saying her parents had died when she had woken up but she wasn't that lucky. In the flashback, some firemen approached her and one of them tried to hug her for comfort but his hands went through her every time as she looked at herself in shock. Ava said it was called 'Molecular Disequilibrium' but that was a dull name which didn't do justice to what it meant. All cells in her body were torn apart and stitched back together at all times.**

"My God." Steve said in shock as everyone felt sympathy for Ava. To live in pain like that constantly for 20 years would be like Hell for anyone. How Ava had not gone completely insane was shocking.

"We are trying to gather energy to save her life." Hope told everyone and they nodded, finding that a good thing.

"She isn't really a bad person like I said. Just desperate to end the pain." Scott said.

"Yes." Scarlet Witch agreed.

**Bill said he had been at SHIELD when he had gotten a call about a 'Quantum anomaly' in Argentina and he was shown meeting Ava for the first time in a flashback, introducing himself as a friend of her father. He tried to gift her a teddy bear but her hand phased through it. He told her to try again and this time she did it.**

"He cared for her." Tony said as all realized he was her father figure.

**Ava said Bill had done his best to keep her safe but others at SHIELD had seen an opportunity and built a containment suit to control the phasing and turned her into a stealth operative. Flashbacks were shown of Ava being pulled away, being put in the suit and carrying out missions as she said they had weaponized her, "I stole for them, spied for them...I killed for them. And in exchange for my soul, they were going to cure me. They lied."**

"Except we never did." Fury said, as shocked as everyone else.

"Then how?" Peter asked just as it hit all of them.

"Hydra." Bucky growled as all shook with rage.

"The Hydra cell that took me and Pietro was also a mole within SHIELD. This one would have been too." Scarlet Witch said and Wanda nodded as everyone's anger and rage at Hydra increased. [1]

"They keep stooping to new lows." May snorted.

"Nothing is too low for those monsters." Hill said in disgust.

**Bill said after SHIELD had fallen he had taken Ava in and built the chamber to slow her decay but the condition was still progressive. She had wanted to kill Hank but he had stopped her, telling her to watch instead as they saw he was building a Quantum tunnel instead. During this time, he was interrupted twice by Scott's phone vibrating due to being texted. Bill then talked about Janet's message to Scott and the phone vibrated a third time, annoying him as Scott asked who was texting him and he said it was 'Cassie, 911.'**

"Looks like I annoyed him too much for shoes." Cassie said as she, Scott, Hope, Morgan and Lila chuckled.

"Oh it was awesome." Scott said and all laughed at that.

**Scott said he needed to text her back as it was an emergency but Bill refused until she video-called so he accepted it and put the phone on Scott's face as Cassie said she couldn't find her soccer shoes and had a game the next day, to Scott's shock.**

"Kids." Lila muttered as Cassie smacked her shoulder while everyone snickered.

**Maggie asked him to walk through the house but he lied he couldn't because he was sick so she told him to look around later and she, Jim and Cassie waved him bye before the call was cut and Scott apologized to Bill.**

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "That was pretty adorable."

"I know right?" Morgan asked and Cassie smacked her shoulder too in annoyance while everyone snickered.

**Hank said he wanted to help Ava but Bill said she didn't need his help and he knew how to save her. Hank asked how and he said Janet had been absorbing Quantum energy for 30 years and they could extract it to save Ava but Hank snapped and said it would rip Janet apart. Bill said he would fire up the tunnel and when Janet's location popped up in Scott's head, he would give it to them or be turned over to the FBI.**

"Can't I ever catch a break?" Scott groaned.

**Bill said Hank would stay to help but Hank was angered and then started calling for help, muttering about pills as Hope said it was his heart and he needed his pills or would die. Both Scott and Hope begged Bill as Hank started breathing while Hope told him it was in the Altoid tin **

"I don't think he has a heart problem." Fury said as all smirked.

"Nope." Hope said.

**Bill picked up the tin and Ava realized what it was but too late as he accidentally triggered it and ants popped out, enlarged, freeing the three as Hope threw Ava down with a shot and the three escaped with the lab while Bill was surrounded by ants.**

"Oh thank God for ants!" Steve said as all laughed and sighed in relief.

"Yeah, thank God!" Cassie said too.

"And ants." Scott added.

"And dad's act." Hope added too.

**The three were in the lab later as Hank said Bill was filling Ava's head with lies because Elihas had been a traitor who had stolen his plans. The ants worked under his command, setting things up as Hope said they'd adjust the relays while he could reprogram the system. Hope said she'd thought she'd be more ready after all this time and Scott said no one could prepare for going subatomic but she said she was talking about her mom. She wondered if Janet was a different person as Scott joked if it was like George Washington and George Jefferson to her amusement.**

Everyone laughed as Sam said to Scott, "You're like a Hobbit, you know that?"

**Hope wondered if Janet had forgotten her but Scott said when he had been in prison, the thought of Cassie had kept him going and he would have remembered her even if he had been imprisoned for 100 years.**

"I know you wouldn't forget me, dad." Cassie smiled at him and he smiled back at her lovingly.

**Scott said Janet would be counting down the minutes she could see Hope again and she thanked him as Scott's phone rang and they chuckled as he picked it up and Luis said he had forgotten the motion sensor lights on the back of the building which the Karapetyan had asked for specifically. Scott said he could stop by the next day but Luis said he had to fix it now. Scott said he couldn't leave so Luis said he'd come to him instead and asked him for the location but Scott said it was complicated. The lab was now in the middle of the woods.**

"Damn!" Rhodes said as everyone looked amused.

"I'm in a lab in the woods. Yeah I get that." Sam chuckled.

**Kurt and Dave rehearsed how they would present their system to the Karapetyan as Luis said he was going to Scott to fix the plans and would be back soon before asking if they had the van washed for next morning and was told it was at the undercarriage. Luis was shocked, saying those were scammers when Sonny and his men arrived, with Sonny saying how undercarriage was used for cleaning out road salts in the snow-laden states.**

"What the hell?" May said as all paled.

"And now that asshole is here." Tony muttered.

"Tell him a story. Tell him a story." Peter muttered to Luis jokingly to lighten the mood.

"He will actually." Morgan said to everyone's shock.

"Yeah. That's what he did." Lila said.

"Must be his superpower." Clint said and all snickered.

"Well, the three are all well so not much reason to be worried." Scott said, remembering when his friends had caught Sonny and his men.

**Luis asked who he was and how he knew so much about car wash protocol and Sonny introduced himself, saying a friend of his at the FBI had told him Luis was an associate of Scott Lang who was a known associate of Hank Pym, who had a portable laboratory with all tech in it and Luis was going to tell him where it was. Luis said he had no idea what Sonny was talking about and Sonny said he had promised results to dangerous friends so his man Uzman would extract information through psychoactive means. Uzman took out some kind of a fluid from a briefcase. Luis asked if that was truth serum but Uzman said truth serum was nonsense from TV and this was a concoction he had perfected in his days with the SIS which made people suggestive and highly responsive. Luis, Kurt and Dave said it was truth serum and an argument broke out between them all if it was truth serum or not.**

Everyone burst out into laughter as Bruce said, "Truth serum is a colloquial name for any compound that can make people susceptible."

"But memories might even be reconstructed by those." Vision pointed out.

"Which is why courts don't accept them." Morgan finished.

"I know." Tony said.

**Luis said he had a lot of allergies so they better be careful. At their base, Bill said the lab was needed as the chamber and suit were barely helping anymore and Ava only had a couple of weeks. Ava said she would use Lang's daughter to make them give up the lab.**

"Don't even think about it!" Scott snapped angrily.

"She is a bit too desperate. Don't blame her." Cassie said, surprisingly forgiving.

**Bill said he tolerated a lot of things Ava did but won't tolerate this. Ava said he was not the one about to fade into nothingness and that he had promised to fix her. He said he would but if she laid a finger on that little girl, they were done. Ava walked away, saying there were other options.**

"Thank you." Scott said, grateful to Bill.

"He is a frustrated guy, but a good one." Logan said.

"Yup." Benjamin agreed.

"Which is why he will never agree to things that bad even under desperation." Odinson said.

**Luis was injected with the fluid as he said they were all right and it wasn't the truth serum before saying it was a lie and then said he felt something, saying it was truth serum but Uzman again said there was no such thing.**

Everyone chuckled at his antics as Benjamin said, "Get ready for some storytelling."

**Sonny sat down in front of him and asked where Scott was. Luis then started his story as flashbacks of Scott's first meeting with Luis in the prison were shown, "Well, see, that's complicated. 'Cause when I first met Scotty, he was in a bad place. And I'm not talking about cell block D. His wife had just filed for divorce. And I was like, "Damn, homie, she dumped you while you were in lock-up?" And he's like, "Yeah, I know. I thought I was gonna be with her forever, but now, I'm all alone!" And I was like, "Damn, homie, you gotta chin up. 'Cause you'll find a new partner. But you know what? I'm Luis." And he says, "You know what? I'm Scotty. And we're gonna be best friends." Their lips moved in the flashback at the same time as Luis told his story.**

Everyone laughed as Peter said, "That doesn't sound accurate. No one talks like that."

"Luis does." Scott said and all laughed.

**Sonny stopped him, saying he liked stories as much as the next person but what did it have to do with where Scott was. Luis said he was getting there. Dave said, "You put a dime in him, you got to let the whole song play out." Kurt said, "He hit like human jukebox."**

"Oh absolutely." Hope said and laughter followed.

"**Oh!" Luis said as another flashback of Luis' granny in a restaurant was shown, "My abuelita had a jukebox in a restaurant. Yeah. Only played Morrissey. And if anybody ever complained, she'd be like, "Oh, porque? Gusta mas?" And El Chicanos, we call them mas, "then, adios!" What can I say? We relate to these melancholy bandits, you know?" His granny's lips moved in the flashback at the same time as Luis talked but Sonny asked about Lang.**

Everyone laughed at Luis' storytelling again as Cassie said, "Best bedtime storyteller."

"**Right, right, right, right." Luis said as a flashback of Scott's and Hope's first meeting was shown Luis-style, "So anyway, this guy gets out of jail and starts working for Hank. And that's when he met Hope. And Hope's all like, "I want nothing to do with you. Look at my hairdo. I'm all business." And then Scotty's like, "You know what, girl? My heart's all broken, and I'll probably never find love again. But damn, if I want to kiss you!""**

Everyone laughed as Hope asked, "Is that how it went?"

"Only in Luis' head." Scott said.

"Does that hairstyle really look business?" Hope asked.

"Oh it does." Hill said and Hope glared at her while all snickered.

**Luis continued as a flashback of Scott and Hope making out was shown Luis-style, "But then you fast-forward and they're all like into each other, right? And then Scotty's like, "You know what, I can't tell you this, but I'm gonna go trashing the airport with Captain America!""**

"What goes on in his head?" Hope cringed as all chuckled again.

"Don't ask me." Scott said, cringing as much as she was.

"He's your friend." She said.

**Luis continued and a flashback of Hope talking on phone was shown, "Then she said, "I can't believe you split like that! Smell you later, dummy!"" She threw her phone away.**

Everyone laughed as Sam said, "His brain is overdramatic."

"Tell me about it." Hope groaned.

**Luis said, "So Scotty goes on house arrest, and he won't admit it, but his heart's all like, "Damn! I thought Hope could've been my new true partner. But I blew it!"" A flashback of the earlier meeting at X-Con was shown as Luis said, "But fate brought them back together, and then Hope's heart is all, "I'm worried that I can't trust him. And he's gonna screw up again and ruin everything.""**

"It's not like that." Hope said and all laughed at her expense.

"Is it?" Hill asked and all chuckled.

**Luis said, "And in my heart, it's all like, "That fancy raspberry filling represents the company's rent. And we're days away from going out of business! Oooh!""**

"Busted." Hope said and all chuckled.

"Out of business?" Tony asked.

"Yeah. Almost did." Scott said.

**Kurt and Dave were shocked on hearing that as Luis was angered at the truth serum and said they were broke, with him having tried to be a good boss and the Karapetyans were their last hope. Kurt and Dave said that was terrible bossing as Luis said that was on him before Sonny asked about Lang again and Luis said, "I've been trying to tell you. He's in a tricky spot, emotionally speaking."**

"No I'm not." Scott said.

"The guy did find a good loophole to stall though." Fury noted and all nodded.

"**Emotionally speaking." Sonny snorted, "But where is Scott Lang, literally speaking?!" "Oh! The woods." Luis said. "The woods?" Ava asked as she suddenly appeared, frightening them all while Kurt said, "Baba Yaga!"**

"She was there the whole time?" Peter wondered.

"Looks like it." Natasha said.

"Someone call the real Baba Yaga." Tony said and all laughed.

"**What do you mean, the woods?" She asked. "The Muir woods!" Luis said as she walked off and disappeared. Kurt sang, "Baba Yaga, coming late, little children, sleep at eight."**

Everyone chuckled at Kurt's singing.

"And now she knows." Clint groaned.

"And Sonny too." Hope said.

**Sonny and his men walked out to see his tires sliced and said they would never see the tech if Ava got it but they could steal it from the feds. He called his source at the FBI, telling him everything and asking him for the lab. The source was Woo's partner.**

"Oh! Him!" Hill said and all groaned.

"Of course it had to be him." Scott sighed.

**Sonny told him men the feds would find the tech while they had to fix his car as Luis, Kurt and Dave watched from inside. Woo was trying the card trick in his room but failed.**

Everyone chuckled.

**The agent told him he had a lead.**

"Now he's coming." Steve said.

**At the lab, Hank and Hope managed to start up the system as the tunnel started opening but then it started shutting down to their shock. Hope wondered if the vectors were off as Hank said he had gone over them a million times. Scott suddenly looked around funnily and running up to the computers, starting fixing the algorithm, saying he had thought about it a lot 30 years down there. He then said 'Hi hon' to Hank and patted his cheek before calling Hope 'jellybean' and patting hers.**

"Wait what? She is in your head?" May asked.

"It wasn't a message." Hope said.

"It was an antenna." Tony realized at the same time as Bruce.

"To help her communicate." T'Challa said.

"Yup." Scott said, "But this is embarrassing."

"Oh get over it." Hope said as all chuckled.

"It looks hilarious." Cassie said and all laughed.

'**Janet' said this wasn't the reunion she had imagined and said they had done great work but needed a little nudge. 'She' walked to another computer to work as Hank asked how this was possible and Hope realized she had put an antenna in Scott's head and 'Janet' called her clever girl. Hank asked where 'she' was and 'she' said it was too complex so 'she' needed to talk, telling them to 'follow' her voice. Hope realized it was like following a call to the source as 'Janet' winked at her.**

"Why me?" Scott groaned as all chuckled.

**Hank talked about the subatomic frequencies they would use and 'Janet' said they needed different ones before joking about them squabbling again so Hank agreed on a compromise and 'she' said their first fight in decades was over just like that. 'She' locked on to the source and it started as the three held hands and 'she' told them the Quantum wasteland was dangerous to the human mind so they had to be careful. They had 2 hours and it would be a century before alignment came again.**

"Which means do it quickly." Loki said.

**Hope said they'd find her and 'Janet' caressed her cheek, saying she knew before Scott came back to normal and said how he had nothing before wondering how they had come here and realized him and Hank were holding hands.**

Everyone burst out in laughter as Scott groaned.

**Later, Hank and Hope prepared as Scott told her what to expect but she said was going to be fine and Scott said he was just saying because he had been there. Then his phone rang and he picked it up, with Luis telling him Ghost and the feds knew where he was as he had been given some kind of truth serum to make him talk honestly and he hated how Scott used the dishwasher before saying Scott needed to go home and told him not to put plates on the top rack before cutting the call.**

In spite of the tense situation, all laughed at Luis' antics before it registered.

"The feds are coming." Natasha realized.

**Scott walked up to Hank and Hope, telling them Ghost and the FBI were coming as he had told Luis their location, angering them both. He said they had needed help with the Karapetyan proposal as it was hard for ex-cons to get jobs these days. They started working on the machine again as Scott said he needed to go because the FBI were coming to his place and needed to borrow the suit. He'd come back but Hope told him not to bother as they would take it from him once they found Janet. She told him to go so he wore the suit, shrunk and escaped on a flying ant.**

"I'm guessing you'll make it back." Tony said.

"Yeah." Scott said.

"Good." Thor sighed in relief.

"Sorry." Scott said to Hope.

"It's okay." She smiled at him as they held hands, "You saved us too."

"It's getting a bit messy now with Ava and the feds involved." Logan said as the recording continued.

* * *

**Done this one too. **

**[1] Now Fury probably has an old, rusted heart but he does have one. I don't think he would have let SHIELD use Ava like that if he knew about her so the only thing that makes sense to me was that it was a Hydra cell posing as SHIELD that used Ava just like the Hydra cell posing as SHIELD that duped Wanda, Pietro and the other Sokovians.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	97. Janet returns

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Glad you found the size joke savage and glad we killed you. Agreed on Michael Douglas too. Oh yeah, such people need to get their heads examined before and after. I don't even dislike the Captain Marvel movie, I rather like it, but compared to this one, it is a soulless drab. Glad you loved Hope vs. Hill. It ain't sexist at all! I love it a lot! If I manage to work it in, I'll do this for sure. Thanks for the idea. Now would I break it up? Yea….Nope! Zip! Nada! Zero! No chance! Agreed on Scott there. I think Cassie and Lila are over 20 now while Morgan would be 18. Oh absolutely on Fury and thanks for the correction on the undercarriage and Kurt's song. Yes, Luis' storytelling was the best here. Thanks for the tribute recommendations. Will check those out for sure. As for the 'Crisis on Infinite Earths' trailer by UltraSargent, I've seen it about 5 times now already but thanks still for recommending. After that trailer, the actual COIE is gonna be a disappointment for sure. Oh no, please keep these long, if you can that is. I love reading your thoughts. It's great to have you back and yeah, RIP Stan Lee. Thanks. And I will update 'Heroes Stand United' tomorrow and answer your questions so hope you're excited. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Knox: Thanks for the review. You will see. No, not every hero will watch Endgame because it isn't feasible. I can't handle a crowd that huge.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. I did and I hated it. I am so happy they changed that for a more emotional and personal death scene for Natasha.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Yes that scene will be.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. I'm pretty sure Clint would have admitted his actions to his family. He would look ashamed while doing it for sure but he would have. We'll see on Kate Bishop.**

**PopCultureFan101: Thanks for the review. I know that too.**

**Anna: Thanks for the review. You're welcome. Glad it was great. I like what you did there- 'SHIELDRA.' Glad it made sense. **

**Z: Thanks for the review. Awww…thanks a lot. Glad you find me incredible. I can't wait to do Endgame either. I'm sure I will finish it.**

Chapter 97- Janet returns

"I'm guessing you reached in time." Bruce said.

"Just watch." Scott said.

**Scott's door was knocked on before being opened to reveal Cassie, Maggie and Jim who began looking for her soccer shoes. Jim discovered dirt and leaves on the ground as Maggie commented how Scott lived like a pig these days.**

"No. Like an ant." Scot said and all laughed.

**Cassie ran upstairs on hearing sounds from the bathroom only to see an ant in the bath instead before smiling.**

"Ant in the bathtub. What more am I gonna see?" Tony muttered.

"A lot." Morgan said.

**Woo and the FBI arrived to search the place as Maggie said they had no shame. Cassie came down the stairs as Maggie told her to let the agents search the place. A female agent said Scott's ankle monitor was in the bathroom and Woo said he wasn't buying it. Cassie said he was barfing a lot but Woo said as a federal agent, he had seen much worse before asking if it was a lot. He still ran past her to the bathroom as Cassie ran after him. The door opened to reveal Scott Lang.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said in shock as all sighed in relief.

"You made it just in time!" Pepper said.

"I know right?" Scott said, "Lucky me."

"And lucky us." Hope said.

**Scott asked Woo why he was here and said he was sick as Cassie said she had told him. He said they had to let it out and going into the bathroom, made barfing sounds again.**

"And Woo is fooled." Sam smirked.

**Hank and Hope got out of the lab and the former shrunk it only to reveal armed agents having surrounded them to their shock. Another car pulled up and Woo's partner walked out, saying they were under arrest.**

"Sonny's man." Hope muttered.

"Now you're arrested." Hill said and all groaned.

"I got favors to repay." Scott said as he and Hope exchanged a smirk.

"Oh that was pretty cool." Cassie agreed and the past viewers looked forward to seeing that.

**In the house, Maggie said the FBI were harassing Scott, saying they probably stood for Forever Bothering Individuals.**

"That's accurate." Rhodes said and all laughed.

**The monitor checked out and Woo was a bit disappointed before being informed Hank and Hope were in custody so he was happy before apologizing to Scott as they were his friends but he needed a win. They all walked out as Woo said he'd be back to declare the end of Scott's sentence and apologized for misjudging him.**

"No problem." Scott said.

**Hank and Hope were put into the cars as Woo's partner discreetly put the lab in his own car's trunk only for Ava to kill him with her phasing abilities. She took the lab and escaped.**

Everyone cringed at that sight.

"Painful. Painful." Benjamin muttered.

**The other FBI talked to each other, saying they had a man down and the lab missing as Hope and Hank exchanged concerned looks. At the house, Cassie walked to Scott's room who thanked her for covering for him.**

"Anytime dad." Cassie smiled.

"Thanks peanut." Scott said.

**She sat next to him and asked how long he had been Ant-Man again. He said it had just sort of happened and apologized for lying to her and risking everything. She said it was okay but he said it wasn't as he did dumb things and people he cared for paid the price, mainly her.**

"But I'm proud of you, daddy." Cassie said and the two smiled at each other again.

"I know. I know." Scott muttered as everyone's hearts melted at the emotional scene.

**Cassie said trying to help people wasn't dumb and Scott said he screwed up every time. Cassie said he needed someone to watch his back like a partner. Scott said she wanted to do nothing with him. Cassie asked who and he said Hope. Cassie said she meant her and asked Scott not to laugh as she'd be a great partner and Scott said she would but he'd be a terrible dad if he let her.**

"Trust me, you're the greatest dad." Cassie said to Scott who felt happy on hearing that.

"Thank you." He said, "Though I wanted to ask, did the three of us work together?"

"We did." Cassie said, "Then you two retired."

"Makes sense." Hope shrugged.

**Cassie said he could let Hope be his partner as she was smart and Scott said she reminded him of her. Cassie said he should help her and Scott said he would but not without hurting her. Cassie said he could do anything as he was the 'World's Greatest Grandma' and he smiled before the two hugged.**

Everyone chuckled but knew what was coming now.

**Hope and Hank were cuffed to the table as the agent said Woo would see them in an hour but Hank said they didn't have one. The agent mockingly asked if he had somewhere else to be before going out when Hope spit out a pin from her mouth and unlocked both the handcuffs.**

"Now that was nice." Natasha said as Hope smirked.

"Thanks." She said.

**Hope said they could shrink the wall as she took out a disk and run like hell to avoid the falling ceiling. There were about 20 agents on the floor and 5 times that in the building, all armed so not great odds but they had to do it. Just before Hope could throw the disk, her suit appeared on the table and there were ants crawling on the ceiling. Scott was outside, shrunken, and said they needed to find the lab. Hank asked what about him and an FBI uniform appeared for him.**

"That was very smart." Steve said as all clapped for Scott.

"Thanks." He said, "I got my moments."

"Thanks Scott." Hope said gratefully.

"No problem." He shrugged.

**Hank wore it and walked out as Hope flew next to him and they got out as the van appeared and Scott asked them to get in. They did as Scott and Hope gazed at each other. "Hi." He said. "Hi." She said too when Hank asked if they were going to leave soon or if they would stare at each other until the feds started shooting. The two looked embarrassed as Scott started driving.**

Everyone laughed as Scott and Hope looked embarrassed.

**Uznam and another man were behind them and informed Burch.**

"These idiots are like cockroaches at this point." Bucky snorted as all glared at them.

**Woo was told the suit and the van were missing as he ran out in shock.**

"Too late, buddy." Benjamin said.

**Hank thanked Scott and he said 'you're welcome' before asking how to find the lab. Hank said after losing it the first time, he had put a different tracker. He was communicating with the ants and they looked up to see flying ants pointing in the directions. Scott said that would do and followed them until they reached the front of the lab.**

"That was unique." Tony said and all nodded.

"The lab is there." T'Challa said.

"And Starr and Foster with it." Fury said.

"Starr wouldn't go down without a fight." Thor said.

**In the lab, Bill told Ava they could begin the extraction but it was dangerous so they could wait but she said she only had days to live. She went into the chamber to start the process.**

"Do it fast." Pepper muttered.

**Hank said the tunnel hadn't been used yet and they didn't have much time. Scott said his dad used to say to make a list when doing something. So he made a list of 1) Break into the lab. 2) Kick out Foster and Starr. 3) Fight Ava. Then he realized it was part of 2 so it could be 2A). They also needed to make sure the lab was normal sized before Hank returned.**

"Best list ever." Loki said sarcastically and all chuckled.

**Hank said he was going to dive to their shock because the tunnel needed to be protected by them both. Hank told Hope he needed to do this and Scott said he was right.**

"Seems fitting." Clint shrugged.

"Yes." Hope agreed.

**Then Luis arrived in his van and asked, "Whassup?" They looked at him in amusement as he said again, "You remember that beloved commercial? Whassup?" Scott said he had Luis follow them for help.**

Everyone chuckled at Luis' antics again.

**Scott later stood in position as Luis asked if Hope would like a pez in the van but she refused as Luis said he loved her suit. She thanked him as he said he'd like a suit with minimal powers or just a suit.**

"He wants a suit." Tony said.

"Then make it for him." Rhodes said and all laughed.

**Bill started the machine inside but it shut off to his shock. He and Ava looked down to see ants disconnecting the wires so Ava put on her helmet and walked out to see a trail of ants leading up the building. Bill found himself surrounded by giant ants and Hank put on his old suit, saying Bill had been taken care of and he was suiting up now.**

"The old one is back for a final mission." Natasha said and all clapped.

"Yeah. My dad. The original Ant-Man." Hope said.

"And unlike Luke Skywalker, or as Mark Hamill calls him, Jake Skywalker, this is gonna be epic." Sam said.

"Let's not refer to that horror again." Hill said and all nodded in agreement.

**Bill said he had just wanted to save Ava as she was facing something far worse than death so Hank said he'd help when he returned and they'd figure something out. Bill wished him luck as the ants sent him out while Hank sat in the machine. 15 minutes were left. Hope asked if there was any sign of Ava and Scott said not yet when she grabbed him from behind and slammed his head on the glas before throwing him through a wall.**

"You all right?" Steve asked Scott in concern.

"It hurt like hell but yeah." Scott said.

"She packs a wallop." Cassie said.

"Well, Hydra used her for missions after all." Lila said.

**Scott tried to use the regulator but it didn't work.**

"Epic fail?" Thor asked.

"Not really." Scott smirked.

**Scott simply ran around to avoid Ava, saying he had a 'Ghost' problem. Hank sat in the machine and said, "I love you, Hope." Scott ran around and was thrown down by Ava just as Hank flew into the tunnel as his machine shrunk with him. Hope then pressed a button and the lab shrunk down as Scott told Ava he was misdirecting her, having learnt it from Online Close-up Magic University and shrunk too as Luis picked the lab and put it in the car.**

"Oh yeah! That is awesome!" Peter said as all laughed and cheered.

"The magic lessons worked after all." Morgan said and all laughed.

"Oh absolutely." Scott said.

"Nice job." Fury said.

**Scott flew off on a flying ant as Hope was about to start the van when Sonny and his men arrived in cars, with him saying their business wasn't over. Hope backed the car and drove the other way with Sonny following.**

"Die cockroach." Tony said as all glared at Sonny.

**She drove as Sonny's men chased. One of them was about to ram his car into hers but she shrunk the van and it rammed into a car, crashing.**

"How do you like that?" May asked as all clapped.

"This looks like a unique chase." T'Challa said.

"Because it is." Morgan said.

**The van enlarged again as another came after them. Hope shrunk the van again and went under the car, with Luis saying the undercarriage was filthy. Hope said they had bigger problems before enlarging the van, shattering the car as well.**

"Nice pun." Hill said as all clapped.

**Scott asked where Hope was going and she said she was taking the scenic route. The reached a bush as Hope shrunk her van and the car crashed over it before another crashed into it and was wrecked while Hope drove away and Luis screamed how they would die.**

Everyone laughed and clapped simultaneously.

**Pym moved further into the Quantum Realm when the signal was lost and began recalibrating as microorganisms surrounded the vessel. "You never said it was so beautiful, Scott." Hank said as he looked around.**

"It is beautiful." Bruce noted as all watched in awe.

"An entirely new realm." Steve said.

"Right under our very noses." Tony added, "It's pretty amazing."

**The microorganisms closed in on the vessel when the signal was regained and Pym flew further in. Scott joined Hope and Luis in the van as Hope told him to take the wheel while Sonny made men on bikes chase them. Hope fired a blast and shrunk a bike, making the man fall down.**

Everyone clapped as Wanda said, "Ride is full."

All laughed.

**She fired again but shrunk an elderly man's car instead who said, "Well, the 60's were fun. But now, I'm paying for it!"**

Everyone laughed as Thor said, "Now you shrunk his car."

"Keep your hair safe now." Odinson said, "He will come for them."

"Yeah. Better keep them safe." Hope said as she caressed her hair while all laughed.

**Ghost arrived and phasing through a car, kicked a man off his bike while Sonny watched and she rode it after the van. Hope took Luis' pez dispenser and threw it before enlarging it with a blast as two men fell down and Luis said they got pez'd.**

"Now there's a new word." Logan said as all laughed and clapped.

**Scott then saw Ghost on her bike as she disappeared and climbed on top of the van. She phased into the car and kicked Hope out though she shrunk to save herself. She then tied up both Scott and Luis and taking the lab, jumped onto a nearby truck, throwing the driver out as Sonny and his men gave chase.**

"Need to enlarge the lab. Need to enlarge the lab." Peter was saying as all watched, tense.

"Oh just keep watching." Scarlet Witch said.

**Scott's van crashed as Hope leapt into the truck and battled Ava, who had the upper hand. Scott jumped onto a flying ant and leapt on the truck's viper, only for Ava to activate it as Scott was thrown around while Hope and Ava fought. Then the regulator malfunctioned and Scott grew in size. He shattered the glass and punched Ava's face, breaking the mask. Hope threw the lab out and jumped back but Ava threw off the mask and jumped back too. Scott shrunk again due to the regulator when Sonny rammed into the truck and Hope fell down as Sonny grabbed the lab and drove off.**

"Someone kill the cockroach." Bucky said as all glared at him.

"Oh someone is going to do something." Scott smirked.

**Hope shrunk and flew after Sonny as Ava ran after him while Scott grew again and using all his strength, managed to stop the truck, passing a café where people were working on laptops.**

Everyone laughed at the scene as Peter said, "Now that's another meme for you."

"Almost like the opposite of that distracted boyfriend one." Natasha said and the laughter increased.

**Scott then used the truck as a skateboard of sorts.**

"Now that is creative." Clint said as all laughed and clapped.

"That's my dad for you." Cassie said as Scott smiled.

**Hank was in the Quantum Realm and soon entered the Quantum Void where there was only blackness. "I'm coming to you, honey." He said as he increased speed and went further in as the shrinking continued and then he crashed on the ground with only 4 minutes 52 seconds left. He walked out of the vessel and looked around.**

"Time is of the essence." Thor said as all watched, tense.

**Luis found the lab's remote in the van and Hope asked her to bring it but the van was busted so Scott told him to open the Hot Wheels Rally case. He did and inside were several Hot Wheels Cars. "I love you, Dr. Pym." He said.**

"So…driving a Hot Wheels?" Peter asked.

"Yeah." Scott said.

**As Sonny arrived, the van shrunk as the Hot Wheels car appeared and Luis sped past them, shouting happily. Sonny's men gave chase as he shrunk and jumped the car on another while one of the cars after him crashed. The car enlarged again and Luis said Burch's boys were after him. Hope said she'd take care of them as Scott continued 'skating' to the lab. As the men chased Luis, Hope burst through the window and enlarged between them and said, "Hi." One of them tried to attack but she shrunk and he hit another man as she knocked him out and Luis found it badass.**

"It really is." Sam said as all clapped for her.

**She leapt out and kicked the driver out before flying away as the car crashed into bicycles while she flew into the Hot Wheels car and enlarged next to Luis. **

"Now that leaves the asshole himself." Tony said.

**Scott caught up to Sonny and knocked the gun out of the hands of one thug before kicking the van hard, crashing it. Sonny ran out with the lab as Scott tried to chase but Sonny ran through a narrow alley into which Scott couldn't fit.**

"If only Dr. Pym had worked a little more on this one." T'Challa said and all nodded.

**Scott ran to the other side, asking people if they had seen a southern man with a lab when he saw Sonny escaping on a ferry and wondered how he had gotten a ticket.**

"He's rich." Tony said and all nodded

**He kept pressing buttons, begging the regulator to work for once and it did, shrinking him.**

"Finally!" Scarlet Witch said as everyone laughed.

**He tried to call an ant but a seagull ate it. He tried again to the same result and it continued happening a few times as he called them murderers.**

"Couldn't these seagulls have thought of a better time?" Wanda asked as everyone groaned.

"Doesn't look like it." Hope said.

**He managed to get one finally and flew on it, calling it 'Ant-onio Banderas' because it was badass.**

Everyone laughed as Rhodes said, "Now that's a new name for an ant."

"Short-lived sadly." Cassie said.

**Then another seagull arrived and Scott jumped down into the water as it ate Ant-onio.**

"RIP Ant-onio Banderas." Scott said and all nodded.

**Sonny asked Uzman to meet him at the waterfront in 3 hours on phone as the announcer saw something in the water and said they had company when Scott leapt out as Giant-Man, greeting the people.**

"So it was you then." Pepper said, remembering the news.

"Yeah. It was me." Scott shrugged.

"That looks almost 85 feet tall to me." Tony said.

"Because it is." Scott said.

"Damn!" Bruce said.

**He told Sonny the lab didn't belong to him, trying to snatch it. Sonny hung on but Scott said he was embarrassing himself so he let go as Scott tapped his chest and he fell down. Scott then felt dizzy due to being so big.**

"You can't hold it that long, can you?" Bruce asked.

"No. It sends you to sleep." Scott said.

"It affects the brain like that." Hope told everyone.

**Hank walked around in the Quantum Realm and time ran out as he felt his entire body in pain and screamed. He then found himself in his house as a little Hope called out to him. He followed the source of the voice to find an adult Hope instead asking him why he hadn't found Janet. Scott then appeared and said he looked lost before Bill appeared and asked if he still thought he had all the ideas. Then Ghost appeared in a corner.**

Everyone paled.

"What is happening there?" May asked.

"The Quantum Realm is affecting his brain cells." Bruce said.

**She marched towards him and then touched his head with her hands as energy passed to him. Then the Quantum Realm appeared again and the woman took off her mask to reveal not Ava, but Janet. She was old now with grey hair but it was her. Hank was overjoyed.**

"Mom!" Hope said happily and let out a sound that was a mixture of a sob and a laugh as Scott held her hand with a smile and everyone looked happy.

"You all did it." Steve said happily, "You found her like you said you would."

"She's coming home." Peter said happily.

"She is." Cassie said.

"Hate to be a jerk but the lab is still shrunken." Loki said and all groaned.

"And I thought I was a jerk." Logan said.

"**It's me." She said and the two kissed passionately. "I'm so sorry!" Hank said, "It took so long." "No." Janet kissed his cheek and face, "You're here now. Let's go home."**

"Come home." Hope said as all watched in relief.

**They sat in the machine as Hank asked about what she had done and she said this place changed them. It was adaptation and evolution.**

"It gave her Quantum powers." Tony said and all nodded.

**Hank was about to fly up but lab coordinates were missing so he said he better tell her what they were dealing with.**

"Baba Yaga and an asshole." Tony said and all laughed.

**Scott had the lab but was getting dizzy as he reached the shore. It was all over the news. Woo watched and decided to go after him with agents as Jim and Maggie watched too in their home while Cassie smirked.**

Scott and Cassie exchanged a knowing look as the others chuckled.

**Kurt and Dave ran to help as well while Scott dropped the lab on land just as Hope and Luis arrived and the former noted Scott was too big. A dizzy Scott said he was going to sleep and fell into the water while Luis ran to get the lab and Hope shrunk and flew to where Scott was.**

"We're working on the giant form." Hope told everyone.

"You did do it." Cassie said.

**Luis ran to the lab but Ava arrived and kicked him down before taking the remote and enlarging it. She went inside as Hank said they could return now and that they had done it.**

"Except it wasn't you." Tony said.

"**Let's go see our daughter." Janet said and they flew back up as the vessel continued enlarging. Hope tried to wake Scott up and opening his regulator, pressed some buttons, finally managing to shrink him. She looked for him and finding him, flew up and brought him back to normal size as he woke up on the shore. She let out a sound that was a mixture of a laugh and a sob and kissed him happily.**

"And then that happened." Sam said as all laughed and clapped at that.

"Yeah it did." Hope said.

**Luis was outside the lab and asked if Scott and Hope had been crushed by it.**

"Guess he forgot you two were in the water." Odinson shrugged.

**Then Sonny and his men stopped him and pointed guns, asking for the remote and Luis said it was inside. Sonny's men were about to shoot him when they were knocked out from behind by tasers from Kurt and Dave. Sonny watched in shock as Luis knocked him out and thanked the two.**

"Take that, asshole!" Tony said as all laughed and clapped.

"The cockroach is gone." Bucky said and all laughed again.

"Yeah. My bro did it." Scott said.

"He sure did." Morgan smirked.

**Bill arrived and ran into the lab while Ava was starting the process, telling her to stop as people were getting hurt. She said she was hurting more while Bill said Janet may die and she would be able to help as she was a brilliant scientist. Ava said she'd help right now. Bill tried to stop her but she threw him across the room, knocking him out before starting the process as she went into the chamber. Hank and Janet were flying up when the energy started tearing Janet apart.**

"Mom." Hope whispered in horror and shock as Scott held her hand while the others watched with wide eyes.

**Then Scott and Hope arrived and the latter ran to the computers as the former pulled down the wires. Ava got out and tried to fight but he shrunk to avoid, until she kicked him away. Hope fired but her powers protected her. Ava attacked but Hope shrunk down to avoid. Scott enlarged and punched her before shrinking when Hope enlarged and punched her too before shrinking. Then Scott enlarged and kicked her away and Hope leapt from his back and enlarging, kicked Ava away.**

Everyone clapped and cheered as Steve said, "Nice teamwork."

The two shrugged.

**Hope tried to attack but was knocked down and Scott as well when the vessel arrived. Scott enlarged and got Hope out of the way as the vessel hit Ava and she was knocked away into a wall. Scott and Hope were back to normal size as he asked if she was okay and she said she was. Then Janet staggered out of the vessel and Hope watched her.**

Hope welled up, remembering every bit of the moment like it had happened yesterday. It was the best moment of her life. Scott smiled and held her hand as the others watched happily too and some of them had happy tears in their eyes.

"**Mom?" Hope asked as the two moved towards each other, "Oh, my God." They hugged as Hope cried happily and said, "We found you. I missed you so much." "I missed you too, Jellybean." Janet said happily as Hope watched her, "It's okay. I'm, I'm here now. We have time."**

"I wish." Hope said as all watched the scene with emotions welling up.

"**No more last minute business trips, okay?" Hope asked and the two laughed. **

Everyone laughed at that too.

"**I promise." Janet said, "It's okay, it's fine." "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Hank said as he staggered out. "Dad!" Hope said and hugged him too.**

"Now that's what a family reunion is like." Tony quipped and all nodded.

"**Scott." Janet said as she looked at him. "Miss Van Dyne." He said, "It's nice to...I guess we've already met." "I guess we have." She agreed.**

Everyone chuckled as Scott said, "Guess so."

"Yeah. Looks like it." Cassie agreed.

**Then Ava got back up and Hope was about to attack but Janet stopped her and walking up to her said, "Your pain...I can feel it." "It hurts." Ava said, "It always hurts."**

Everyone watched Ava sadly. While she had done bad things, they did understand why. To live in pain like that all the time was going to do that to someone.

"**I'm sorry." Janet said, "I think I can help you." She then touched Ava's head and Quantum Energy flowed into her, stopping her phasing and reducing her pain as she was overjoyed while an awakened Bill watched with a smile. Scott asked if Hank knew she could do that. "It's okay." Janet said to Ava.**

Everyone watched in awe as Bruce said, "So she could save Ava after all."

"Did that work permanently?" Peter asked.

"No." Hope said.

"I guess you need more Quantum Energy for that." Tony said.

"Yeah. And we'll collect it." Scott said.

**Luis arrived and said the cops were coming so they needed to go. Outside, Kurt and Dave were confronted by cops but pointed at the captured Sonny, Uzman and another man, saying they were just normal workers who had been threatened by Sonny so they had apprehended them for the cops. "We traffic in stolen technology." Uzman said. "And they have killed many, many people." The other man said before gesturing to Sonny, "He's in charge." Sonny said, "That's true. I am. I've also committed numerous healthcode violations in my restaurant. Some of them would shock you." The concoction lay next to Uzman who said, "It is truth serum." They had been injected with it.**

Everyone laughed and clapped as Scott said, "He told ya!"

"So there is truth serum." Bruce muttered in amusement and all laughed more.

**Scott, Hope, Hank, Janet, Luis, Ava and Bill ran out and said they needed to get out and escape the cops. "I have an idea." Scott said. Woo and the others were told of Giant-Man's location and drove there to see him standing. Woo told him to return to normal size but it was just a suit as Scott, wearing a shirt and boxers, ran off. **

Everyone laughed and Scott groaned as Tony said, "Nice idea actually."

"And it works." Pepper said.

**The suit deflated and shrunk as Woo groaned, "Magic." He and the others drove away as Hope got the suit and flew to Hank and Janet with the latter complimenting her. Then they were beckoned to the van and ran into it.**

"Now that just leaves you returning home." Steve said to Scott who nodded.

**Ava told Bill to leave her but he refused, saying they could make it together and that he wasn't leaving her. She hugged him emotionally.**

Everyone smiled. At least Ava had someone to look out for her after all.

**Woo and the agents arrived at Scott's home and looked around before hearing sounds. They found Scott playing his drums and when he saw them, he asked, "Are my 2 years up already?"**

Everyone laughed as May said, "All's well that ends well."

"And now they're up." Natasha said.

**The ankle monitor was unlocked.**

"Congratulations." Clint said to Scott who smiled and nodded.

"Congratulations." Everyone said simultaneously.

"Thanks guys." Scott said.

**Scott asked what it was like out there, asking if people still danced or if food trucks were still a thing.**

Everyone laughed as Steve said, "Great act."

**Woo said Scott had gotten away this time but he'd see him again. Scott asked where and Woo said in general if he did something bad. Scott said he'd thought Woo was inviting him and both wondered why would he do that until Woo asked if Scott would like to come to dinner and he shrugged so an embarrassed Woo walked away.**

Everyone laughed as Hill said, "He has a crush."

"What is it about me?" Scott muttered.

"Instant likeability." Sam said and all chuckled.

"And I thought I was bad at it." Peter said and all laughed again.

"But he asked his crush out." Benjamin pointed out.

"That takes guts." Logan said and all nodded.

"It does for sure." Hope agreed.

"Sorry Woo." Scott said apologetically, "But I got a girlfriend."

He held hands with Hope and the two smiled at each other.

**Scott ran to Maggie's home and rang the doorbell before opening it as Cassie hugged him and Maggie too before Jim hugged them so tight they groaned.**

Everyone chuckled at that.

**Scott was later at X-Con with Luis, Kurt and Dave as footage of the latter people apprehending Sonny was shown on the news when Luis got a call from Mr. Karapetyan who had seen the news of them apprehending Sonny and agreed to do business, to their joy. They all cheered happily.**

"Yes!" Scott cheered as all smiled, happy for him.

"Congrats, tic-tac." Sam said and he nodded.

"You did it." Steve said to him and he smiled.

**Hank and Janet stood on the beach as the former took out his old house, which was shrunken and Janet laughed.**

"What a guy. Takes his work around and takes his home around." Tony said and all laughed.

**He enlarged the house and the two watched it. Scott, Hope and Cassie watched 'Them!' Hope asked what Cassie wanted to be when she grew up and she said she wanted to help people like daddy.**

"And I'm so proud." Scott said as Cassie smiled.

**She said she wanted to be Scott's partner but he wanted Hope. Hope looked at Scott and the two smiled at each other. Then a giant butterfly appeared on the screen and Scott honked the horn to get it to leave but it came on the car instead as they tried to shake it off. They were sitting in shrunken cars while the laptop was playing the movie in front of them like a movie theater. The screen went black.**

"Now that's what I call movie theater in home. Or park." Tony said and all laughed.

**Hank and Janet were shown working as he said he used to be a respected scientist with his name plastered to the sides of buildings and now he had this. They had made a smaller Quantum Tunnel in Luis' van. **

"Oh! That!" Scott said.

"We were working on it before you brought us here." Hope told the future people.

"We know." Cassie said.

**Scott got out after honking the horn as Hope gave him the collection unit while Janet warned him about dangers. Then Scott went subatomic and flew inside as Hank did a mic-check but they got no response for a few seconds until Scott spoke up and Hank told him to quit screwing around.**

Everyone sighed in relief as Hope said, "Don't screw around."

"Sorry." He shrugged.

**Scott managed to collect a lot of Quantum Energy and told the others. Hope started counting down but then no sound came from the other end, startling Scott who told Hank to quit screwing around.**

"Quit screwing around!" Scott said.

"But we don't screw around." Hope said in a grim tone and all paled.

"What is it?" Thor asked and then it hit them as they saw the grim looks on the faces of the future people.

**Outside, in the place of Hope, Hank and Janet, there were 3 specks of dust as Scott told them to quit screwing around before calling out in panic, "GUYS!" The screen went black.**

"NO!" Scott yelled in horror as everyone paled again, the scenes of the last recording coming back to them in full force now. Hope watched, pale and angry. She had just got her mom back and now they had all lost their lives while Scott was trapped in the Quantum Realm. This was just wrong!

"That monster." Steve growled in anger as all watched the screen sadly.

"What about Ava?" Bruce asked in a voice full of grief.

"She got snapped too." Cassie said with a lump in her throat. [1]

"We have to stop this madman." Tony said.

"We will." Thor said, "Together. Nothing will happen to anyone. There will be no snap."

"No there won't." Loki agreed.

Scott and Hope held hands tightly and looked at each other sadly as Cassie also watched them sadly as Morgan and Lila put hands on her shoulders.

**At Scott's home, the TV was shown having an interrupted broadcast as a message appeared saying broadcast had been interrupted due to emergency and they needed to stand by. The giant ant sat in Scott's place, playing drums and stopped. The screen went black.**

No one laughed at the scene. It just looked disturbing and sad in a way. Everything was silent in the world due to Thanos' snap and the ant was blissfully unaware.

"Now what?" Hope asked, trying not to break down as Scott held her hand.

"There is one more recording of the past before we return to seeing the future." Logan told them and everyone nodded.

"What is it about?" Fury asked.

"You'd know about that." Odinson told him and he realized what it was about.

"What are they talking about?" Tony asked.

"I think we'll have to watch to find out." Hill said.

"Yeah. Let's watch." Benjamin said.

"Start it." Steve shrugged.

"With pleasure." Logan said as he picked up the remote.

* * *

**Done. I know! It's shocking I finished a movie in less than 4 chapters. This is the first time that happened. Perhaps it's because of the nature of the third act of the movie I guess. **

**Anyway, it's a good thing this was finished in under 4 chapters because Endgame will definitely take more than even 5 due to how long it is. It will probably take 6 or even 7 chapters to finish up but a movie like that deserves more chapters. **

**[1] I don't think Ava would have survived for 5 years without the Quantum Energy Scott, Hope, Hank and Janet were going to bring for her so I believe she got snapped too and when she was brought back, the four collected energy to save her. **

**And next movie is….DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT DAMN IT! *Transforms into Nicolas Cage angrily* **

**Carol Danvers *appears out of nowhere and points at me* You! Too powerful! Explain right now! **

**Random person standing next to me: He transformed into Nicolas Cage.**

**Carol: Who's Nicolas Cage?**

**Random person: Basically God.**

**Carol: But I'm still here!**

**Random person: Do you really believe your own hype that much?**

**Carol: I am the hype! **

**Me (In Nicolas Cage's form): No! The controversy you generate is the hype actually. **

**Carol *Bursts into tears***

**Me (In Nicolas Cage's form) *Laughs a hysterical Nicolas Cage laugh* **

**Yeah I know. It sounds like an SNL version of a certain DBZ: Abridged episode. **

**Now I don't dislike the Captain Marvel movie or the character but they're still 'meh' really. DCEU did one thing better than MCU and that is Wonder Woman. She was marketed as a character and she was an awesome character in the movie with a great character arc and was awesome in general.**

**Now MCU does have awesome female characters with great character arcs who are awesome in general- Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Gamora, Nebula, Wasp, Jessica Jones, Elektra Natchios, Colleen Wing, Jemma Simmons, Mockingbird, Quake, Melinda May, etc. but the thing is the female character they have focused on most is none of that.**

**Captain Marvel was marketed as a woman, not a character or anything. Remember that 'HER' transforming to 'A HERO' in the trailer, right? You can't get any more 'on the nose' than that. **

**Seriously, they need to improve her character and Brie needs to be put in check too. If any other actor was doing what she did, the studios would rein them in but they didn't stop Brie from fighting fans online or making stupid statements because it caused controversy that made more people see the movie, hence why it grossed so much. **

**Seriously, Captain Marvel can move a planet? Not even any live-action version of Superman or Thor have done that (Okay, Smallville Superman has but that's it!). And Captain Marvel is only mid-tier in the comics while those 2 are among the most powerful heroes ever. Captain Marvel can lift Mjolnir? Yeah, in her dreams. Her attitude alone disqualifies her. Thanos is shrimpy? He is purple, how can he be shrimpy? And then she lifted a prop Mjolnir to mock her own fans. **

**I already said it. I don't dislike the movie or character and Brie Larson plays Carol well, but the studios marketed the movie and character the wrong way and Brie's actions didn't help matters at all. **

**Thor and Tony were also arrogant but Thor was banished to Earth and stripped of his powers as punishment and Tony's arrogance is also treated as a flaw all the time. But with Carol, we are supposed to cheer her for those very qualities. She seems no different from Thor before he was banished if you look at her character closely.**

**Anyway, that's enough ranting for now. Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter where we begin with Captain Marvel. **


	98. Vers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed and reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now here we are with Captain Marvel! The movie that is an insult to Mar-Vell who happens to be a great character in the comics. I call him Captain Marvel while Carol is Miss Marvel to me.**

**Seriously, Carol's character is mishandled everywhere. In the comics, I full on loathe her. She is one of the worst characters in Marvel Comics right now, though not as bad as America Chavez. But then again, America Chavez is OP, Latina and lesbian all at once so not a high bar really. **

**And let's not forget the horror that is "Holy Menstruation!" **

**Actually, scrap that. Let's forget that horror. It has haunted my nightmares long enough.**

**Marvel Comics have gone woke. I just have a faint hope in my heart that MCU doesn't go woke as well.**

**In MCU, while I don't dislike Carol, I still find her badly written and shoe-horned. She should have been introduced in Phase 4 IMHO. If she has been around all this time, why didn't Fury call her? Why did she never once face Thanos? And she is an enemy of the Kree so where was she when Ronan fought the Guardians? So many questions that are raised by her suddenly coming in.**

**And because of the movie, now we know aliens came to Earth before Thor and The Avengers so it cheapens those movies in my eyes. **

**While I do enjoy it, it is among the worst MCU movies and my opinion of it goes down even more every time I think about it.**

**Anyway, let's hope we get through this one fast and then Avengers: Endgame will begin.**

**Though I do like Carol in The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and that version of her is among my most favorite superheroes. But that one was well-written.**

**Anyway, let's get started. **

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Oh don't worry, Deadpool is working on containing Nicolas Cage. Yes, the MCU fucked up badly with her. Yes, I remember that part with Hulk. I'm thinking of having some character do that to her in some fanfic of mine. Would be awesome. And I remember Thanos and Gladiator knocking out her Binary form with one hit too. Yes, Black Widow is the perfect MCU woman to get her own movie. Jessica Jones is awesome with her show and yes, Scarlet Witch is the most powerful female Avenger. Suck it Carol. And I agree that Hela is the most powerful female character. I actually haven't read the Season 11 comics but in Season 10 he moved Apokolips and yeah, he was developed in character as well as powers so that moment was earned. Same with Thor, Strange and Wanda in MCU. We saw Thor struggle and lose and lose his hammer and awaken his powers and then nearly die to forge a weapon and then he became powerful enough to cut through a beam of the completed Infinity Gauntlet. It felt earned. We saw Strange struggle early as well due to shaking hands before using his photographic memory and natural skill to good use. We saw him die multiple times, probably testing out new skills while doing so. And that's why when he was powerful to go toe-to-toe with Thanos who had 4 Stones, it felt earned. We saw Wanda struggle with her powers and fear them too before learning more offense based stuff from them. We saw her lose and grieve over two people she loved. So when she whooped Thanos' butt, it felt earned. But with Carol, they're saying she's the most powerful character we're introducing and you better accept that or you're a misogynist pig. Being that powerful from the start alone makes the character unrelatable as they haven't struggled to get there and it doesn't feel earned at all. I actually did see the city for a second. As for Ava and Bill, thanks for the reminder. I was in a hurry and missed writing the scene. Now it's added. I think Clint did tell the basics and some stuff to his family but not every detail. Guess so on the organisms and absolutely on Endgame. I actually understand not wanting to review these chapters, though my bits at the ending A/Ns are hopefully worth it. Oh I'd love to see that too on Carol. I think they could have skipped Captain Marvel and not introduced her before Phase 4 and Endgame would still be the same. Just have Thor bring back Tony with the Bifrost and destroy the ship in the last fight while Hulk can stop Thanos from snapping before Tony does his thing. Carol is shoe-horned and creates plotholes. I'm still gonna do her movie though as its part of the deal unfortunately. Yes the Russos really didn't and that's a great reason you gave on Fury. Thanks for that. I think I'll use it. Thanks for the long reviews as well. And Happy Birthday Bro! Many happy returns of the day! Hope you had a great day. Consider the new chapter of 'Heroes Stand United' that I'm gonna post later today your gift from me. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Trigon: Thanks for the review. Glad you're a big fan. Thanks for pointing out on that scene. I missed it in a hurry. Now it's added.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. It does seem like that. I'm gonna give my reasons on Fury. But no, Thor won't remark that. Carol is not more powerful than him, or Strange, or Wanda. Though if you're talking about physical strength, then Hulk tops that but Thor is more powerful overall. You will see on Stan Lee.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. I'm sure Ant-Man 3 will clear up on Ava. I think you meant Bill, because her father is dead. Bill probably would know they got dusted. I'm sure he'd have figured that out.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Yes, she was less arrogant after getting back her memories. Then Endgame happened where she was overconfident again.**

**Antonio Guestie: Thanks for the review. I'm not a fan of Carol either. I actually hated how Fury got his eyepatch. It was a mockery of his character. Though I did like Goose.**

Chapter 98- Vers

"So now we're gonna see someone we don't know at all." Steve said.

"Yes." Benjamin said, "Get ready."

"To be shocked." Logan added and then turned on the recording.

**An explosion was shown as a woman looked at her hands which had blue blood on them. Her nose also had blue blood pouring out of it. She saw an old woman lowering her gun and smiling at her when a figure arrived and shot her. Then her eyes opened on a bed. She had been dreaming.**

"Who is she?" Tony asked.

"Her name is Carol Danvers." Odinson said.

**She looked at her hands, glowing with energy.**

"That." Fury said, smiling as he remembered.

"The glowing woman indeed." Loki said.

**She was in Hala, Capital of the Kree civilization.**

"She's a Kree?" Natasha asked in shock.

"Not really." Scarlet Witch said.

"Just watch." Morgan urged.

**She knocked at a door and a man opened, asking if she knew what time it was. She said she couldn't sleep and he said there were tabs for that. She said she would be sleeping again and he realized it was the dreams.**

"I know." Tony said and Pepper held his hand.

**She asked if he wanted to fight. Later, she fell down and said she had slipped. The man said it was because of him punching her in the face. She got up and said she had been slipping before that and the two events weren't related.**

"She's like me." Thor said as all turned to him. He added, "Before I was banished."

"You saying she's a bit too arrogant?" Cassie asked.

"Yes." Thor said, "It's not a good thing."

"And I agree with him so you know he's right." Loki told everyone and they nodded.

**They fought as he asked about the dream and she said nothing was new. He said she had to let go of the past. She said she couldn't remember it and he told her it was causing her doubt and making her vulnerable as he managed to overpower and throw her to the ground.**

"She is skilled, but he's her trainer and better at fighting." Clint noted.

**Her hands then glowed as he told her to control it. The glow faded.**

"What is that?" Peter asked.

"Energy." Lila said.

**She got up as he said she had to commune with the Supreme Intelligence and that emotion was dangerous to warriors. She laughed and he pushed her back, saying humor was a distraction. He beat her down again but she fired her energy as he was sent flying off while she looked sheepish.**

Everyone chuckled a bit before Hill said, "So she can't control it."

"Like me and Hulk when we had started." Bruce said.

**Later, a vehicle was transporting them as she asked if anyone knew what the Supreme Intelligence looked like. The man said no one had seen its true form as it appeared the way their subconscious chose and was sacred and personal.**

"What's the Supreme Intelligence?" Hope asked.

"It's an AI that rules them." Thor said.

"But was later abandoned in favor of an Emperor." Odinson added, "Until they decided to go with a different version of the Supreme Intelligence that did not take the form your subconscious chose."

"Sounds convoluted." Bucky muttered.

**She asked what he saw, making guesses as he said she won't succeed in changing the subject. She asked what was the point in giving her powers if they didn't want her to use them. He said he did want her to use them and Supreme Intelligence wanted him to show her how. She said she did but he said she'd have knocked him down without it in that case. She had to control her impulses, stop using her powers and start using her head. He wanted her to be the best version of herself.**

"You sure you do?" Natasha asked, already suspecting him.

"Yeah. There's something off about him." Sam agreed.

"About the entire place really." Rhodes said.

"It's Ronan's people. What do you expect?" Tony asked and they nodded.

**Vers then walked to a room and was attached to some tubes. When she opened her eyes, she saw the woman from her dreams.**

"So she knows this woman?" Pepper asked.

"She doesn't know she does." Scarlet Witch said.

**Supreme Intelligence said her commander had said she was fit to serve and said she was. S.I. said she struggled with her emotions, past and was a victim of the Skrull expansion that had threatened their civilization for centuries. Models of planets were shown as SI said they were imposters who silently infiltrated and took over planets. She said Vers remembered horror and a lot of stuff she didn't.**

"What are Skrulls?" May asked.

"Like she said, aliens who can shapeshift into anyone. And they even get the memories of those they change into." Morgan said and all looked shocked.

"So asking personal stuff doesn't work either." Hope groaned.

**Vers said her mind was blank and said she didn't even remember the woman whose form SI took. SI said this maybe a mercy to spare her from deeper pain and free her to do what all Kree must. She must put her people's need above her own. They had given her a great gift and could take away what was given as an inhibitor on Vers' neck shut off her powers.**

"So they control her powers with that." Steve noted and nods followed.

"To make her work for them." T'Challa said.

**Vers said she won't let them down and SI said they would see. She had a mission and had to serve well with honor. Later, she and her team walked to a ship as they noted Skrulls must have attacked.**

"Isn't that…." Tony trailed off.

"Korath the Pursuer." Thor remembered.

"Great." Loki said sarcastically.

**Vers asked Korath if one had simmed him and he said it was deeply disturbing because he had seen death in the face and it looked like him. She joked it was because of his face and he said how she thought herself funny but he wasn't laughing. The other said he never did and he said he did on the inside while one said he was objectively handsome and he thanked that one.**

Everyone chuckled as Tony said, "In their language, horrible is handsome."

**Yon-Rogg arrived and opening a hologram, showed a man who was their spy called Soh-Larr, saying they had to rescue him and that the Skrulls had invaded a border planet called Torfa. Skrull general Talos' hologram appeared as Yon-Rogg said he had sent units to find him and that the Accusers were going to bomb their stronghold in the south while they would locate Soh-Larr and escape.**

"Don't think it's going to work out that way." Natasha said dryly.

"Nope." Fury said.

**They said the Kree motto and soon their ships flew out into space toward Torfa and descended there. It went into the water and they all swam out in their suits with helmets. They floated up as Yon-Rogg gave orders. Vers noted the beacon was coming from a temple and tried to go but Yon-Rogg stopped her as it was a perfect spot for the ambush. There were locals there too as Minn-Erva aimed at them. The Kree walked further, with the locals trying to stop them. Minn-Erva was about to fire when Att-Lass lowered her gun, saying they were just starving and two were dead, not green. Then Minn-Erva saw Att-Lass down with the others and before the imposter could react, beat him and knocked him out. He turned green as he was knocked out, turning back to a Skrull.**

"So that's a Skrull." Tony noted.

"Just in the nick of time." Wanda said and all sighed in relief.

**Vers walked further in, finding Soh-Larr when the locals started attacking Kree but Minn-Erva gunned one down as he turned back to a Skrull. They started fighting as the Kree gunned down Skrulls and Yon-Rogg told Vers it was a trap but Soh-Larr tasered her and she was down. He then transformed into Talos.**

"They planned it out." Bucky said grimly.

"It appears they did, Mr. Barnes." T'Challa said.

**Vers asked how he knew the code and Talos said he would tell her his secret when she told him his as he tasered her out.**

"Now they have her." Wanda said grimly.

**A memory was shown of Vers and a dark-skinned woman as the woman said they needed to show how it was done and Vers said, "Higher, further, faster baby." They flew as voices of Skrulls were heard.**

"They are looking into her head." Wanda realized and Scarlet Witch nodded.

"To find something." Steve said.

**Then there was a memory of Vers driving as a boy told her she was too fast and needed to go slow. She increased speed and crashed as her father arrived, telling her she didn't belong here and she said he didn't let her drive.**

"Please don't listen to bullies like that boy." Steve said, "They only try to entice you."

All nodded.

**The Skrulls were confused as memories of her jumping on ropes and falling were shown while men laughed.**

"This must be the 70's or 80's." Tony said, "Back then, women did face sexism in such places."

"I've heard." Steve said sadly as all did sympathize with Carol.

**A man told her she was a good pilot but too emotional as she and the dark-skinned woman were shown singing together in a bar. Then she was shown with a little dark-skinned girl, showing her a shooting star while the other woman told them to get inside and Vers played with the girl.**

"So she's from Earth." Steve realized, "Taken like Quill."

"Except by infinitely worse people." Odinson said.

"Yes. The Kree." Fury agreed.

**Then the memory from the beginning was shown with her being engulfed by an explosion as the old woman lowered her gun while Skrulls were shown.**

"Something's up." T'Challa noted.

**The Skrulls backed a little again when the old woman was shown talking to Vers with a cat called Goose.**

Fury glared at Goose, muttering something under his breath as all wondered what that was about.

**Then the Skrulls repeated the scene, trying to get Vers to look at the badge of the woman and her name was shown- Dr. Wendy Lawson, with 'Pegasus' under it. Vers suspected something was up as the Skrulls tried to focus but Vers woke up that moment to see small light on both sides of her head.**

"Pegasus?" Tony asked, "Wasn't that the project for studying the Teserract?"

"It was." Hill said.

**Vers saw she was restrained with gauntlets and was barefoot while Skrulls were discussing stuff around her. One of them tapped her head and it did something, He did again and saw the gauntlets glowing. Then Vers freed her hand and knocked him down before freeing her other hand and beating up the Skrulls.**

"Shouldn't have pissed her off." Natasha said.

"Considering she's like me before I was banished, definitely not." Thor said.

**She pinned Talos down, asking what he had put in her head and he said nothing that wasn't already there. She said those weren't her memories and Talos wasn't surprised she couldn't keep it straight.**

"She doesn't have her memory." Bucky realized, "Like me."

**Talos said they were looking for Lawson and her lightspeed engine and Vers said she didn't know Lawson. Talos asked then why she was in her head when more Skrulls arrived and she threw Talos at them. Some attacked her but she knocked them all down. She ran to a hallway when more Skrulls surrounded her and she asked sarcastically, "Either of you wouldn't happen to know how these things come off, would you? No? Fine." **

"She's pissed." Bruce muttered.

**She fought them all, taking them down when one of them punched and roared. She roared back.**

"Reminded of something?" Loki asked Thor.

"Yes." Thor said, remembering roaring at a Frost Giant in Jotunheim.

**She knocked the Skrull out and running to a door, pressed the console with her foot. It opened and a Skrull walked out. She attacked but it was unaffected and took her down with a taser rod with two more. She tried to fire but the gauntlets were preventing the energy from going out, until she built it up and managed to shatter her restraints, knocking them back. She laughed happily at seeing her energy again.**

"That is a lot of energy." Vision noted, "Powerful energy."

**Then the ship broke and the Skrulls ran as Vers was sucked out but held onto it and forming her helmet, jumped back in before running to a room and seeing Skrulls working on computers. She made them back off and taking her boots, destroyed the computer playing her memories.**

"Cockblocked." Tony joked and all burst out laughing.

**The Skrulls were escaping in a pod when she threw one out and sat there. A shot damaged it and she saw Talos lowering his gun. He joked how they just got to know each other.**

"She doesn't even know herself." Bucky said.

**She fired a blast and he dodged as she closed the doors and flew her pod down. As it reached the atmosphere, it broke and she was thrown out, hanging onto its pieces until she crashed down into some place. It was a Blockbuster Store. She was in C-53.**

"Blockbuster! The good old days!" Tony said happily.

"So these are the 90's then." Scott realized.

"Looks like that." Clint said.

"So aliens call our planet C-53 then." Peter muttered.

**She got up and noticed someone. She blasted him, only to see it was a poster of 'True Lies' and she had blasted Arnold Schwarzenegger. **

"Why did you have to blast Arnie?" Scott asked.

"She hates men." Tony muttered and all groaned.

**She walked out, seeing a cop car as the cop stared at her in shock. She asked if he was in charge of this district's security and asked where she could find communication equipment. He pointed at Radio Shack and she thanked him before walking there.**

"Radio Shack has everything, doesn't it?" Sam asked sarcastically as all chuckled.

**The next day, Skrulls were on a beach and looked at people having fun. They needed to track the pod and find the girl. They looked at the people and transformed into them. Talos noted one of them had transformed into the same girl as him and told him this one was taken.**

"Perv." Hope muttered and all chuckled.

**Vers managed to make something out of the Radio Shack equipment and actually contacted the Kree Starforce via a PCO telephone.**

"She contacted her team in space by making equipment from Radio Shack when she has no idea about Earth stuff?" Peter asked incredulously and all gapped.

"How did she do that?" Tony wondered too.

"Even my sister would take a few days to do something like this." T'Challa said.

**Yon-Rogg managed to be contacted and was relieved she was alive, asking if she had found Soh-Larr but she said he was simmed by Talos who even knew his code even though it was buried in his subconscious. She said they had something to extract memories and would have used it on him before saying she was on C-53 and that the Skrulls were looking for someone called Lawson. The Kree seemed confused and said this Lawson had cracked the code for lightspeed tech so she needed to get to her before they did. Yon-Rogg told her to wait but the signal was cut off.**

"Tough luck." Scott said.

**Yon-Rogg and the others decided to go to C-53 as Minn-Erva said she had been there once and it was shithole.**

"No! It's awesome because I live there!" Tony said and all laughed.

"I love Earth too." Thor said.

"Don't blame you." Odinson told him.

**Cops arrived at the location as an agent asked the cop from before if he had called them. The agent was a younger Phil Coulson.**

"Son of Coul!" Thor said happily as all smiled.

"Agent has hair." Tony said and all laughed.

**A dark-skinned agent approached Vers. It was a younger Nick Fury with both eyes.**

"Oh my God!" Tony said as all gapped.

"It's you!" Hill said.

"With both eyes!" Loki added and all chuckled.

"Yeah it's me." Fury groaned.

"Dirt on Fury." Benjamin said and all laughed.

**He asked her about the lady who had blown a hole in the roof and she said she had gone the other way when Fury stopped her.**

"How stupid do you think I am?" Fury asked.

**Vers talked about Skrulls, explaining them but both looked puzzled as she realized they had no idea. Fury stopped her and asked how he would know if she wasn't one of them. She congratulated him, saying he had finally asked a relevant question and he congratulated her for being arrested. As a cop moved to arrest her, she noticed a Skrull in the form of a man about to fire at Fury and pushed him out of harm's way before firing her energy beam at him as he ran off while Fury watched in shock.**

"Now you know at last." Hope said.

"Now the only questions I ask are relevant." Fury said.

**Vers chased the man as Fury and Coulson sat together and Fury asked if Coulson had seen her weapon and he said he hadn't.**

"Because there is none." Wanda noted.

**The Skrull stopped in front of a train as an old woman walked out and smiled at him. He smiled back and went inside as Vers arrived and bumped into the woman before seeing him in the train. She leapt and hung at its back as Fury and Coulson saw it. She smashed the glass and went inside, looking at the people who stared in shock. ""Trust me, true believer. Trust me..." An elderly man reading a book was saying. Vers lowered the book and looked at his face. He smiled and she smiled back.**

"He is nice to her." Thor said and all chuckled, "But he wasn't nice to my hair."

"Considering how good you look with these hair, I think he was." Natasha said and he and Odinson smiled in appreciation.

**She went into another compartment and saw an old woman smiling at her. She remembered bumping into the woman outside and punched the Skrull who grunted angrily as all gasped. The two started fighting while the people tried to stop Vers but she freed herself until the Skrull ran to another compartment.**

"Okay, an old woman is jumping around like a ninja and people are not noticing?" Steve asked incredulously and all nodded.

"I'm guessing all people except our old watcher friend in the train were braindead." Tony said and all agreed.

**The Skrull transformed into a man as the man he had transformed into watched in shock. He climbed up and Vers climbed after him before being kicked back. They fought as the Skrull threw her down and some debris fell off, hitting the hood of Fury's car. They noticed the train moving to the tunnel and Fury said they would meet them at the station. Then he got a call from Coulson who was still at Blockbuster and looked at the one next to him in shock.**

"A Skrull." T'Challa realized as all paled.

**The Skrull took out a gun but Fury struggled with him. He was almost choked until a car smashed into his, knocking them both out while Vers punched a hole in the train and jumped down to avoid the tunnel. Later, she got out at the station, searching for the Skrull as she noticed a guy with the same shirt as him and tried to attack only to see it was someone else. She looked around in confusion, trying to find the Skrull.**

"Won't find him by looking around." Tony said and all nodded.

**Fury woke up to see the Skrull dead next to him and gasped in horror, seeing an alien for the first time. He covered it with his coat and showing his badge, told people to back off.**

"Busted." Hope said.

"So you knew about aliens far back then?" A shocked Bruce asked.

"I did. That's why I was working to make the Avengers Initiative." Fury said and all nodded.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Natasha asked.

"Do I look like someone who shares?" Fury asked and all chuckled.

**Vers tried to get her gauntlet to work to find out about Lawson but only got the name of Pancho's Bar so she went to a cyber café, searching on the AltaVista Search until the net was disconnected and she needed to redial.**

"Oh! The good ol' days!" Tony said and all looked nostalgic.

"The AltaVista, Blockbuster, Redial. I love the 90's." Rhodes said too happily.

"Nowadays aren't that great comparatively." Pepper agreed.

"I wish we could return to the 90's." Sam said.

**She picked up a man and tried to locate Pancho's Bar outside until a guy stopped on a bike and said her 'scuba suit' was nice, asking her to smile for him.**

"What a jerk!" Bucky said as all glared a little.

**He muttered 'freak' and told her to look after his bike as he went inside. She noted he had left his keys and taking the clothes of a mannequin, rode away on his bike, a smile on her face.**

"Never leave your keys outside like that." Tony said and all nodded.

"What a careless guy." Steve said too.

"I think we're going to see more of me in a moment." Fury said.

"Looks like it." Clint said too.

"Can't wait!" Hill smirked and he sighed.

"This is gonna get messier." Logan said as the recording continued.

* * *

**God! I'm in pain! Someone help me! This movie is slowly killing me! **

**Damn! I am getting too vocal! Someone shut me up quickly before I become Nicolas Cage! Quick! Quick!**

**Deadpool: With pleasure *Knocks me out* I'm anti-propaganda like you but can't let Nicolas Cage cause disaster now, can we?**

**Deadpool then looks at the screen which is inches from his face and says, "I'm sorry. Aragorn is unavailable today due to getting a headache from writing this movie and due to hearing 'Holy Menstruation!' in his head. Anyway, on his behalf, I wish you all a good day and hope to see you all next time with another chapter. Though if we don't see you next time with another chapter, we won't hold a thing against you because that's what this movie does. Turns people off. Okay, now I need to skewer woke people like stuck pigs. Anyway, bye-bye."**


	99. Carol Danvers

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far. **

**Antono Guestie: Thanks for the review. I love him too.**

**Anonymous: Thanks for the review. Sorry I mis-phrased it. I mean to say they made America like that only for diversity points. No other reason. She was good when she started out but in her solo series they made her terrible and wrote her terribly. She treats her girlfriend horribly and we're supposed to care for her. But the writers write her terribly and use her race and sexuality as a defense against valid criticisms. That's what I meant. She is one of the few characters I dislike more than Carol. The writers use her gender as a shield against criticism as well. **

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. They probably won't know it.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review and suggestions. The 2****nd**** one will probably happen.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. They groaned at the joke.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. We'll see if they call each other that or not. I hate the Avengers Assemble show though. I loved The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes a lot though.**

**Guest 5: Thanks for the review. I'd be shocked too.**

Chapter 99- Carol Danvers

"I'm guessing this Kree-Skrull mess is gonna spill even more." Tony said.

"Oh it will. A lot." Fury said.

**The dead Skrull lay in the morgue as the doctor told Fury whatever it ran on wasn't on the Periodic Table and Fury realized it wasn't from around here. He asked Fury how his eye was and he removed his icepack, showing it was fine.**

"I thought that was how you lost it." Natasha said and Fury groaned.

"I hope you never see it." He whispered to himself.

**Keller asked Fury if the thing had looked like Coulson and he said it talked like him too, with the woman saying there were more who had infiltrated Earth. Keller asked if he believed her and he said now he did.**

"So now you start asking the relevant questions." Clint said.

"Yes." Fury said.

**Fury said he had got word on a motorcycle thief fitting her description so he'd find her and she will tell them about these and Keller told him to do it alone as he couldn't trust anyone. Fury then lifted the blanket to see the Skrull's region and then walked off.**

Everyone laughed as Scott asked, "At the risk of sounding dirty, what do they have there?"

"As small as Ant-Man." Fury said and all gasped.

"Eugh!" Hope said.

"Why did I ask?" Scott groaned.

**Keller said how these were ugly and the doctor joked he was no Brad Pitt when Keller looked at the Skrull and wished it safe journey to beyond and that he'd finish what they started.**

"It's a Skrull!" Steve realized and Fury nodded.

"Looks like it." Hill agreed.

**Vers drove her bike to Pancho's Bar and looking around, had memory flashes of having fun with the dark-skinned woman before spotting a photo of her flight and asked the bartender where the photo was taken. He said at an airport and she asked what Pegasus was when Fury arrived and said it was classified like the file he had opened on her.**

"And now they've met." Bruce said.

"Yeah. I know stuff." Fury said.

"I know." Odinson said.

**Fury commented Grunge looked good on her. She asked if he had a rough day and he said he had, listing everything. She finally asked if he was one of them and he said he was 100% red blooded Earthman. She asked for proof and he asked if cheek swab or urine sample would do and she said the Skrulls could impersonate that.**

"Which makes them even more dangerous." Thor said.

**She said Skrulls could sim recent memories of hosts and as they sat down, she asked him several personal questions, including first job and he said he was a soldier straight out of high school and had left ranks as a colonel.**

"That sounds awesome." Rhodes said, everyone having respect for Fury who simply nodded.

**He had then been a Spy in all places starting with a 'B' before getting a desk job to figure out about future enemies and never thought they'd come from above. She asked for a bizarre detail a Skrull couldn't fabricate and he said if toast was cut diagonally, he couldn't eat it. She seemed amused and he realized she didn't need it but she enjoyed it.**

"Really? Why?" Pepper asked.

"Don't ask." Fury said simply and no one asked.

**He asked her to prove if she was one or not and she fired her blast, destroying a nearby TV. She said it was a photon blast and a Skrull couldn't do that.**

"How do you prove that exactly?" Loki asked.

"I have no choice but to take her for her word right now." Fury said.

**She then asked about Pegasus. Later, the two were driving away as she said the Kree were a race of noble warrior heroes.**

"They have brainwashed her into their soldier." Bucky said angrily, sympathizing with her as the others looked angry at the Kree.

**He asked what the Skrulls wanted with Dr. Lawson and she said Lawson had developed something called a lightspeed engine. Fury admitted that wasn't the craziest thing he had heard that day and asked what she wanted. She said she wanted to stop the Skrulls before they became unstoppable.**

"We all do to our enemies." Benjamin said.

**He asked if there was something else as he knew a rogue soldier when he saw one and she had a personal stake in this. They stopped in front of the facility.**

"You were perceptive even back then." May said, "How?"

"I used to sit in a mall for hours and observe people." Fury said and was shot weird looks, but he looked serious. [1]

**The operator told him to turn around but fury introduced himself as 'Nicholas Joseph Fury' and was told to put his thumb on the pad as Vers asked if he had 3 names. He said he was called Fury, not Nicholas, not Joseph, not Nick but Fury.**

"I call you 'the Spy.'" Tony said and all chuckled while Fury groaned.

**She asked what his mom called him and he said Fury. She asked what he called her and he said Fury. She asked what his children called him and he said if he had them, then they'd call him Fury.**

"You don't have any, do you?" Clint asked.

"Not at all." Fury shrugged.

**They were given clearance and drove in, getting out as Fury told her she looked like someone's disaffected niece and tossed her a cap with the SHIELD logo. She asked if announcing identity helped with the covert part of the job and he said she was a space soldier with a rubber suit. She looked offended.**

"BURN!" Scott said and all laughed and clapped for Fury.

"Considering how she is like me before my banishment, she needs to be taken down a few pegs." Thor said and all nodded.

**He told her to lose the flannel and she did as some guards arrived and Fury introduced them both as Agents of SHIELD, asking for Lawson. The guard said to follow them and they were later made to wait in a room. Fury asked if she was familiar with the phrase 'welcome wagon' and she wasn't as he put his thumb on the pad but it didn't open.**

"Are you trapped?" Peter asked.

"Yes." Fury sighed.

**He then took out a pager as Vers asked who he was paging. He said his mom, telling her he wasn't mentioning her as he messaged he was detained with target.**

"Now that's smart." Morgan said and he nodded.

"Can never be too careful." He said.

**Then he put a tape over a guard's phone and got his fingerprint, using it to open the door which Vers found impressive and he said she should see what he could do with a paperclip.**

"Did you just boast?" Tony asked as all chuckled.

"But that was impressive." Cassie said and all nodded.

**They walked through the hallway when a cat arrived which Vers recognized from her memories.**

"That's Lawson's cat." Sam remembered.

Fury was muttering something under his breath again to everyone's confusion.

**Fury fell in love, petting the cat whose name was Goose and he said it was a cool name for a cool cat.**

"It is cute." Natasha said and all nodded.

'Cute, my arse." Fury muttered.

**Vers called to him to open a door and he was about to use the tape again when she opened it with her blast. He was annoyed she had watched him play with tape when she could have done that and she said she didn't want to steal his thunder.**

"Be practical please." Steve said to Vers.

"Yeah, wasting time wasn't practical at all." Lila agreed.

**They walked into the room where several lights opened. They looked for several files before finding one on the lightspeed engine which was terminated. Fury revealed a paper with strange markings, saying maybe because Lawson was coo-coo. Vers recognized them as Kree glyphs and realized Lawson was Kree, not coo-coo.**

"So she was undercover on Earth?" A shocked Natasha asked.

"Yes." Benjamin said.

**Fury then said she was dead after watching a file, having crashed an aircraft during an unauthorized flight and had taken a pilot with her which was why this place had unfriendly guards as they tried to cover a billion-dollar mistake.**

"Mistakes that expensive always are." Fury said.

**The lightspeed engine was toast too and this had happened in 1989. The last person to see them alive was Maria Rambeau and Fury gave Vers her file. Vers then saw herself in the background in a photo of Maria and Lawson.**

"She's getting there." Steve noted.

**She had memory flashes of Lawson and Maria as Fury moved away on being called on his pager.**

"That's her friend from the memories." Wanda remembered.

"Yes. She is." Scarlet Witch said.

**Vers later called Yon-Rogg, telling him about Lawson and asking if he knew but he said he wasn't cleared to tell her that. But he did tell her Lawson was an undercover Kree who was working on technology to help win the war.**

"I'm sure there's more to it than that." T'Challa said.

"Right you are, Your Highness." Vision said.

**Keller and other agents arrived, with Keller telling the others to stay as he and Fury walked into the lift, with him calling Fury 'Nicholas' which Fury noticed.**

"Busted." Hope said and all watched in anticipation.

"That he is." Fury said.

**Vers said she had found evidence on having a life on C-53 and she knew Mar-Vell as that as what she saw Supreme Intelligence as. Yon-Rogg told her it was Skrull simulation and asked her to remember her training as she could be her own enemy.**

"How stupid do you think she is?" Loki asked.

**Fury said Vers was on sub-level 6 and he would stop on 5 to stop her if she tried to make a run for it, like in Havana. Keller nodded and now Fury knew it wasn't him as he walked out.**

"Never mess with Fury." Hill said.

"Especially when it comes to brains." Scott added.

**Yon-Rogg told Vers they would figure it out together and she agreed before putting the phone down, though it was clear she didn't trust him anymore. **

"Things did not go according to Yon-Rogg's plan." Vision noted.

**Keller had been sent to the wrong floor while Fury looked for Vers before finding agents coming for him and hid as Coulson and another one called Whitcher looked for him, while Coulson was shocked they needed to bring him dead or alive.**

"Agent always trusted you, didn't he?" Tony asked.

"He did." Fury said.

**Fury threw stuff around to distract the agents and was about to run when Keller put a gun to his head, asking if he had said something. Fury grabbed his hand and elbowed him as the two fought with Fury emptying the gun before snatching it. He threw it off and they fought but Keller, who was actually Talos overpowered him with superhuman strength. Fury was thrown down as Talos picked up the glasses and said he didn't need them but they completed the look. Then Vers knocked him out with a photon blast.**

Everyone sighed in relief as Scott said, "Thank God for her."

**As other agents arrived, they saw a hole in the roof made by Vers through which the two had escaped. Vers was angry Fury had called them and he said it was his bad.**

"I'm sorry! I had no idea I was supposed to trust a lady with energy blasts I just met more than my own boss!" Natasha said sarcastically as all glared at Vers.

"Is she still like this?" Thor asked.

"No." Odinson said, "A humiliating defeat finally gave her the reality check she needed. And now she is better."

"Good for her." Tony said, "And if I find someone arrogant, that says a lot."

**The two ran when Coulson was in the way, pointing his gun. He then exchanged a look with Fury before lowering it and told Whitcher they weren't down there as Fury smiled at him and they ran off. **

"Son of Coul has done the right thing again." Odinson said and all nodded with smiles.

**As they shut the door, Vers took Fury's pager from him, saying he couldn't be trusted with it as he gave it up reluctantly. **

"Oh, the arrogance!" Loki said and all groaned.

**Talos and the agents arrived to look for them when Vers noticed an aircraft. They sat in it as Fury asked if she could fly it. She said they'd see and he snapped it was a 'yes' or 'no' question when she managed to start it and said yes.**

"She still has it in her memory like my fighting skills." Logan said and all nodded.

**They flew off as Talos and his agents arrived and tried to fire but they were gone. Then the two noticed Goose there and Vers joked they had a stowaway.**

"Like me!" Peter said and all laughed.

**Goose sat in Vers' lap as Fury petted him and she handed Goose to him.**

"I had no idea you were a cat person." Clint said.

"Not anymore." Fury said.

**Vers showed Fury the photo with her on the background, saying 6 years ago she had arrived on Hala near dead with no memory and Fury asked if she thought she was the dead pilot. She said Maria Rambeau would tell them and asked about Coulson. Fury said he was a new guy who didn't hate him yet. Vers joked to give him time.**

"So who in this room hates Fury?" Tony asked. No hands went up. Not even his own.

"Looks like my rep got better." Fury shrugged.

**Fury said Coulson had gone with his gut feeling over an order which was hard but made them human as Vers said she would get in trouble for that. Fury joked how rescuing the guy who sold her out to Skrulls wasn't standard procedure and she said she wouldn't tell his boss if he didn't tell hers. The two laughed.**

"You're laughing?" Sam asked as all were shocked.

"Yeah. Big surprise." Fury said.

"It is actually." Hill said.

**In their ship, Yon-Rogg and the others got a video call from Ronan the Accuser.**

"Ronan." Scarlet Witch whispered and all tensed.

"Of course we were gonna see him again." Natasha groaned, "This is about Kree."

"In the 90s." Bucky added.

**Ronan said the Accusers had completed their operation but the mission was a failure because of Yon-Rogg's team and he said it was a trap to draw out Vers to talk for her kidnapper. Ronan said to give them the location as they would handle it. Yon-Rogg asked by bombing and he said Skrulls everywhere were a threat to Kree everywhere.**

"They're gonna bomb Earth?" A horrified Peter asked as all paled.

"They would have." Fury said.

**Yon-Rogg lied they were lost for now but they will find them. Ronan told them to do so or he would as the call was cut.**

"Please never." Clint said.

**Yon-Rogg told Korath to maintain course for C-53. Vers and Fury arrived outside a house, asking for Maria. Maria turned to see Vers and was shocked as Maria's daughter Monica happily hugged Vers and called her 'Auntie Carol', saying people had told them she was dead but she knew they were lying. Vers said she wasn't who they thought she was.**

"Even you are not who you think you are." Bucky said in sympathy as Natasha held his hand.

**Later, the four sat inside as Maria said that was the craziest shit she had heard and Monica said green aliens couldn't exist. Fury said they wouldn't keep a thing like that to themselves when Vers walked to a teapot and used her powers to heat it up, awing both mother and daughter as Fury said she could do more and Vers said she would show them later. Monica went to her room to get Vers' stuff, with Fury going to give her a hand.**

"Fury and kids? Oh my God!" Natasha said and all laughed while Fury groaned.

**Vers sat in front of Maria who asked if she didn't remember anything and she said she saw flashes but had no idea what was real and what wasn't. She just needed to piece it together. Maria said Carol had woken her up in the morning by banging on her door. They had to get up early as the Air Force still didn't let women fly and testing Lawson's plane was their best bet to do anything. Carol had wanted to race in her Mustang and she had known her Camaro would dominate but Carol had cheated using a shortcut. Carol asked how that was cheating and Maria said it broke predetermined rules of engagement as both chuckled.**

Everyone chuckled at that, Thor and Loki being reminded of their rivalry from good old times.

**When they had returned to base, Lawson was agitated and had said she had lives to save. She had tried to take the Aces up herself but Carol had volunteered as it was a big hero moment. Maria said she had found Lawson unique and liked her and now she was being told she was from another planet.**

"Shocker. I know." Sam said.

**Carol said she knew it was hard for Maria but Maria said losing her best friend in a mission so secret people pretended never happened was hard.**

Everyone welled up a little, feeling for Maria as well as Carol.

**Maria said she knew Carol was too stubborn to die and now she was back with her super-charged fire hands and wanted to be called 'Vers'. "Is that really who you are now?" Maria asked. "I don't know." Vers said. Then Monica and Fury called them, having taken out the stuff. She showed Vers several photos of them together and she watched as Monice walked off to get her jacket. Vers was smiling.**

"Deep down, she remember." Steve noted and all nodded.

"Looks like it." Pepper said.

**Then Vers saw an old broken badge which had 'Carol Dan-' on it. Maria said they had thought it was all that had survived the crash. Then someone knocked on the door and Vers told Maria not to answer. Maria said it was just her neighbor but Vers still opened the door, with Maria introducing Carol to the neighbor who was called Tom. He shook hands with her and her powers very slightly shocked him.**

"I know you're on your guard, but this is only gonna tip him off." Rhodes said.

"Not the best strategist then." Thor noted.

"She wasn't the best team player. She used to rush without thinking." Odinson said.

**He said there was a peculiar bird by the road and asked if he could have the boys take a closer looksee. Vers said he was trying really hard, calling him Talos as Maria said this wasn't a good time and shut the door.**

"Not subtle at all." Pepper said.

**Then Talos appeared behind them, saying they should be kinder to neighbors as one day they might need to borrow sugar, sipping the juice and then said he didn't want them to make a mess in this lovely home.**

"With you barging in like that, a mess might be made." Scott said.

**Then Maria saw Monica playing with a woman outside who looked exactly like her.**

"Another Skrull." Hill noted.

"Congratulations Hill, you are Captain Obvious." Hope said and Hill groaned as all laughed.

**Talos said no one would hurt girl and not to kill him as it would complicate the situation. Fury said he was 5 seconds from complicating the walls with Skrull brains.**

Everyone laughed at Fury's wit.

**Talos apologized for simming Keller and said now he stood as his true self without deception. They asked about the Skrull outside and he said it was a fair point before saying he had to take precautions as she had crushed 20 of his best men with bound hands and he just wanted to talk. She said last time they had talked, she had ended up with bound ankles and he said that was before he knew who she was.**

"So they figured out something?" Tony asked.

"Something she is not going to like." Logan said.

**He said he had found a device called a 'Black Box' which had her audio recording in a crash from 6 years ago. Maria asked how and he called her 'young lady', saying he had a skill. She told him if he called her 'young lady' again, she would put her foot in places not supposed to be. He asked if he was supposed to guess it, and Fury and Vers both said his ass.**

Everyone laughed as Morgan said, "He's clueless."

"Skrulls still are." Lila said and all laughed more.

**He said they were all on edge but they should sit down and listen as it'd be worth it. Vers told him to call his buddy back inside and he agreed. Then Goose arrived and he was shocked, backing from the cat in fear as Vers held Goose out, realizing he was scared of the cat. Talos said it wasn't a cat but a Flerken.**

"What's a Flerken?" Peter asked.

"A demon from Hell." Fury snorted and all wondered what that was about.

"No spoilers." Benjamin said with a gleam in his eye.

**Then Monica arrived as the 'Maria' behind her transformed into a Skrull. Later, they put in the recording as Monica was made to sit outside. It loaded and the recording played, with Carol being heard talking to Lawson who said they were going to her lab.**

"Now everything will be revealed." Cassie said.

**A flashback was shown of Carol flying with Lawson at the back as they were fired at, with Carol trying to dodge as Lawson said they wanted her work and that she should have never brought Carol along. They fired and got a wing as it started crashing. Carol tried to bail out but failed as the plane crashed through trees and onto the ground through some water.**

Everyone cringed, the scene looking painful, their sympathy going out to Carol.

**Carol groaned and got out, saying they were on the ground as she helped Lawson up and noted her blood was blue.**

"Kree blood." Loki said, "So now she will know."

"Looks like it." Wanda said too.

**Lawson asked about her hair instead and said she was actually Mar-Vell from a planet called Hala. Carol said she'd have called her delusional but a spaceship had fired at them and her blood was blue. Then she told Carol to remember the coordinates, telling her to finish it and took out a gun to destroy the energy core when a shot killed her as Carol gasped.**

"Oh no!" Sam said as all paled.

**Carol took Mar-Vell's gun and turned to see Yon-Rogg approaching.**

"Yon-Rogg." Vision simply noted.

"So he played a part too." Steve snarled.

**He said he had no interest in hurting her.**

"Then why were you firing?" Rhodes asked.

**Carol sarcastically said the shooting had given her the wrong impression as he asked about the energy core and she said pararescue was on its way and he had 2 minutes. Yon-Rogg had no reason to prolong the conversation when Carol realized what the energy core was and before Yon-Rogg could stop her, fired at it. It exploded, hitting Carol and washing her with energy as her eyes and body glowed with power and she fell down.**

Everyone watched wide dropped jaws.

"So she got her power from an Infinity Stone." Wanda noted.

"Like us and Pietro." Scarlet Witch nodded.

"That's why they are trying to control her." Bucky snorted.

"And she has the solution to their problem." Clint added.

**Carol lay on the ground as Minn-Erva noted she was still moving and asked for permission to shoot but Yon-Rogg stopped her, saying she had absorbed the core's power and was coming with them. He saw her broken badge which had 'Vers' on it. Energy flashed in an unconscious Carol's hands.**

"So they took her. Brainwashed her. Used her." Bucky said in disgust, reminded of himself as Natasha held his hand.

"Yeah, those people did a number on her for sure." Benjamin said.

"So the Skrulls are good?" May asked as all looked shocked.

"These ones are." Fury said, "But they are not the only Skrulls out there."

"Fury's right, guys." Logan said, "There are bad Skrulls too. We must always watch out for them."

"Oh we must." Steve agreed.

"Let's continue watching." Morgan said and all did.

* * *

**Now the movie is getting more interesting at this point so it's more bearable.**

**Instead of gender-bending Lawson, they should have cast Jude Law as Mar-Vell and given him a big role as he is a great character in the comics while some unknown could have been cast as the forgettable Yon-Rogg.**

**[1] Just a fun fact I found out on Quora, if you sit and stare at people in malls for 2 hours, you get more perceptive of your surroundings. I'll have to try it sometime so I can get started on being like my hero Ethan Hunt at last.**

**Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with the 100****th**** chapter of this story. Damn! We have come really far, haven't we? Shocking I know! Even I'm having trouble processing it. See you all next time.**


	100. I have nothing to prove to you

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else we may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now like the favorites and follows, the chapters in this story also number in the 3 digits. Never happened to me before. **

**And I'm going to make Chapter 100 of this story significant by ending the horror of Captain Marvel at last.**

**Antonio Guestie: Thanks for the review. This is the last chapter for Captain Marvel. Next chapter we begin with Avengers: Endgame.**

**Web Slinger 87: Thanks for the review. No Goose won't but I'll explain where he is. Thanks a lot. :)**

**Jaha: Thanks for the review. So glad you find it amazing. You're welcome.**

**Zero: Thanks for all the reviews. Glad you're enjoying.**

**Anonymous: Thanks for the review. You're welcome.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. Fury would sure do something like that.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. They're all smart people so I'm sure they figured it out themselves.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. That makes sense.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. Not that. Something I'll make up probably.**

**Guest 5: Thanks for the review. The agents would probably.**

**Guest 6: Thanks for the review. Not sure how I can fit that in.**

**Guest 7: Thanks for the review. My mistake there.**

**Guest 8: Thanks for the review. That sounds fun on Cap.**

Chapter 100- I have nothing to prove to you

"Now she knows the truth." Steve noted.

"I don't think she will react well." Bucky said.

**Carol walked out, panting. "He lied to me." She gasped, "Everything that I knew was a lie." Talos said Yon-Rogg had killed Mar-Vell because she had had realized she was on the wrong side. Carol said Skrulls were terrorists but he said the Accusers were responsible for the ruins on Torfa and his people were living as refugees when the Kree had destroyed their planet.**

"So these Skrulls are good guys?" Peter asked in shock.

"Only Talos' faction are." Odinson told him.

"There are many other Skrull factions around the Universe." Benjamin said.

"And they aren't nice." Logan added.

**Talos said the coordinates would lead them to the lightspeed engine as Maria remembered Lawson used to say their work would end wars. Talos said the engine had been destroyed but the core was in a remote location where they could find it. He told her she wasn't one of them and she said he didn't know her and even she didn't know herself.**

"I get the feeling." Bucky said in sympathy and all nodded.

"**You are Carol Danvers." Maria spoke up, "You are the woman on that black box risking her life to do the right thing. My best friend…who supported me as a mother, and a pilot when no one else did. You're smart, and funny, and a huge pain in the ass. And you are the most powerful person I knew. Way before you could shoot fire from your fist." As Carol listened, she asked, "Do you hear me? Do you hear me?" And then she hugged Carol who happily hugged back.**

Everyone smiled happily as T'Challa said, "She has reached her friend at last."

"Now they are going to strike against the Kree." Loki said.

**Talos later told Carol he didn't deserve her trust but she was the only lead and her energy signature matched Mar-Vell's core. He said he needed help in decoding the coordinates. Carol said those were safe vectors as Fury and Maria explained what they were. Talos was angered at his science guy, asking if that was so hard to figure out.**

Everyone laughed as Tony said, "Looks like the Skrulls aren't too bright."

"Doesn't look like it." Pepper agreed.

**Talos said a few tweaks to the aircraft could make it suitable for travelling to space as the science guy said he'd do it. Later, Carol told Maria she could use a co-pilot but she couldn't leave Monica. Monica said she could stay with her grandparents. Maria listed out all the dangers as Monica said she had to go and would have the coolest mission in history. She needed to set an example for her daughter. Carol laughed.**

Everyone laughed as Clint said, "That kid has a mouth."

"A unique kind of mouth." Natasha added.

**Later, Maria's parents arrived for Monica as Carol told her when they were handing out kids, she got the toughest one- Lieutenant Trouble. Monica laughed, realizing Carol remembered as Carol noticed her jacket. Monica tried to return it but Carol told her to hold onto it. She then said she couldn't wear Kree colors anymore and Monica was the only person with style.**

Everyone chuckled a bit as Thor said, "Changing uniforms is a wise decision."

"Yes. Now she doesn't stand for militaristic assholes." Hill said.

"Cap, your girlfriend-to-be just cursed." Hope said and both Steve and Hill groaned as the others laughed.

**Then Monica changed the colors, one of them being too bright.**

Everyone laughed as Scott said, "Not that one for sure."

**Then Carol noticed the air force symbol on Monica's shirt and then finally Monica transformed her suit into a red and blue uniform with a star on it. "How do I look?" Carol asked. "Fresh." She said.**

"You look great." Bruce said as all clapped. The suit did look good on her.

"Yeah, she has worn it like this ever since." Scarlet Witch said.

**Later, Yon-Rogg arrived as Carol spoke a code but he said systems were fallible and asked what he saw when he communed with SI. She said he saw something personal but didn't tell her. He asked her of earliest memory and she said blood transfusion. He asked whose blood and she faltered so he shot her as she transformed back into the science guy while he said it was his blood.**

"Oh no!" Aunt May said as all gasped.

"Now they know." Sam said grimly.

**Yon-Rogg asked if she knew and he said she did so he shot him dead.**

"What a coward!" Lila sneered.

"No kidding." Cassie agreed.

**Yon-Rogg called Ronan and told him the Skrulls were at C-53 so he agreed to come.**

"Now that guy is coming too." Rhodes groaned as all sighed.

**Carol, Fury, Maria, Goose and Talos were flying up in the aircraft as Fury petted Goose and Talos said he shouldn't have it on his lap. Fury said their alliance was tenuous at best and as long as Goose freaked him out, he would keep him as Fury showed Goose to Talos.**

Everyone chuckled as Tony said, "I can't believe you're a cat person."

"Not anymore." Fury said.

"Why?" Natasha asked but got no reply.

"Using Goose like that is still a wise move as the alliance is tenuous." Thor said and Fury nodded.

**Maria asked if they could turn into anything and Talos said they could but it took practice and even talent. Fury asked if he could turn into a cat and he asked what a cat was. Maria asked about a filing cabinet and Fury dared him to turn into a Venus flytrap, saying he'd give him $50.**

Everyone laughed as Morgan said, "Never seen them turn into non-living things before."

**Then they finally exited Earth's atmosphere as stuff in the ship was thrown around due to lack of gravity and even Goose was in the air till Fury put out his arm for him.**

"And space is here." Tony said and all nodded.

**Soon, they managed to find the coordinates and decloaked the lab, revealing it.**

"There it is!" Wanda said and all looked with wide eyes.

"The lab." Vision said, "Mar-Vell's lab."

"What the Skrulls need." T'Challa said.

**They walked inside when Goose found the Tesrract and touched it with his paw.**

"Why didn't anything happen to it?" Clint wondered.

They looked to Fury who didn't answer.

"No spoilers." Benjamin said.

**Carol and Maria put it in a lunchbox.**

"Teserract in a lunchbox." Steve said and all laughed.

"Now I've seen everything." Tony said.

**They saw lot of kid stuff around when Fury noticed a coffee that was still hot and they realized they weren't alone. Talos gave a sound.**

"Sounds like a horn." Peter commented and all nodded.

**Then several others Skrulls walked out as one of them, a female, hugged and kissed Talos as Maria realized he wasn't here for the Teserract.**

"His girlfriend?" Scott asked.

"Wife." Logan corrected and all nodded, "Her name is Soren."

**Then Soren beckoned to someone and a Skrull child walked out as Talos hugged her.**

"She looks cute." Wanda noted and all nodded.

"She does indeed." Natasha agreed.

**She said Mar-Vell had told them not to send the signal or the Kree would find them. Talos said it was the right thing as they noticed Carol and backed in fear but Talos said she was a friend who had led them here. "I am not gonna hurt you." She said with tears in her eyes, "I'm so sorry. I didn't know." Talos said his hands were filthy with war too.**

"All of us have such hands." Steve said and all nodded.

**Talos said she had found his family and there were many other separated like this.**

"But they aren't nice." Logan said.

"They are angry and vindictive." Benjamin said.

"And oh so unpleasant." Odinson added.

"We get it." Loki told him.

**Then a child led Carol to a pinball machine, showing her his very high score as Fury commented how he'd have some too if he played pinball on the same machine for 6 years.**

Everyone laughed as Sam said, "That sounds right."

**Suddenly, the doors burst open and Yon-Rogg walked in with his unit as Fury aimed his gun but Minn-Erva stopped him while Yon-Rogg threw Goose down.**

"Damn it!" Rhodes said as all paled.

"They had to choose this time." Clint groaned.

"Enemies always choose the worst times." Scarlet Witch told him.

**Minn-Erva noted Skrulls had got in her head as he said SI would set her straight. Talos said the other Skrulls weren't soldiers so they could have him. Yon-Rogg demanded the core too as Carol said he'd lied to her and he said he'd made her the best version of herself.**

"You keep telling yourself that." Natasha sneered angrily as all glared at him.

**Carol tried to fire but it didn't work as Yon-Rogg said what was given could be taken away as her device stopped her.**

"They have their own Obedience Disk for her too." Thor said in disgust.

"She was just a weapon for them. They didn't care about her." Fury said sadly and all looked at Carol sadly too.

**As the Teserract was taken and the Skrulls were captured, Carol tried to fight Yon-Rogg in hand to hand but was beaten down as he activated a device and knocked her out with it.**

"Now they have her." Tony said as all paled.

"And the Skrulls and Teserract too." Steve added.

**Later, Carol had tubes attached to her as she met SI in her brain again while a Nirvana track played and SI said she was remembering while calling the jacket killer and dancing to the music.**

"At least that thing has good taste." Tony said and all laughed.

"But this just looks…..weird." May said and all nodded.

**Carol told her to let her out and not to touch the Skrulls or she'd kill her. SI said her powers came from them but Carol pointed out they came from the core. SI said she still couldn't control them.**

"You will have to, if you want to win." Thor said and all nodded.

**Outside, a Kree scanned Goose and said it was a Flerken with high threat level and restrained his mouth with a muzzle as Fury said Goose was a cat, not Hannibal Lecter.**

"What's a Flerken?" Hope asked.

"No spoilers." Cassie smiled again and all wondered what it was about.

"Monsters." Fury muttered.

**They scanned Fury and it said he was a human with low threat level and Fury said the machine was broken.**

"It might be." Clint shrugged.

**They decided to load the Flerken on heli and eject the others into Space.**

"Uh-oh." Rhodes said and all paled.

**SI said because of Carol, they had the Teserract and Skrulls when she said they had destroyed their home as they refused to submit and she wouldn't either. SI said they had found and embraced her but she said they had stolen her and tried to punch but her fist went through SI who said it was cute how she tried and threw her into a wall which sucked her to the other side as SI said she was weak without them.**

"What the hell?!" Scott asked.

"Looks like the Supreme Intelligence can do that." Sam noted.

**Carol saw all her old memories of falling and being ridiculed as she fell in front of SI who said without them she was only human and she agreed, saying she was.**

"That's the best part of yourself." Steve agreed.

**In the flashbacks, Carol got up every time after falling, ready to fight back and finish it. Then Carol got up as SI said, "On Hala you were reborn, Vers." Carol looked at the broken badge and with a tear in her eye said, "My name... is Carol."**

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Rhodes said and all clapped.

**SI fired at her but she resisted as she started glowing and SI started coming down. Then her hands glowed in the real world too as she stood up while energy in the ship flickered. Fury's and Maria's cuffs came off as they fought the Kree while the cell behind which Skrulls were kept started coming down too.**

"The Kree better watch out." Tony smirked and all nodded.

**As Carol's hands glowed, she said, "I've been fighting with one arm tied behind my back. But what happens when..." She ripped out the device, "... I'm finally set free?" The device fell down as an explosion occurred while SI came down at last. Then in the real world Carol's eyes opened, glowing, and she was glowing brightly.**

"She's a Super Saiyan!" Peter said happily as all laughed and clapped at the scene as well.

"Now the Kree are screwed!" Bruce said and all nodded.

**Carol sent a blast of energy around, knocking down all nearby Kree and took the lunch box as Fury and Maria were beaten down but Carol blasted the Kree away while the two were awed by her appearance as she glowed.**

"Now the final fight." Benjamin said and all nodded.

**Carol showed the Teserract as Fury said he wasn't touching it while removing Goose's muzzle. Carol asked if she should find an oven mitt.**

"Yeah!" Pepper said and all nodded, "It's dangerous to touch with bare hands."

"It's like she wants to kill you or something." Clint joked.

**Then suddenly Goose's mouth opened and tentacles came out, wrapping the Teserract as Goose swallowed it while Fury dropped Goose in shock.**

Everyone was speechless at this point, trying to process what they had just seen. What the hell?!

"Okay, alien cat. I can live with that." Tony said, "Nope! I can't! What the hell?!"

"Threat level is high." Clint noted.

"So Flerkens are basically alien cats?" Natasha asked.

"Sort of." Benjamin said.

"I've heard of Flerkens but I never knew what one looked like." Thor said.

"Now we do." Loki said.

"Let's never mess with these." Logan said and all nodded.

**Carol told them to get the Skrulls and go with the Flerken while she'd buy them time. She ran off with the lunchbox as Fury cautiously picked up Goose, trusting Goose not to eat him.**

"Yup. Be careful now." Hill agreed.

**As the Kree moved around, they saw Carol sitting up who sarcastically greeted them and asked if they'd arm wrestle for the Teserract. Yon-Rogg said he found her amusing but now they'd finish it. Then she punched the bridge with her energy and it shattered, taking them all down.**

"Now it has begun." Odinson said and all nodded, watching in anticipation.

**As she got up, one attacked her but she punched him away before two more arrived but she fired at them and took them down. Fury and Maria ran when Skrulls appeared in the way. Maria fired but they dodged as she ran out. As they tried to attack again, Goose opened his mouth and his tentacles wrapped around the Kree, throwing them around as Goose at them before meowing as Fury called him good kitty.**

"That he is." Steve said and all nodded with chuckles.

"No he isn't." Fury said.

**Carol blasted two away before being thrown back by her own energy. She laughed as Minn-Erva tried to attack but she broke the ground under her and she fell down. As Korath tried to attack, she dodged and broke his blade before kicking him away.**

"Yeah!" Tony said as all clapped and cheered.

**Minn-Erva attacked as Carol asked if they never hung out because she knew but Minn-Erva said she just didn't like her and fired with a gun she had picked up but it was just a dart gun. Carol blasted her away.**

Everyone laughed and clapped as Sam said, "Good thing they don't know much about Earth."

**The big Kree slammed her down with a table and tried to attack but she blasted him away before Att-Lass pinned her down and told her not to make him do this. She agreed and sent them both flying back with her blast as Fury and Maria were stopped by Kree who had Skrulls hostage. Fury tried to use Goose but Goose jumped down and walked to one Kree instead as Fury told him to pick a side.**

"Yes pick one!" Tony said as all groaned.

"Where's Talos?" Clint noted.

"So he picked a side." Steve said as all smirked.

**A Kree told Fury to play it cool like Havana and he realized it was Talos and told him Flerken kitty ate Teserract.**

"Shocking I know." Natasha said.

**Yon-Rogg lifted debris off himself with his device and punched Carol into a machine, activating it as he pinned her with debris. As the others reached the ejection point, Talos told Soren to cover their daughter's eyes and she did as Talos shot them all down. They started getting on the ship.**

"Now we're getting out." Fury said.

**Carol broke free and the lunch box dropped and was revealed to be empty as Yon-Rogg realized it was a distraction and she joked she had put it in there. **

"Yeah we remember." Benjamin said and all laughed.

**Carol blasted him and he dodged and ran off as Korath and the big Kree fought her instead. As Talos shared a moment with his wife and daughter, a shot hit him and he was down while Soren screamed.**

"Oh no!" Peter said as all paled.

"He made it." Fury said and all sighed in relief.

**As the Kree fired at them, Maria activated some guns which fired and destroyed the Kree ship instead, making them back off as they flew off while Carol threw Korath into the rotating device before knocking the other one out and then threw Korath off as well.**

"Finally!" Tony said as all clapped again.

**Fury asked if Talos was all right and he said he was.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

**Maria noted they had a bogey. It was Minn-Erva, having been sent by Yon-Rogg. As Yon-Rogg got in his ship, Carol jumped on it and tried to punch but he started it and the two dropped to Earth as Carol tried to punch again but his device threw her off and she started falling.**

"Shit!" Sam said.

"Oh no!" Rhodes said too.

"Damn it!" Tony said.

"No, no, no." Peter was saying.

**Then she closed her eyes and when she opened them, they glowed.**

"What's gonna happen?" Bruce asked.

"Just watch." Odinson smirked.

**Maria maneuvered around to avoid Minn-Erva's blasts as one wing got slightly damaged and they went on the opposite sides of a hill. But Maria's aircraft was faster and she ambushed Minn-Erva, blasting her ship. Fury laughed and high-fived with Maria.**

"YES!" Thor said and all cheered again.

"You're high-fiving?" Tony asked Fury in shock as all chuckled and he groaned.

**Then another shot hit them as Yon-Rogg arrived. Before he could fire again, Carol arrived, flying to him, and punched his ship, damaging it before cheering happily as Fury and Maria watched in shock.**

"She can fly?" Tony asked in shock.

"Yeah." Benjamin said, "She can."

"Okay, isn't it convenient she learnt flying just when needed?" Rhodes asked.

"And even more convenient she mastered it in a minute." Natasha added. [1]

"It's too convenient." Steve agreed.

"Maybe." Wanda shrugged.

"Let's just finish up." Morgan said and all nodded.

**Yon-Rogg's ship crashed when Carol turned to see Kree warships arriving led by Ronan.**

"Ronan came to Earth?" Steve asked in shock.

"Only above it." Fury said.

**Ronan deployed ballistic warheads and several missiles dropped down on Earth. Carol then flew up and held a missile, trying to hold it back with all her strength.**

"She's doing it." Steve said and all nodded, watching in anticipation.

**Then she pushed the missile into the others and an explosion occurred, destroying them all as Ronan said C-53 didn't have a weapons system advanced enough. They noticed Carol on the monitors and said it wasn't the defense system.**

"How do you like that, huh?" Bruce asked as all clapped and cheered.

"Not very much I'm sure." Cassie said.

**Carol flew up as Ronan said to take her down. As missiles were fired at her, she took them all down with her blasts and powers, cheering happily before taking down a huge ship by flying through it with her energy. **

"Oh yeah!" Rhodes cheered as all clapped for her.

"That'll teach Ronan!" Lila said.

**Carol hovered in front of the ship and clashed her fists, producing energy. That scared Ronan and he said they'd return for the weapon. Another asked if it was the core but he said it was the woman as the ships all started returning to the jump point.**

"So she drove them all away." Tony said.

"And they never came back because of her." Fury said.

"Nice." Pepper said.

"So you knew aliens existed long before my brother and I came." Thor noted.

"I did." Fury said, "That is why I had been working on the Avengers Initiative for so long. We needed heroes of our own to fight such threats."

"And now you have them." Steve said and he nodded.

**Yon-Rogg got out of his ship and the two marched towards each other. Then he shut off his device and said how he was proud of her. She'd come a long way since he'd found her by the lake.**

"Emotional manipulation." Natasha snorted and all looked at Yon-Rogg in disgust.

**He asked if she could control her emotions long enough to take him. He told her to shut off the light show and asked her to prove to him. Carol simply blasted him away and he fell down. She walked up to him and said, "I have nothing to prove to you."**

"You don't." Bucky agreed.

"He was emotionally manipulating her." Natasha said.

"He knew he couldn't beat her with her powers." Steve said, "So he was enticing her into fighting him in hand to hand as he can win that."

"But now she knows not to listen to bullies." Thor said and all nodded.

"Unless it's a competition, the goal is to end the fight, not fight honorably." Clint said and all nodded in agreement.

"That's right, Barton." Tony agreed. [2]

**She gave him a hand and he accepted but then she dragged him away.**

Everyone laughed, finding that funny.

**She put him on his ship and fed the coordinates of Hala to it, telling him to send a message from her that she was coming to end the Kree and the lies. She charged the ship with her powers and it flew off.**

"But she didn't end all of it, did she?" Hill asked.

"She only ended the Supreme Intelligence and then moved on." Benjamin said.

"Not a good move." Odinson said and all agreed.

**Fury held Goose in his hands, cooing him.**

Fury widened his eye on his seat and covered it, praying it was not going to show it.

"Please, no, not that. Please..." He whispered quietly.

"What are you mumbling about?" Hill and Natasha turned to him, confused.

**Suddenly Goose meowed and scratched Fury in the eye as he groaned, when Maria looked to him in concern. Fury assured her that it was just a scratch, when on his left eye were seen claw marks but Talos said it wasn't.**

All the Avengers had their jaws dropped, while Peter, Tony, Natasha and Steve tried to hold back their laughter as they turned to Fury, who had his face buried in his hands in embarrassment.

"No..." Steve shook his head in disbelief.

"Oh, my God..." Natasha snickered.

"You lost your eye to a cat?" Tony realized as everyone burst out laughing hysterically, while Fury was praying to die and escape this misery of being ridiculed.

"I hate that stupid Flerken." Fury muttered.

"You guys are the best!" Hill said to the future people who chuckled.

"Oh the best of the best!" Clint added.

"Why did you have to show that?" Fury asked.

"They deserved to know." Scarlet Witch shrugged with a snicker as all continued laughing.

"Still, I find that rather….disappointing." Loki said and all nodded as the laughter stopped.

"Yeah, it'd be better if we never found out how it happened." Thor said. [3]

"Damn right it would! Fury groaned and all laughed at him again.

"Now whenever you piss me off, I'm just gonna say 'Flerken' to your face!" Tony said and all laughed at Fury again and imagined the scene.

"I'm gonna end you, Stark." Fury said.

"I'll get the recording before we go back and end you first." Tony said and Fury actually looked pale. Tony turned to Nat, "Will you get it?"

"Uhhhhh….no!" Natasha said and Tony deflated immediately while Fury chuckled at him and all chuckled at Tony too.

**At night, all of them were sitting together as Fury complimented Maria's flying and asked if she'd like to join SHIELD and she said she'd think about it before asking about Fury's eye and he said it was getting better every second.**

"There isn't much of it to be honest." Odinson said and all nodded as Fury groaned.

**Carol asked if Talos was Soh-Larr and Keller to be clear and he said he was, having borrowed the identity as he was no thief but Soren said it was a little like stealing. Fury said they would all need a new look and Talos joked he could be Keller again as he liked sporting those beautiful eyes but Monica said they all had beautiful eyes and not to let anyone tell them anything else. **

"Sweet child." Steve said and all smiled.

**Carol said she'd help them find a new home to finish what Mar-Vell started but Monica said they could stay here. Maria pointed out they wouldn't be safe. Carol said she'd be back before they know it and Monica said maybe she could fly up or build a spaceship, saying 'you don't know.' Carol said Fury didn't and all laughed at him.**

"You're wrong. He knows everything!" Logan said and all nodded, "That is the truth."

"No kidding." Tony agreed.

**Later, Carol and Fury were washing plates as she said he could keep the Teserract on Earth. He said if Marvel would want that but she said it was Mar-Vell and was two words. Fury said Marvel sounded better like Marvelettes. **

"Oh Marvel sounds a lot better!" Peter said and all nodded in agreement.

**Fury then sang a song of theirs to remind her.**

"Oh my God! Fury is singing!" Natasha said as all laughed while Fury groaned.

"But you've a nice voice." Scott noted.

"Yes, it's a great voice." Hope agreed.

"Well, thank you." Fury said.

"Now all we need is Fury singing the Star Spangled Man." Tony said as all laughed while Fury groaned.

"Would love to see that." Hill said.

"Not happening." Fury said.

**Fury asked if it rang bells and she told him to keep singing and it might. She then took out the pager, saying she had upgraded it and it'd now reach across a few galaxies. She then gave him a look and he said he wouldn't crank call her.**

"If you crank called someone, you'd scare them to death with that voice." May said and all laughed while Fury smirked too.

**She said it was for emergencies only and he took it from her, telling her if she was passing this galaxy, she could give a brother a shout. The two fist bumped as her fist glowed and Fury chuckled a bit.**

"Why didn't you ever call her then?" Bruce asked, "She could have helped in New York, Washington DC and Sokovia."

"I have some reasons." Fury said before he began explaining, "Like I said, after seeing those Kree and Skrulls, I knew we would need to have our own heroes for dealing with such threats. So I started working on the Avengers Initiative, trying to find the right candidates, which I did eventually. The thing is, the first time at New York, I knew you people could do it. She would take a few weeks to get here anyway. With Hydra, I was caught off guard as much as you guys so I didn't do it. And it was the same for Sokovia, I knew you could do it. However, I also started the Avengers Initiative to find better heroes than her."

"What do you mean?" Tony asked.

"You used to be an arrogant dealer but you changed and now look at you." Fury said as Pepper and Rhodes smiled at Tony in pride, "While I do like Carol and find her friendly, she is too reckless and impulsive at times. I noted that in her. She might attack without thinking and change opinions too quickly. I wanted heroes with better qualities and morals. And I found them in all of you guys. Which was why I never called her. My future self called her because people turning to dust would be too much for anyone to handle." [4]

"Thank you for having faith in us." Steve said gratefully and all nodded, their appreciation for Fury increasing due to this.

**Later, Carol walked out and Monica returned her jacket. She wore it and thanked and hugged her as Maria looked at her and Carol said it was hard for her too. The two then hugged before Carol flew away as the two watched. Carol flew in front of the Skrulls on the ship and lifting it up, flew away at hypersonic speed.**

"That was fast." An awed Tony said and all nodded.

"Yes. I can go faster." Thor shrugged.

"A lot faster." Odinson added.

**Next day, Fury was on his desk as Coulson arrived and gave him several prosthetic eyes. He asked if the Kree had actually burnt his eye for refusing to give up the Teserract and he said he'd neither confirm nor deny the story.**

"Wise decision." T'Challa said and he nodded.

"That's why the rumors began." Hill said.

**Coulson apologized for not being able to find the Teserract as Fury looked at Goose and said it'd turn up. Fury said there would be more intergalactic threats out there and their one-woman security force had a prior commitment on the other side of the Universe so they needed to find more. "More weapons?" Coulson asked. "More heroes." Fury said.**

Fury and the original six Avengers shared a knowing smile.

**Coulson asked if they could find others and Fury said they'd found Carol without even looking. Coulson told him to get rest and walked out as Fury looked at his computer, where he was typing about a new initiative in his mind called 'The Protector Initiative.' Then he noticed Carol's call sign on her aircraft which said 'Capt. Carol 'Revenger' Danvers.' Inspired by that, he changed the name to 'The Avenger Initiative.' The screen went black.**

"So that's where you got the name from." Steve said and Fury nodded.

"We weren't the first Revengers then." Loki joked and they all laughed.

"Doesn't look like it." Odinson agreed.

"I liked the name and thought to add a little flare." Fury said and all nodded. [5]

"Now big things are coming up." Cassie said.

"As big as us?" Scott asked jokingly as all laughed.

**The pager was shown held by a bot as it suddenly died down. Steve and Natasha were looking at all the global casualties as Steve said it was a nightmare and Natasha said she had worse nightmares.**

"No kidding." Bucky said as all watched grimly.

**Rhodes arrived and said the pager had stopped working. The three and Bruce looked at it as they wondered how to get it to work. It had died down by itself. Steve said to reboot it. Bruce said they didn't even know what this was. "Fury did. Just do it, please." Natasha said, "You tell me the second you get a signal. I wanna know who's on the other end of that thing." She turned around to see Carol standing there in her suit. "Where's Fury?" She asked. The screen went black.**

"So that's how we met her." Rhodes said and all nodded.

"So now we'll team up or something?" Bruce asked.

"Looks like it." Steve shrugged.

"One more scene." Lila said.

**Goose jumped onto Fury's desk and suddenly vomited the Teserract out. The screen went black.**

"Mystery solved." Natasha said as all chuckled.

"What happened to Goose?" Clint asked.

"The Skrulls ended up liking him later and took him to their new home." Fury said, "Now he lives with them. Good riddance."

All laughed at that.

Morgan then looked at Tony sadly for a second as Lila looked at Natasha before Morgan said, "Now from next recording onwards, we're back to the future. We'll see what happened in the aftermath of Thanos' snap."

"And it will be terrible." Lila said.

"I wasn't expecting it to be good." Scott said.

"It's worse than you can imagine, dad." Cassie told him.

"It's gonna be hard for you all to watch." Scarlet Witch said as she looked at them all.

"But you have to watch it." Odinson said.

"We will." May told him.

"Be prepared." Odinson said and they all nodded.

Steve looked to all the others and they nodded one by one. When they had, Steve turned to them and said firmly, "Show us."

"All right." Benjamin said.

"Let's start." Logan said as he turned on the recording. The climatic recording was going to be shown at last.

* * *

**YES! YES! YES! I DID IT! I DID IT! I DID IT! THIS MOVIE IS OVER! AND ENDGAME IS NEXT! YES! **

***Dances like Peter Parker in Spider-Man 3 and Joker in the Joker movie***

**[1] Now I know the term Mary-Sue is too common these days but Carol suddenly learning to fly just a minute after she discovered she had the power? That's just too convenient and definitely a Mary-Sue moment, like when Rey fought Kylo in The Force Awakens and managed to hold her own in spite of not knowing much about Lightsaber fighting. *Rolls eyes***

**[2] Now there's a debate about if Carol should have fought Yon-Rogg in H2H to prove herself or if she was right to blast him away like that. As hard as it is to believe, I think she was right to blast him like that. He was a bully and bullies only fight when they have the advantage. He was enticing her to fight H2H because he knew he'd win that way. If you're fighting in a competition, sure there are rules and you have to use skill to win. But in a real fight, the goal is not to fight honorably, but to win. So Carol was right to do what she did.**

**[3] To be honest, I hated what they did to Fury's eye. But the thing is, I believe at this point no matter what we got, some would be disappointed. So I say they should have taken a page out of Tolkien's book and kept this thing a mystery. They could have shown Fury almost losing his eye multiple times this movie but he'd still have it so we'd have no idea how he lost it.**

**[4] Now I don't dislike Carol but there has to be a reason why Fury never called. Because the excuse that Carol gave in Endgame was just that, an excuse. This is what I got from her character in this movie and Endgame so that's what I believe. You're all free to disagree.**

**[5] I found Fury getting 'Avenger' from Carol too convenient to be honest and it cheapened the Avengers for me to be honest so I changed it to 'Revenger.' That way, Fury gets inspiration but the name's still more original.**

**I'd also like to thank Bl4ckHunter for giving me the reactions to Fury losing his eye. **

**Now the 100****th**** chapter is supposed to be something significant. And this one is as we ended the horror of Captain Marvel with it. YAY! **

**Wait! I just realized something! I'm a toxic male! That's why I don't like this movie! Because it has a strong female character who can actually stick it up to those she doesn't agree with and do anything. So I'm a toxic male. You have to pardon me people as I was raised that way by my parents who lived in a time when there weren't strong female characters and the only thing women were portrayed as in movies were objects of desire or damsels in distress so I can't handle a strong female character as the only females I knew before that were objects of desire or damsels in distress. **

***Ellen Ripley, Sarah Connor, Leia Organa, Beatrix Kiddo, Xena, Buffy, Trinity, Wonder Woman (Linda Carter version), Arwen Undomiel, Eowyn and Lady Galadriel rip me to shreds***

**Well then, that happened.**

**In case you didn't get it, the entire above part was sarcasm. **

**Now I'm gonna go re-watch Joker to wash the bad taste of Captain Marvel out of my mouth and then I'll get started with Avengers: Endgame at last.**

**So I don't blame you all if you didn't enjoy this chapter but I'll see you all next time with another one which you will enjoy as we begin with Avengers: Endgame at last, the movie that ended the MCU as it is for us and gave sweet and very sad sendoffs to some very beloved characters.**

**So see you all next time with another chapter where we begin Avengers: Endgame.**


	101. I am inevitable

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far. **

**Now at last, after 100 full chapters, we're here with Avengers: Endgame, the climax of all the previous MCU movies with loads of fan-service and pay-offs. I'm so excited to write about it!**

**To quote Thor- "At long last."**

**But fuck FF. Just when we reach Endgame, they decide to have their review problem again. So I'm sorry to say, reviews on this site are down. Bunch of idiots.**

**Anyway, let's begin.**

**123 power ranger: Thanks for the review. Why thank you. Glad you find mine the best. You're welcome. Yes, it will be sad.**

**spideyfan: Thanks for the review. Funny idea but probably not.**

**Antonio Guestie: Thanks for the review. Glad to hear you're excited. Yes I'm excited too. And thanks for the congrats.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. For me, it's Steve.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. I can see why you were reminded of that scene.**

Chapter 101- I am inevitable

"So now we'll see how we beat Thanos then." Steve said.

"Yes, Cap. You all will." Logan said.

"Brace yourselves." Benjamin added and they nodded.

Morgan and Lila were shaking a bit but Cassie put hands on their shoulders. This action hadn't gone unnoticed.

"What happened?" Clint asked them.

"It's….something." Morgan said ominously.

"Just watch the recording." Lila sighed.

"You okay?" Tony asked in concern.

"We will be, dad." Morgan assured, though she knew they wouldn't.

"Let's start." Thor said.

"All right." Odisnon shrugged, dreading the reactions to Bro Thor, but Logan started it at last.

**Clint was teaching Lila archery and she had an arrow drawn. He played a little with her hair, joking if she could see now as she chuckled. His ankle monitor was seen.**

"Ankle monitor." Clint grunted.

"Can't remove it unfortunately." Scarlet Witch told him.

"I know." He said before turning to Lila, "But I'm so proud."

"Thanks dad." Lila said.

**In the distance, Nate and Cooper were playing baseball as Nate managed to catch the ball. Laura asked if they wanted mayo or mustard. Lila asked who put mayo on hot dogs and Clint said it was probably her brothers as he told her they both wanted mustard.**

"It's mom actually." Lila said and all burst out laughing.

"Yeah. I know, I know." Clint shrugged.

**Laura asked the boys if they wanted mayo or mustard but Nate said he wanted ketchup, to which Laura replied she had that too.**

"Ketchup is the best." Pepper said and all nodded.

**Then Lila fired her arrow and it hit the target. "Good job, Hawkeye!" Clint said as they high-fived and he told her to get the arrow.**

"Awesome!" Peter said as all clapped for Lila who smiled while Clint was beaming with pride.

"Thank you!" She said to everyone.

**Laura said soup was on as Clint said they were coming but then turned to see specks of dust in Lila's place, confusing him as he called out to her.**

Clint had a lump in his throat already as he started shaking while T'Challa put a hand on his shoulder.

"No." He whispered as all looked at him in sympathy.

**Clint then called out to Laura and the boys as thunder rumbled overhead. He ran around the farm but no one was there.**

Clint looked like he was going to break down. Before Lila or Natasha could go comfort him, Wanda got up from her seat and walked up to him instead, hugging him for comfort as he touched her hand and hugged back with tears in his eyes.

She gave him an assuring smile, grateful for all the times he had comforted her.

Natasha, Lila and Scarlet Witch looked at Wanda gratefully.

**In the Benatar, Tony and Nebula were playing table football as Tony made a goal due to her moving her hands from position which Tony said she didn't need to do. They played a bit more as Nebula made a goal and Tony said she'd done it so now they were tied up.**

"That's a nice thing you're doing for her." Pepper said as she smiled in pride while all nodded at Tony in approval and he nodded back.

"She's been losing her entire life. She needs a win." Fury said.

**Tony then tried to make a goal but failed, saying it was terrible and then she made one, winning as Tony congratulated her on winning and they shook hands, with him saying it was fair game and good sport, asking if she had fun and she said she had.**

"You did a great thing." Natasha told Tony in appreciation and he nodded.

"You gave her a win at last. Like she needed." Morgan smiled at him.

**Later, Tony was on his knees in front of his broken Iron Man mask. He tapped it and clicked on the recorder before starting, "Hey, Miss Potts... Pep. If you find this recording...don't post it, on social media. It's gonna be a real tear-jerker."**

Everyone gave watery chuckles to Tony's joke. Even in such a situation, he knew how to alleviate tension.

But it was still saddening to watch.

**Tony continued, "I don't know if you're** **ever gonna see these.** **I don't even know** **if you're still...** **Oh, God. I hope so..."**

"I'm never leaving you." Pepper said with tears in her eyes as Tony looked at her emotionally and they held hands.

"None of us are." Rhodes assured and he nodded.

**The Benatar was shown stranded in space as Tony said, "Today is day 21... uh, 22. You know, if it wasn't for the existensial terror of staring into the literal void of space, I'd say, I'm feeling more better today. The infection's run its course, thanks to the blue meanie back there." Nebula was shown treating Tony's wounds as Tony said, "You'd love her. Very practical. Only a tiny bit sadistic."**

"Now that she saved you, I do love her." Pepper said as all smiled at the couple.

**Tony and Nebula were shown carrying out repairs on the ship as Tony said, "Some fuel cells were cracked during battle, but we figured out a way to reverse the ion charge to buy ourselves, about, 48 hours of playtime. But it's now dead in the water. We're 1,000 lightyears from the nearest 7-11. Oxygen will run out tomorrow morning. That'll be it. And Pep, I...I know I said no more surprises, but I gotta say I was really hoping to pull off one last one."**

"Please do." Peter muttered, wanting Tony to survive this as all watched the screen sadly.

"He can do it. He has done a lot of stuff." Morgan assured him and looked at her father with pride.

**Tony said, "But it looks like...Well, you know what it looks like."**

"I know. But it doesn't make this any easier." Pepper said sadly.

**Tony said, "Don't feel bad about this. I mean actually if you grovel for a couple weeks, and then, move on with enormous guilt."**

Everyone gave watery chuckles to Tony's joke again as Pepper said, "I don't think I will. Ever."

"But that's what I'd want." Tony assured before joking, "After some groveling that is."

Everyone gave watery chuckles again. What was it about him that he could crack jokes in sad situations too?

**Tony said, "I should probably lie down. Go rest my eyes. Please know that... When I drift off, it will be like every night lately...I'm fine, I'm totally fine…I dream about you. Because it's always you." With that, he shut off the recorder.**

Pepper couldn't control her emotions anymore as she burst into tears and hugged Tony's chest, with him trying to comfort her with kisses as Morgan watched sadly while Cassie and Lila put hands on her shoulders.

**Tony then got up and lay down on the floor, slowly passing out. Nebula eventually found him and helping him up, sat him down on a chair. She patted his back sadly before walking off. **

Everyone looked at Nebula in appreciation. She had put Tony in that position to allow him to be comfortable in what were possibly his last moments.

Tony looked at Nebula gratefully and whispered, "Thanks."

**Then Tony heard a distant boom as a bright light was seen. He slightly opened his eyes before opening them fully. He put his hand in the way to shield himself from the light before seeing what it was. Carol Danvers hovered in the air in front of him, her body glowing. There was a smile of relief on her face. **

"Danvers." Steve said as all sighed in relief.

"Oh thank God! Thank God!" Pepper was saying as Tony hugged her again.

"She saved us." He said.

"I knew Tony wouldn't be leaving us so soon." Bruce said and all chuckled and nodded too.

"I was hoping he didn't." Thor said too.

The future people winced at that, especially Morgan who struggled nto to cry as the other future people looked at her in sympathy.

**In the Avengers Compound, Steve washed his shaver after having shaved his beard clean and wiped his face too.**

"Good thing you removed the beard. It might get in the way of kissing Hill." Hope said and all laughed while Steve and Hill groaned in embarrassment.

"Would you stop with that already?" Hill asked.

"Nope!" Hope said.

"What if I tell you that there's a chance to get back at Hope later in the recording?" Logan asked Hill who smirked.

"I say absolutely yes!" Hill said and Hope glared at Logan.

"What? I help my countrymen and women." Logan said and all laughed.

**Then the building shook a little as Steve realized what was up. Outside, Carol flew down with the ship as Steve, Natasha, Bruce and Rhodes ran to watch and Pepper was there too, looking up in anticipation.**

Tony sighed in relief as he held Pepper's hand. He knew Pepper had survived Thanos' snap but seeing her alive in the recordings was a relief nonetheless.

**Carol looked at the others as the ramp opened and Tony staggered out. Steve ran up to support him as he said, "Couldn't stop him." Steve said, "Neither could I." **

"This is gonna go well." Scott said and found all glaring at him, "I'm gonna shut up."

"Wise choice, my friend." Loki told him.

**Tony looked at Steve and said, "I lost the kid." Steve looked at him sadly and said, "Tony, we lost."**

"Because we weren't together." Steve said sadly with his down.

"Due to my mistakes and yours." Tony said, "But this time we won't be."

Steve looked up and nodded firmly.

**Tony was going to ask about Pepper when she arrived and he was very relieved as the two hugged while Steve watched. He then kissed her cheek as they were led in.**

Everyone sighed in restrained relief. While Tony had been saved and he and Pepper were reunited, half of the Universe was still gone and Thanos was out there.

**Rocket walked up to where Nebula was and sat next to her as they held hands, mourning their dead team.**

Almost nobody could stop some tears from coming to their eyes at that moment. While both Rocket and Nebula were cynical and rude, they had hearts and cared deeply for their team. And now they had lost them all.

**Inside, holograms of the dead people were shown as Rhodes said it had been 23 days while Natasha added world governments were in pieces. The parts that were still working were trying to take a census. She said, "He did exactly what he said he was gonna do. Thanos wiped out...fifty percent of all living creatures."**

Bucky held Natasha's hand as all watched her sadly. She actually sounded like she was going to cry in the recording.

**Thor sat guiltily in a corner as Carol winced on seeing Fury's hologram among the dead. Tony asked where he was as Steve said he had walked through a portal. Tony looked at Thor and inquired about his condition.**

"I failed." Thor moaned as Loki put a hand on his shoulder.

"We all did, brother." Loki told him.

**Rocket said he was pissed as he thought he'd failed which he had but there was a lot of that going around there.**

"There is. Too much." Vision said in agreement. He felt guilty for having Wanda kill him in the recordings and was traumatized by his own death a lot. He just hadn't shown it. But it was his fault too that he had gone off and shut off his transponder so that was another reason they weren't together.

**Tony said he had though Rocket to be a Build-A-Bear until this second and Rocket said he was probably.**

Everyone watched Rocket sadly accepting who he was while Tony felt guilty about his comment now that he knew what had happened to Rocket.

**Steve said they had been hunting Thanos for 3 weeks but had nothing. He was about to ask Tony, saying he'd fought him when Tony said there hadn't been a fight because his face had been wiped by a planet and the Bleecker Street Magician had given away the store. There was no fight as Thanos was unbeatable.**

Everyone could feel the tension between Steve and Tony in the recording. And they looked at Tony in sympathy. Clearly, he had been traumatized by the ordeal.

**Steve asked if Thanos had given him any clues or coordinates as Tony said he'd seen this coming a few years back and had a vision. "Tony, I'm gonna need you to focus." Steve said.**

"He just came back from space and is near dead and you're asking him questions already?" Pepper asked Steve as all turned to look at him.

Steve looked guilty for his on-screen self's behavior. Clearly, Tony was traumatized and his questions were only making Tony relive the trauma, which was going to push him. Understandable but wrong move.

"You're right." Steve said honestly to Pepper and Tony, "I know my future self is only trying to get Thanos. But asking you, Tony, at such a time, is wrong of me and insensitive. I'm sorry. I shouldn't push you like that."

Tony nodded, accepting the apology.

"**And I needed you. As in past tense. That trumps what you need. It's too late, buddy. Sorry." Tony said, now pushed beyond his limit, "You know what I need? I need to shave." And then he slammed the table, shoving items away.**

Everyone flinched at the scene as Pepper, Rhodes and Morgan looked at the on-screen Tony in concern. Steve and Tony glanced at each other apologetically.

**Tony then ripped out his tube in spite of Rhodes' protests and said, "And I believe I remember telling all youse that what we needed was a suit of armor around the world. Remember that? Whether it impacted our precious freedoms, or not. That's what we needed."**

While everyone could see Tony was traumatized by the fight with Thanos and pushed too far by Steve's questioning, his emotional outburst was also going out of line.

"A world like that…..isn't a world worth saving." Natasha simply said as all glanced at her and knew she was right.

"**Well that didn't work out, did it?" Steve asked. Tony then reminded Steve, "I said we'd lose. You said, "We'll do that together, too." Well guess what, Cap? We lost. You weren't there."**

Steve and Tony could only look sadly at each other, their eyes apologizing to each other.

"**But that's what we do, right? Our best work after the fact? We're the Avengers? We're the Avengers? Not the Prevengers?" Rhodes tried to make him sit down as Tony pointed at Carol and said, "No, no. Here's my... She's great, by the way. We need you. You're new blood. Bunch of tired old mills... I got nothing for you, Cap. I got no coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options...Zero. Zip. Nada. No trust, you liar..."**

No one commented. While all knew Tony was out of line and blaming others, he was also reacting emotionally without thinking so this wasn't something they could call him out on either.

**Tony then ripped out his chestpiece and handed it to Steve, "Here, take this. You find him and you put that on. You hide." And then he fell down as Steve looked concerned before he passed out as Rhodes and Carol helped him away.**

Everyone sighed sadly as the tension died down slightly. The entire scene was rather intense. But everyone had known deep down that a tense reunion was coming.

"I shouldn't have pushed you." Steve said apologetically, "You weren't in a condition to talk and remember your trauma."

"And I shouldn't have tried to blame you all either." Tony said apologetically, "Ultron was my idea, and I executed it terribly. And I supported the Accords without thinking."

No one said any more. Steve and Tony were both accepting their mistakes and apologizing for the mistakes of their on-screen selves. That was all that was needed.

**Later, Tony was on the bed as Pepper and Bruce looked over him. Rhodes arrived and said Bruce had given him a sedative. Carol said they could take care of him while she'd bring him a Bezurian elixir when she returned. They asked where she was going and she said to kill Thanos.**

"She really thinks she can do it alone?" Hill asked incredulously.

"Looks like when she got her powers, she never lost a fight." Sam said and all nodded, "So now she thinks she can beat even Thanos alone."

"Which is a very arrogant way of thinking." Bucky agreed.

**Natasha said they worked as a team here and morale was fragile. Steve said up there was Carol's territory but this was their fight too. Rhodes asked if she knew where he was and she said she knew people who might. "Don't bother." Nebula said as all turned to her, "I can tell you where Thanos is." Later, all stood as Nebula said, "Thanos spent a long time trying to perfect me. Then when he worked, he talked about his great plan. Even disassembled, I wanted to please him."**

"He really did a number on her!" Scott said angrily as all were even more disgusted at Thanos.

"He's an abusive, self-righteous asshole!" Clint snorted and all nodded.

**Nebula said, "I'd ask, where would we go once his plan was complete? His answer was always the same. To The Garden." Rhodes joked how Thanos had a retirement plan and Rocket showed a hologram of Earth, saying after Thanos' snap it had become ground zero for a power surge of ridiculously cosmic proportions and no one had seen anything like it. He then showed a hologram of another planet, saying Thanos had used the Stones 2 days ago on this planet.**

"Now you have found him." Wanda said as all smirked but the future people looked grim.

**Bruce said they'd be going in short-handed but Carol said they'd get the Stones and use them to bring everybody back. Natasha said, "Even if there's a small chance that we can undo this...I mean, we owe it to everyone who's not in this room to try."**

Bucky looked at Natasha gratefully as she gave his hand a supportive squeeze.

**Bruce asked how they knew if it'd end differently than last time and Carol said last time they didn't have her.**

"Oh, the arrogance has gotten worse!" Loki said as all glared at Carol.

"The world doesn't revolve around you." May said to Carol.

"She seems to think it does." T'Challa said.

"All of us were a team together and lost. She alone can't make a difference. Only a better plan can." Odinson said and all nodded.

**Rhodes said they were all about the superhero life and asked where she'd been all this time. She said there were many other planets that didn't have them.**

"Which planets?" Hill asked, "Xandar? Sakaar? I didn't see you saving anyone in there!"

"Looks like she is even more flawed than I thought." Fury said, not expecting Carol to throw excuses like that.

"You barely knew her. Even you couldn't have fully gauged her during that time." Tony pointed out to him.

"She never interfered when Ronan attacked Xandar." Bruce said, "Where the hell was she?"

"It's like she didn't even exist up until a few recordings." Peter pointed out and all nodded. [1]

"She dropped the ball in the hero game." Rhodes said.

"Or never even picked it up." Sam said.

**Thor, who had been stress-eating up till now, got up and walked up to Carol as they sized each other up. He then held out his hand and Stormbreaker flew to it right next to Carol. She smirked and he said, "I like this one."**

"Do you really?" Natasha asked him.

"I don't really." Thor said, "She reminds me too much of me before I was banished."

"At that moment, I was depressed and looking for any way to just stop Thanos and also missing all I'd lost." Odinson said, "So an arrogant warrior seemed like a ray of hope during that time and reminded me of the good times. So in the moment, I liked her."

All nodded, looking at Odinson in sympathy.

"**Let's go get this son of a bitch." Steve said.**

"Language Cap!" Tony said as all chuckled while Steve groaned.

**Later, Steve, Natasha, Thor, Bruce, Rhodes, Rocket, Nebula and Carol flew to space in the Benatar as Rocket asked who hadn't been to space before and Steve, Natasha and Rhodes raised their hands as Rocket told them not to throw up on his ship.**

All chuckled as Steve said, "I won't."

"I don't know." Natasha said.

"I might." Rhodes said and all laughed.

**They soon passed a jump point and later, Carol flew down to recon. Steve was looking at Peggy's photo on his old compass to give himself courage and assure himself she was with him in spirit.**

"Giving yourself courage?" Scarlet Witch asked and he nodded.

"Don't worry, she's always with you." Bucky said before pointing at Steve's chest, "In there."

Steve smiled and nodded in appreciation.

"**This is gonna work, Steve." Natasha assured him. "I know it will." Steve said as he turned to her, "Because I don't know what I'm gonna do if it doesn't." **

Steve sighed. He'd still not figured out who he was outside Captain America.

"You will one day." Logan assured him.

**Carol flew back up and said there were no satellites, armies or ships. It was just him. "And that's enough." Nebula said.**

"Is he that overconfident in his own power now?" Loki asked.

"No. He isn't." Morgan said ominously.

**On the planet, Thanos' armor was arranged as a scarecrow.**

"What?" A shocked Scott asked as all watched with jaws agape.

"Yeah, he became a farmer." Lila said and Clint snorted.

"He really thinks we'll let him rest peacefully after what he did?" Clint asked as all looked disgusted.

**Thanos was walking around, picking up alien berries. His left hand was charred and burnt with the Gauntlet on it. He walked into his hut and cooked the berries before carrying his pot to the fire. Then a beam from Carol hit him. He put the Gauntlet in the way to protect himself as Carol leapt inside and tackled him to the ground.**

"Let's kick his ass!" Bruce said as all watched in anticipation.

**He got up when she jumped on his back and held him in a chokehold with her foot on his left wrist. He almost overpowered her and pushed her foot off when the ground burst open and Bruce in the Hulkbuster suit restrained his left arm while Rhodes restrained his right. Then Thor burst in and chopped off his hand with Stormbreaker as he screamed in pain.**

"No more than you deserve." Bucky said, his voice lacking any sympathy.

"I think going for the hand was the best option based on your condition." Loki told Thor who nodded.

**Steve, Natasha and Rocket then walked in as Rocket turned the chopped off hand around to see the Stones missing from the Gauntlet.**

"What the hell?" Sam asked as all looked shocked.

**Steve asked where the Stones and Carol asked him to answer the question. "The Universe required correction." Thanos said before revealing, "After that, the Stones served no purpose, beyond temptation."**

"WHAT DID HE DO?!" Clint exploded as all jumped.

"**You murdered trillions!" Bruce said as he pushed Thanos down. "You should be grateful." Thanos said as Bruce punched him.**

"You keep telling yourself that to justify your skewed morality." Tony sneered as all glared at Thanos.

"**Where are the Stones?" Natasha asked. "Gone." Thanos revealed, "Reduced to atoms." Bruce pointed out, "You used them two days ago." Thanos said, "I used the Stones to destroy the Stones."**

"The Stones are gone?" Hope asked in shock, "He reduced them to atoms?"

"That's what Strange was talking about that day." Benjamin reminded, "Thanos destroyed the Stones and that's why this timeline will collapse, which is why you're all here."

"But then how did we bring everyone back?" T'Challa asked.

"Through tragedy and loss." Morgan said sadly as she glanced at her father for a split second before all turned to the screen again, Morgan's words making dread crawl up to their hearts.

"**It nearly killed me." Thanos said, "But the work is done. It always will be." He then declared, "I am inevitable."**

"He thinks of himself as the harbinger of fate and justice." Thor said in disgust.

"Which is why actually believed he was right." Odinson said in disgust.

"**We have to tear this place apart. He has to be lying." Rhodes said in disbelief. "My father is many things. A liar is not one of them." Nebula spoke up. Thanos looked at her gratefully with regret in his eyes and said, "Thank you, Daughter." He then admitted, "Perhaps I treated you too harshly..." He was cut off when Thor chopped off his head with a roar of rage as all watched in shock.**

Everyone watching flinched. Even those who had seen the worst things. Thor was watching the screen with wide eyes.

**Rocket asked what he had done. "I went for the head." Thor said in a hollow and defeated voice.**

"But…but it's useless now." Thor said with tears in his eyes, "I failed everyone."

Loki and T'Challa tried to comfort him as Odinson said, "We did. But now that we know, we won't."

Thor nodded.

**Nebula had a tear in her eye and kneeling down near Thanos' head, closed his eyes.**

Everyone watched Nebula sadly. Thanos had abused her but she had only wanted love and recognition from him. And right now, she had got it, hence her reaction, even if she hated Thanos with all of her being.

**The others simply watched in horror and disbelief, with Natasha looking like she was going to break down. Thor turned away and walked out of the door, feeling defeated.**

Everyone closed their eyes sadly. They had lost, and they had avenged those who had died, but they couldn't save anyone.

"What now?" Steve asked in a broken voice.

"Unexpected stuff." Cassie said as she looked at Scott who seemed to think along with Hope.

"Let's just keep watching." Logan said and all nodded.

With heavy hearts, they watched as the recording continued.

* * *

**One chapter done at last. I think next chapter is going to cover a lot more, probably up till where they start the time travel mission. **

**Now I was ticked off by Tony's rant which was Hydra-like in my opinion with him saying he didn't care about 'precious little freedoms' but I also understood why no one went off on Tony because he was traumatized and pushed so he ranted too much, even if the rant was very out of line.**

**So I hope I found a good middle ground there. **

**[1] I know I said it before but Carol's appearance only opens up more plot holes. Like where the hell was she when Ronan attacked Xandar? Seriously, she was shoe-horned and it's like she didn't even exist until Infinity War's post-credits scene. My opinion on Carol notwithstanding, her being introduced at this point only opens up several problems from a writer's standpoint. The first Captain America movie was a flashback movie but we had evidence of Steve's existence in the MCU before his first movie and also the impact of his existence so his movie didn't open up any plotholes. But with Captain Marvel, they opened a lot of them. And her arrogance in the scene didn't do her any favors.**

**Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. And now I've decided this movie is going to have 7 chapters for itself. See you all next time. Till then, bye-bye.**


	102. Five Years Later

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far. **

**YES! Reviews are back up at last! **

**And I got many reviews for last chapter so if I forget to respond to one, I really apologize but I assure you, it's nothing personal.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yes Endgame is and it truly is the biggest one. Thank God I found a good middle ground there. Yeah, Steve questioning him in that scene was wrong of him but Tony's rant wasn't very good either, not hate though. Yeah, I think those powers for Thor and Hulk make sense. Let's see who wins between them. Yes, I was referring to the 'girl power' scene because Hope being there was the worst part of it. I wish I knew on Carol. Perhaps on what you said. I kinda like it. If Carol loses to someone as badly as Kara lost to Reign in 3x9 of Supergirl, she'd get a reality check. Glad you liked the call with 'Revenger.' Hope you liked the bit with Deadpool in the A/N and the one where I sarcastically said I'm a toxic male and actual strong female characters ripped me to shreds. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Antonio Guestie: Thanks for the review. You're 2****nd**** but it's still awesome. Thanks a lot again.**

**Hell'sAngel666: Thanks for the review. Glad this was great and you love it. Glad to hear it.**

**Vishrav: Thanks for the review. Glad you like it. I understand that but it's just that way for me. I think the issues are with the writing, not Brie. No probs. You're welcome.**

**Zero: Thanks for the review. Glad you're enjoying. **

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. The Universe is but I feel she was absent when Thanos went on his planet killing sprees and that's where I found it to be an excuse. Glad it was great and it sure will be.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Yeah Fury can be.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review and great theory.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. Yeah, I can agree on Thor's comment on Carol there.**

**Guest 5: Thanks for the review. Yup. 7. We don't have Thanksgiving in my country so can't comment on that.**

**Guest 6: Thanks for the review. I found it out of line because his EDITH in FFH made it look like he actually believed in what he said. But then again, not much in FFH made much sense.**

**Guest 7: Thanks for the review. Wow! That was a great theory on Hela's mom being death. Love it.**

**Guest 8: Thanks for the review. I heard too.**

**Guest 9: Thanks for the review. I can understand you feeling that but after seeing her movie and her overconfidence after that, I feel that's how the characters will react. Now while I'm not Carol's biggest fan, she does have her moments- standing up to SI, blasting away Yon-Rogg, saving Tony, blasting Thanos' ship, and trying to stop Thanos. And thanks for the congrats and respect too. I guess I'm the only one who's reached here.**

Chapter 102- Five Years Later

"Now stuff you see is gonna be very hard to process, but you'll have to see it." Benjamin told everyone.

"We're ready." Thor said.

"No you're not." Odinson said with a shudder, confusing everyone.

**The screen showed 'Five Years Later.'**

"Five years passed?" Tony asked as all gasped.

"Yes. They did." Logan said, "Five shitty years for the world."

"What were we doing in these 5 years?" Steve asked.

"Only thing that could be done." Scarlet Witch said, "Move on. Or try to."

"There was nothing you could." Cassie said.

The past people seemed shocked.

"Can't believe I stayed dead for 5 years." Peter muttered.

"It was hard to process, yeah." Benjamin told him.

"So I was trapped for 5 years?" Scott asked.

"To me, yes. But to you, no." Cassie said ominously and all wondered what that was about.

"How did we get everyone back?" Clint asked, worried for his family.

"You'll have to watch." Lila said and all turned to the screen again.

**An empty stadium was shown followed by a support group led by Steve and there was a poster saying- "Where Do We Go, Now That They Are Gone?" A man said he had gone on a date for the first time in 5 years and had no idea what to talk about. Steve asked what they'd talked about and he said they'd talked about how things had changed, their jobs, how they missed the Mets, and then things got quiet as his date cried while they served the salads and he cried just before dessert. **

Everyone looked at the screen sadly and felt disturbed by how quiet it was.

"You're running a support group." Sam noted to Steve.

"To honor you." Steve said to him in realization and Sam nodded with a smile.

**Steve said that was great as he had taken the jump without knowing what would happen next and they had to take these baby steps to find purpose and be whole. **

"Where Do We Go Now That They Are Gone?" Natasha simply asked what was written on the poster and no one had an answer.

"**I went in the ice in '45 right** **after I met the love of my life.** **Woke up 70 years later." Steve said with a brave smile, "You got to move on.** **Got to move on."**

"But can you?" Bruce asked and Steve had no answer.

"**The world is in our hands. It's left to us guys." Steve said bravely, "And we got to do something with it. Otherwise...Thanos should've killed all of us."**

"Still trying to inspire." Scott said, "Nice."

"It's all I can do after what has happened." Steve said sadly.

"I know." Morgan said, "But we can do more too."

**In San Francisco, a van was kept in a storage facility with 'Lang' written on a small poster in the front. A rat crawled on a device on the van, which was none other than Luis' X-Con van. As it crawled, the machine activated while the rat moved away. And then the Quantum Tunnel activated as Scott Lang in his Ant-Man suit was thrown out. He groaned as he cleaned the dust off him and removed his mask.**

"Oh my!" May said as everyone widened their eyes.

"A rat saved you!" Hope said.

"The rat actually saved the Universe indirectly!" Cassie said as all looked at her, "Seriously!"

"Five years I was in there!" Scott groaned.

"All hail the rat!" Hill said and all laughed but did what she said.

"Yes, the rat is a hero for sure." Loki said and all laughed too.

"Greatest threat to Thanos." Peter added and more laughs followed.

**He looked around, asking for Hope. Then the guard who was reading a book noticed him on the monitor with a board asking for 'Help.' Later, Scott walked out of the area with a cart as he looked back at the guard weirdly before he continued walking.**

"I don't think you have any idea how long it's been." Rhodes noted.

"Or maybe it wasn't that long." Hope said in realization as all turned to her.

"It wasn't." Cassie said too.

**He stopped a kid on a bicycle, asking what had happened. The kid looked at him sadly and wiping his tears, rode away.**

Everyone felt grief again at how they had failed to stop Thanos and so many people had paid the price.

**Scott then came upon several big graves which had names of all those who had been snapped away. Now that shocked him as he started looking at the names, begging that Cassie wasn't among them. Then on one of them, he stared in horror as he saw his own name. **

"What a shocker!" Scott said to himself.

"We thought you were among the snapped ones." Cassie told him sadly as he sighed and looked at her apologetically.

"I don't blame you. It wasn't your fault. It was Thanos." She said and he nodded with a smile as she smiled too.

**Scott then ran to Maggie's old house, ringing the bell and banging on the door. And then, a teenage Cassie walked out, opening the door. She was shocked to see him and the two touched each other's faces happily, with her sobbing. "You're so big!" He said and she half-laughed, half-cried as the two hugged lovingly.**

Everyone felt tears come to their eyes due to the emotional reunion in front of them as Hope held Scott's hand for comfort.

"I missed 5 years of your life." Scott moaned.

"It's all right, dad." Cassie said with tears, "It's all right."

Nothing more needed to be said.

"Won't miss them this time." He said and she smiled with tears while the others nodded.

**In the Avengers Compound, Natasha was cutting peanut butter sandwich and holding a holographic meeting with Rocket, Nebula, Okoye, Rhodes and Carol.**

"I'm leading the Avengers?" Natasha asked in shock.

"Yes." Odinson told her, "Steve had to help his support group so he assisted you at best during these times but you were the one who kept everyone together after all that has happened. You held the fort."

Natasha seemed a bit shocked that's he had done it while Steve, Bucky, Clint, Fury, Hill, Wanda, Scarlet Witch and Lila smiled at her in pride.

"Great job, Nat." Tony complimented too.

"I knew you could do it if something happened to me." Steve told her and she acknowledged all of their compliments with a polite but humble nod.

**Rocket said he and Nebula had boarded the warship Danvers had pinged but it was an infectious garbage scowl. Carol said they were closer as he said they smelt of garbage now.**

Everyone laughed at that as T'Challa said, "He is funny."

**Natasha asked Okoye about the tremors but she said it was a mild subduction under African plate. Natasha asked how they were handling it and Okoye said it was an earthquake under the ocean and they handle it by not handling it.**

"Makes sense." Natasha shrugged.

"It was actually more than that but we found out later." Scarlet Witch revealed and all wondered what that was about. [1]

**Natasha asked if Carol would be back next month but she said not likely as Rocket asked if she was getting another haircut.**

Everyone laughed as Thor said, "That haircut makes her look like a female me."

All laughed more as Odinson said, "Yeah. But it looks kinda good."

All shrugged.

**Carol said she was covering a lot of territory as what was happening on Earth was happening on thousands of other planets and he conceded it was a good point.**

"That makes sense." Rhodes shrugged.

"**All right. Uh, well...This channel is always active. So, anything goes sideways...Anyone's making trouble where they shouldn't...Comes through me." Natasha said.**

"And won't be let off." Bucky said with a smile at Natasha as she smiled back gratefully.

**All assented and the holograms disappeared as Carol wished Rhodes good luck before disappearing too.**

"She likes you." Tony said to Rhodes who groaned while the others laughed. [2]

**Natasha asked where he was and he said Mexico. The federales had found a room full of bodies of Cartel members. She said it was a rival gang probably but he said it was Barton and said what he had been doing for the past few years made him not even want to find him.**

"What?" Clint asked in a voice full of disbelief, "What? What is it? What am I doing?"

"Our deaths and Wanda's death, dad…you didn't take them well." Lila told him sadly as Morgan and Cassie put hands on her shoulders, "You felt that the criminals who survived didn't deserve it. So you became a vigilante like Frank Castle, killing criminals in all countries."

Clint looked horrified at this point and ashamed of himself. Of what he had become. In the future.

"I-I killed people in cold blood?" He asked as Wanda held his hand for comfort.

"Don't blame yourself." She said.

"But I did it!" He said.

"You were broken and hollow." Natasha pointed out, "You felt you had to do something."

"We all have flaws, Clint. We all make mistakes." Steve told him.

"But you admitted to them when the time came." Lila told him with pride and sadness in her voice.

"So don't blame yourself." Scarlet Witch said too.

He simply nodded, registering their words but not quite convinced. Wanda still had her hand on his to offer comfort.

**Natasha urged him to do it still and he went off too while she almost cried until Steve arrived, joking he'd offer to clip her dinner but she looked miserable already. **

"You're no different." Natasha said and all chuckled.

**She asked if he was here for his laundry but he said he was here to see a friend. She said she was fine and he said he'd seen a pod of whales while coming up the bridge. She was shocked he'd seen that on the Hudson and he said there were fewer ships and cleaner waters.**

"Whales in the Hudson? Really?" Hill asked in shock.

"Things can change." Fury shrugged.

"I think I'm just trying to cheer you up." Steve said.

"We can see that." Sam said.

**Natasha said if he told her to look on the bright side, she'd hit him on the head with a peanut butter sandwich.**

Everyone laughed as Natasha said, "Or Bucky's arm."

"With pleasure." He said and all laughed again.

**He apologized, saying it was a force of habit as he sat down. After a few moments of silence he said, "You know I keep telling everybody they should move on and... grow. Some do. But not us."**

"I don't think we ever can." Thor said sadly.

"Especially not us." Odinson told him ominously.

"**If I move on, who does this?" Natasha asked. "Maybe it doesn't need to be done." Steve pointed out. "I used to have nothing. And then I got this. This job. This family. And I was... I was better because of it." Natasha said emotionally with tears in her eyes, "And even though...they're gone...Now, I'm still trying to be better."**

Everyone could only look at on-screen Natasha with sadness and pride.

"You're the best. You don't need to be better." Bucky assured and she looked at him gratefully, putting her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you." Steve said to Natasha.

"**I think we both need to get a life." Steve said. "You first." She told him with a smirk.**

Everyone chuckled as Logan said, "Yeah, you first."

**Then the device chimed and Natasha activated the camera to see Scott waving and calling out to them, asking if anyone was home and reminding them of himself, saying they'd met a few years ago at the airport. He was the guy with the mask who'd gotten really big. Steve asked in shock if it was an old message but Natasha said it was the front gate.**

"I'm here!" Scott said as all chuckled a bit.

"You really lightened the mood." Hope told him.

"I think you have something in your head." Bruce told Scott.

"He does." Morgan said.

**Coming inside, Scott mumbled to himself as Steve calmed him down and he asked if they had ever studied Quantum Physics. Natasha said only to make conversation.**

All chuckled.

**Scott said 5 years ago before Thanos, he had gone to a place called the Quantum Realm which was like its own microscopic Universe and they had to be very small to get in. He then mentioned Hope, trying to explain their relationship before saying she was supposed to pull him out.**

"What happened to you?" Hope asked Scott.

"Dad was in too much pain from losing you so he couldn't bring himself to talk about you." Cassie told Hope sadly as Scott sighed.

"I'm here." Hope said as she held his hand, "I'm not going anywhere."

**Scott said then Thanos happened and he got stuck. Natasha said in sympathy that must have been a very long 5 years but he said for him it was 5 hours.**

"Wait what?" Clint asked as all gapped.

"Only 5 hours." Fury muttered.

"The Quantum Realm works differently." Scott said in realization.

"I always suspected it. But I had no idea that was true." Hope said in shock.

"Well, it's true." Cassie shrugged.

"Is that how we did it?" Steve asked.

"Yeah." Benjamin said.

"But we still have to figure it out." Tony pointed out.

"You will." Morgan assured him.

**Scott said the rules for the Quantum Realm were different but then noticed the peanut butter sandwich and ate it.**

All chuckled as Hill said, "Looks cute."

**He said time worked differently in the Quantum Realm and if they found a way to navigate it, they could enter it at a certain point in time and exit at another, like before Thanos. Steve asked if he was talking about a time machine. He tried to deny but conceded he was, saying it did sound crazy.**

"Now that we have time-travelled, it really doesn't." Thor shrugged.

"Yeah, I knew it wouldn't." Logan said.

**Natasha said she got e-mails from a raccoon so nothing was crazy anymore.**

"That's a good point." Pepper shrugged.

**Scott asked who to talk to about this.**

"A genius." Morgan said but didn't look at Tony, not wanting to give any spoilers.

**In a rather modest waterside cabin, Tony walked out and sat on the grass, saying 'Chow time' before calling out Maguna. And then he asked Morgan H. Stark if she wanted some lunch. And then a little girl came out of a tent with an Iron Man mask on her, pointing her had at him, sweetly saying he could define lunch or be disintegrated.**

Everyone's hearts instantly melted at the sweet scene. They all knew who this little girl was.

"It's you!" Tony said happily as he looked between Morgan and her on-screen self.

Pepper couldn't say a word, just feeling a lot of affection for both versions of Morgan.

"Yes, it's me." Morgan smiled with a happy tear in her eye, "You two had me sometime after Thanos. And you were a great dad."

"Really?" Tony asked.

"Yes." Morgan assured him, "The mistakes you made with other kids made you learn and because of that, you were great. And I couldn't have asked for better."

Tony smiled gratefully at her and was happy that he had raised her well.

The rest didn't comment, just finding the scene sweet.

**Tony told Morgan she shouldn't be wearing that as it was a part of a special anniversary gift he was making for Pepper.**

"You're making me a suit?" Pepper asked, recovering from her emotions.

"Looks like it." Tony shrugged, "You were pretty good with my Mark 42."

"But you were controlling that." She pointed out.

"You still might need one for emergencies." Tony pointed out and she nodded, conceding his point.

**He then removed the helmet, revealing Morgan's face.**

"You look so cute." Cassie said to Morgan teasingly who sighed.

"You do. I'm serious." Tony told her.

"Oh yes. Don't let them make fun of you." Pepper told her and she smiled.

**He then asked how she'd found it and she said in the garage. He asked if she was looking for it. She said no but she found it. He lifted her up, saying he liked going to the garage too and that Pepper never wore anything he bought her.**

Everyone chuckled again as Pepper said, "You're like him."

**Then Tony saw a car stop as Steve, Natasha and Scott walked out. They all gave each other nods and later stood together outside the cabin.**

"So you have come to me then." Tony noted, "You really think I can do it?"

"I know you can." Steve said, "You're one of the smartest people I know."

Tony looked at him gratefully and said, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Cap."

**Tony explained to them what could go wrong and in Layman's terms, they wouldn't be coming home. Scott said he did but Tony said he'd accidentally survived and it was a billion-to-one cosmic fluke. He then said now they wanted to pull something and asked what it was called. "A time heist?" Scott asked. Tony sarcastically asked why they hadn't thought of this before and then said it was a laughable pipedream. Steve said the Stones were in the past and they could get them, with Natasha adding they could snap their fingers to bring everyone back but Tony said they could make it worse. Steve said he didn't believe they would. Tony said he missed the giddy optimism but it won't help as there was no logical way to execute the time heist. The most likely outcome would be their collective demise.**

"Normally I'd help." Tony said, "But I think I care about my family too much at this point."

"I don't blame you for that." Clint told him, "You don't want to lose them. I get it."

"We all get it." Steve said, "No one's blaming you."

Tony simply nodded as they continued watching.

**Scott said they could follow the rules of time travel strictly like no talking to their past selves and no betting on sporting events. Tony asked if Scott had seriously thought up his plan to save the Universe based on 'Back to the Future.' Scott said nervously he hadn't and Tony said that was good as he had him worried.**

"Considering what's going on in this room that 'no talking to the past selves' is already horse shit." Rhodes said and all nodded.

"Yeah, real time travel works differently." Scarlet Witch told everyone.

"Different ways of doing it may or may not affect the main timeline." Hope theorized and they nodded.

**Tony said that wasn't how Quantum physics worked as Natasha said, "Tony…..We have to take a stand." Tony said they had and now here they were. Scott said he knew Tony had a lot on line, with his wife and daughter but he had lost someone important to him and so had others.**

Hope held Scott's hand as he looked sad.

**Scott said now they had a chance to bring everyone back and he was saying he wouldn't even do it. Tony said he wouldn't. Then Morgan arrived, saying mommy had told her to save him. He lifted her, saying he was saved. He then told them he wished they'd come here to ask for anything else and invited them to dinner but Steve said he got it and was happy for him but this was second chance. "I got my second chance right here, Cap." Tony told him firmly before saying they could stay for lunch and then walked off.**

Everyone just sighed simply. Tony was about to say something when Natasha said, "Don't. We get it. You have a lot on the line. You don't want to lose them."

Tony nodded at them gratefully as he held hands with Pepper while Morgan looked at him and then the recording continued.

**The three walked off, with Natasha saying he was scared and Steve said he wasn't wrong. Scott asked what they would do and Steve said they would need a really big brain. Scott asked if it was bigger than Tony's.**

"Who can that be?" Tony asked.

"The one and only." Lila said.

**A fire was set in a building as the chief asked to get choppers was those trapped at the top. But then a huge figure jumped in as the chief stopped the choppers. The figure ran through the fires and soon jumped out with a signal antenna, having saved the people by putting them on it. He landed and put it down, telling the people to get out. It was none other than Professor Hulk.**

"Oh! Him!" Tony said and all clapped at his entrance.

"So it's me!" Bruce said in realization.

"Yes, you." Benjamin told him, "You were the one they went to."

"Hope I don't disappoint." Bruce shrugged.

Logan was about to say 'about that' when Odinson gave him a look.

**He greeted the chief and talked to him before getting a call from Steve.**

"Now we'll talk." Bruce said.

"It's good to see people accepting you." Natasha told Bruce who nodded.

**Later, Steve, Natasha, Scott and Bruce sat in a restaurant as Bruce ate and said it felt like only he was eating, asking the others to try some eggs. Scott said it was confusing and Bruce joked these were confusing times before saying he was kidding.**

"You kid?" Tony asked jokingly as all laughed.

"Looks like it." Bruce shrugged.

**Bruce said he knew it was crazy that he was wearing shirts now and explained, "Five years ago we got our asses beat. Except it was worse for me. Because I lost twice. First, Hulk lost. Then Banner lost. Then, we all lost." "No one blamed you, Bruce." Natasha assured. "I did." He said.**

All looked at Bruce sadly while he felt guilt inside him.

"**For years I've been treating the Hulk like he's some kind of disease, something to get rid of. But then I started looking at him as the cure." Bruce explained, "Eighteen months in a gamma lab. I put the brains and the brawn together. And now look at me." He gestured to himself, "Best of both worlds." **

"Does look like it." Bruce shrugged.

"But one thing I noticed, ever since that happened, Hulk, while supportive, didn't talk much." Scarlet Witch said. [3]

"What do you mean?" Bruce asked her.

"It's like he was angry about something." Scarlet Witch said, "This was his grudging concession. Maybe you two never really worked it out."

Bruce now looked thoughtful as Thor said, "Bruce, we're here for you."

"Actually, once this is over, Strange said he'd come over to help you figure it out." Odinson told him.

"How?" Bruce asked.

"Only he knows." Benjamin shrugged.

**Then a girl and two boys arrived, asking for a picture. Bruce agreed, taking the phone and giving it to Scott as they said 'green' while Scott took the picture.**

"That's kind of cringe." Hill said about the 'green.'

"I know right?" Bruce asked and all chuckled.

**Scott returned the phone before asking if they wanted a picture with him. He was Ant-Man. They were puzzled as he said they were Hulk fans so they didn't know Ant-Man.**

"Why doesn't anyone know me?" Scott mused.

"It's okay, dad. People do now." Cassie said.

"Well if after this recording no one appreciates you, they should be ashamed of themselves." Logan told him and he smiled in appreciation.

"Thanks." He said to them both.

**Bruce said they could and even the kids said they would but after a long argument, Scott returned the phone as Bruce did a dab.**

"Oh my God! Hulk is dabbing!" Peter said and all laughed at that while Bruce groaned.

"They still dab in 2023?" Hope asked in shock.

"Yeah." Odinson said lamely.

**He then focused on the conversation again, saying time travel was outside his area of expertise but Natasha said he'd pulled this off and even that seemed impossible.**

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Bruce said happily.

"No problem." Natasha shrugged.

**Tony was washing plates in his house and as he cleaned some glasses on a rack, he found an old photo. He looked at it. It was of him with Peter, both of them messing by making horns on each other's heads.**

May welled up at that as Peter gasped. They were both still dead right now. While it was obvious Tony hadn't treated Peter well, he did care for him.

Tony himself was breathing heavily, thinking what he was gonna do.

**Later, Tony was working on a model with his AI's help, saying this was one last sim, asking for the eigenvalue of a particular vector when to his shock, the model was rendered. He dropped to his chair in shock.**

"I…I discovered time travel?" Tony asked in disbelief, really shocked.

"Looks like it." Pepper told him.

"Yes dad, you discovered time travel." Morgan told him, "To save everyone."

"Wow!" Tony said to himself.

"Great job, Mr. Stark." T'Challa complimented him over his achievement.

"Beat me." Bruce shrugged begrudgingly.

"I knew I did something when I hired you." Fury said, "Now I know it."

"Congratulations, Tony." Steve said too.

"That must have taken a lot of brains." Thor said too, impressed.

"Which you have, obviously." Loki said.

"Thanks for helping." Scott said to him.

"Didn't expect you to figure it out, but you did it." Hope said.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark." May said too.

"For helping bring us back." Peter said.

"Yes, thank you for that." Benjamin said too.

"All of us." Lila pointed out.

"Thanks a lot." Clint said too.

"From me too." Wanda added and Scarlet Witch gave a nod.

"And me as well." Bucky added.

"I'd like to thank you too." Sam said.

"I am so proud of you." Rhodes said to him.

Tony just nodded at all of them, accepting their thanks humbly.

"Now you'll help." Natasha smiled.

"**Shit!" Tony said in shock. "Shit!" He heard behind him and turned to see Morgan there. He adorably pressed his lips and shook his hand, telling her not to say it.**

Everyone laughed a bit at the sweet scene as Pepper joked, "You're teaching our daughter bad language."

"It was accidental." Tony said before turning to Morgan, "Don't use such words. They are not good ones."

"It was funny using them there." Morgan said with a chuckle and all laughed.

"Please, don't do it. Pepper will kill me." Tony begged and all laughed as she nodded.

**He asked what she was doing up and she said 'shit' again.**

"Please, don't do this." Tony begged again and all laughed while she said, "I won't, dad."

**Tony said they didn't do that as only mommy could use the word after coining it.**

"I coined it?" Pepper asked in amusement, "Shit!"

"Now you said it!" Tony said and she facepalmed while the others laughed.

**Morgan asked why he was up and he said he had some important shit to do and she gave him a look.**

"Now you said it!" Pepper said.

"Yeah you did!" Morgan added.

"Won't say it again." Tony said and all laughed once more.

**He said he had something on my mind and she asked if it was juice pops. He joked how it was extortion before saying he had that on his mind as he picked her up, saying great minds thought alike, carrying her to bed while looking at the model one last time. Lying down, Tony had Morgan finish some juice pops and wiped her face. Morgan asked to tell him a story. "Once upon a time, Maguna went to bed. The end." Tony joked and she said it was horrible.**

"Is it?" Tony joked, "Being two lines long doesn't make it horrible."

"It's not a story when it's real." Morgan pointed out and he sighed, giving her a nod and pointing at her to concede her point, "You got me there."

All laughed again.

**He kissed her forehead and said, "I love you tons." As he got up to walk out, Morgan said, "I love you 3000."**

Tony's eyes were wide in shock. The good kind of shock while everyone was looking between him, Pepper, Morgan and the screen.

"3000?" He finally asked.

"Yeah, I did. Still do." Morgan smiled with a few happy tears in her eyes as Tony sighed.

"I love you 3000 too." He said and she nodded again with tears which she wiped.

"What about Pepper?" Scott popped up only to be shot glares, "All right, I'll shut up."

"You'll see." Lila said.

**Tony walked out, happily whispering how that was crazy and joked he'd sell her toys if she didn't go to bed. She laughed and went to sleep.**

The others chuckled too, though Morgan's was a bit watery, not that anyone caught that due to all the other chuckles.

**Tony then walked out to talk to Pepper, saying it wasn't a competition but Morgan loved him 3000 and that she was somewhere in the low 6 to 900 range.**

"Young lady, I'm going to ground you." Pepper said in a mock serious tone and all laughed again.

"Oh I love you too, mom." Morgan smiled at her.

**He asked what she was reading and she said it was a book on composting. He asked what was new on composting before saying he'd figured time travel out, shocking her.**

"Now will I react?" Pepper asked.

"Just watch." Odinson said.

**She said that was amazing and terrifying before saying they got really lucky while others hadn't. Tony said he couldn't help everybody but she said he could. "Not if I stop. I can put a pin in it right now, and stop." Tony said. "Tony..." Pepper said gently, "….trying to get you to stop has been one of the few failures of my entire life." Tony said, "I sometimes feel I should put it in a locked box and drop it at the bottom of a lake...go to bed." Pepper asked, "But would you be able to rest?"**

"I don't think I will." Tony said as he looked at her apologetically.

"It's all right. I understand." She told him.

**In the Compound, Bruce prepared for a time travel test, setting everything up and saying he didn't want to lose 'tine' in the 50's. Scott was shocked but Natasha said he was kidding and Bruce played along, saying it was a bad joke.**

"Were you?" Scott asked.

"I don't look like it." Bruce said.

**Natasha asked if he was joking and he said either all of time travel was a joke or none of it. Scott wore a Quantum suit as Bruce said he'd send him back a week, he'd stay for an hour and they'd bring him back in 10 seconds. **

"Makes sense." Hope shrugged.

**The machine was activated in the back of the van as Steve said he'd got it and Scott said, "You're right, I do, Captain America."**

"Your boyfriend is a fanboy of my future date. What're you gonna do about that?" Hill asked and Hope groaned while all laughed again and Steve sighed again.

**Scott was then sent into the machine and soon brought back but now it was a kid inside the suit who was Scott.**

"OH! MY! GOD!" Scott said in shock and embarrassment while no one could stop hysterical laughter leaving their mouths, "Why does this always happen to me?"

"Now we're the same age, dad." Cassie joked and all laughed more.

"At least Steve doesn't get moments these embarrassing." Hill told Hope.

"The Star Spangled Man With A Plan!" Hope reminded in a sing-song voice and Steve groaned annoyingly.

**He was sent back into the machine and brought back but now as an old man with back pain.**

"DAMN IT! DAMN IT!" Scott was saying as all were laughing at his expense again, "Why lord why?"

"The Universe hates you." Hope groaned.

**He was sent back into the machine and brought back and this time as a baby.**

"AWWWWW!" All the ladies went while Scott groaned again.

"Now you're even younger than me." Cassie joked and he looked away from the screen, not looking into anyone's eyes.

"God save me from this nightmare!" He said.

**Steve said it was Scott as a baby and Bruce said he'd grow.**

"We don't have time for that!" Scott snapped.

**He was sent into the machine and brought back, this time as normal.**

"Oh thank God!" Scott sighed in relief and so did Hope while the others laughed a bit.

**Scott then said someone had peed his pants and didn't know if it was baby him or old him or him.**

"That's it! I'm going out!" Scott said.

"All right, no one will make fun of you." Natasha assured.

"No one better now." Cassie said and all nodded.

"**Time travel!" Bruce said happily.**

"I hate you!" Scott said to Bruce.

"Sorry about that." Bruce said, "I was an epic fail."

"And I did it!" Tony said and all chuckled.

**Steve walked out in disappointment to see a car roll up and the window rolled down to reveal Tony who realized from Steve's expression Scott had turned into a baby and said it was the EPR Paradox where instead of pushing Scott through time, they'd pushed time through Scott.**

"Which is why the aging and de-aging happened." Vision noted.

**Tony walked out and said it was tricky and dangerous and someone would've cautioned him against it. Steve said Tony had. Tony sarcastically asked if he had before saying he'd fixed it and revealed the device in his hand, "A fully-functioning time-space GPS." Steve smiled happily as Tony did a gesture and said, "I just want peace."**

"Great job, Tony." Steve said and he nodded gratefully.

"Now I hope we get the desired peace." Tony said.

"We should." Pepper told him.

**Tony said resentment was corrosive and he hated it. Steve said he did too before Tony said his priorities were to get back what they lost but keep what he found at all costs and not die trying.**

Morgan winced at that as Cassie and Lila put hands on her shoulders.

"**Sounds like a deal." Steve said and they shook hands. Tony then walked to the trunk of his car and lifting it up, took out Steve's shield, giving it to him. "Tony, I don't know." Steve said, still finding himself unworthy of it. "Why?" Tony asked before reminding, "He made it for you."**

"Captain America and Iron Man are back together at last." Scott said excitedly and all ended up clapping at the reconciliation on the screen while Steve and Tony smiled at each other.

"Thank you Tony." Steve said gratefully, "For finding me worthy of it."

"No problem." Tony shrugged.

**Tony joked he'd to take it out of the garage before Morgan took it sledding.**

All chuckled again.

**Steve thanked him but Tony told him to be quiet as he hadn't brought one for the whole team before asking if they had them all. Steve said they were getting them now. Later, Scott was about to eat a taco when the Benatar landed near him, making him drop it.**

"Now my taco's gone!" Scott said as all sighed, "My luck is worse than you, Peter."

"I can see that." Peter said with a chuckle.

**Rocket arrived, asking where Hulk was and Scott said in the kitchen before commenting Nebula was awesome. She walked past, telling Rhodes to be careful as there was an idiot on the landing zone.**

"Why are you all ragging on dad?" Cassie asked and Scott looked at her thankfully.

**Then Rhodes landed, greeting Scott and calling him regular-sized man.**

Everyone chuckled again.

**Then Bruce walked to Scott and seeing the dropped taco, gave him his own before walking off.**

"Scrap what I said earlier. I love you a lot!" Scott said to Bruce who smiled and all chuckled.

"What about me?" Hop asked jokingly.

"Oh I love you more, but now I love him too." Scott clarified lamely.

**Bruce and Rocket travelled to New Asgard in Norway.**

"So that is New Asgard." Thor said.

"In Norway." Loki told him.

"Not magnificent like the palaces but at least we have each other." Thor said.

**The two got down as Rocket looked at the people and commented this was a step down from the palaces but Bruce told him to have compassion as they had lost Asgard and half their people so they were just happy to have a home.**

"We are." Odinson said.

**Then Valkyrie approached them saying they shouldn't have come and Bruce happily called her 'angry girl.'**

"She's here too!" Bruce said.

"Good to know." Thor said as he liked her fierceness.

**Valkyrie said she liked him better either of the other ways as he introduced Rocket and she said he wouldn't see him so they shouldn't have come. They only saw him once a month when he came for supplies. She pointed at some empty crates of beer as Bruce realized it was that bad.**

"What is going on?" Thor asked, dreading what he was up to.

"Doesn't look good at all." Loki said, "With all the beer and all that."

"What the hell am I doing?" Thor asked.

"Don't ask me." Odinson said, "Not the proudest moment of my life. I hate it even more than Sakaar."

**Rocket later knocked on his door and the two went inside with Rocket joking something had died in here. They called out to Thor and his voice was heard asking if they were here about the cable as the Cinemax had run out 2 weeks ago so sports was all fuzzy. They turned to look at Thor and he turned to look at them. He was fat now with long hair and a dirty beard.**

Everyone's jaw was dropped. If jaws could literally drop to the floor at shocking sights before being picked back up and put into place, that would have happened in this moment.

And then Loki suddenly burst out laughing hysterically.

"WHY? ARE? YOU? LAUGHING?" Thor asked as lightning flashed from him while Odinson put his head in his hands in embarrassment.

"I always wanted to have a body like you to look more menacing." Loki said in between laughs, "Now it's easier to have a body like yours."

"Come here you little rascal." Thor said as Loki shifted away.

"The worst phase of my entire life." Odinson told everyone, "5 years before this, I was focused on ending Thanos. Then we failed. And even after I killed him, I was hollow and broken. So I hid from my responsibilities and became a drunk, fat slob who can't do a thing."

"I can't believe that happened to you of all people!" Tony said.

"Well believe it." Odinson said.

"To be honest even I'm having trouble believing it." Loki said, finally stopping his laughter before turning to Thor and Odinson both, "Sorry for whatever you both went through."

They nodded in appreciation.

**Thor greeted them happily, hugging Bruce and giving Rocket a cuddle which he didn't enjoy.**

"Sorry Rocket." Thor said.

**Thor then showed them Miek and Korg playing Fortnite on the couch.**

"Fortnite's still a thing 5 years later? I can't believe it!" Tony said.

"Me neither." Scott said.

"Yeah, pretty shocking." Peter agreed.

**Korg said beer was on the bucket and they could log onto the Wi-Fi which had no password.**

"He is still the best!" Tony said and all laughed and nodded.

**He then said the kid was bothering him again and calling him 'dickhead.' "Noobmaster." Thor growled before putting on the headset and threatening, "Noobmaster. Hey, it's Thor again. You know, the God of Thunder? Listen, buddy. If you don't log off this game immediately I'm gonna fly home to your house, come down to that basement you're hiding in, rip off your arms then shove them up your butt! Oh, that's right. Yes, go cry to your father, you little weasel!" He returned the headset to Korg who thanked him.**

Everyone laughed at the scene while Thor just watched in shock.

"That's what you get for messing with Korg, Noobmaster." Logan said and all laughed more.

"Good, you stood up to a bully." Natasha said to Thor and Odinson.

**Thor then asked if they wanted a drink as he had got all sorts of it, using Stormbreaker to open a bottle.**

"Did I just use a King's weapon as a bottle-opener?" Thor asked.

"I am a disgrace at this point." Odinson said shamefully.

**Rocket said how he looked like melted ice cream while Bruce said there was a chance to fix everything. Thor asked if he meant with the cable but Bruce said, "With Thanos." Thor's expression immediately turned pale and angry as he put a hand on Bruce's shoulder and said brokenly, "Don't say that name."**

Everyone watched Thor and Odinson in sympathy. While his antics looked funny on a surface level, he was suffering deeply from his failure and that had led him to such an unhealthy lifestyle.

Loki put a hand on Thor's shoulder to assure him everything would be all right.

**Korg popped up how they didn't say that name while Bruce removed Thor's hand from himself, saying he knew Thor might be scared of him. Thor confidently said he wasn't as he had killed that guy. He asked Korg to remind everyone who had killed Thanos and Korg said Stormbreaker before Thor reminded he was swinging it.**

"I have become unworthy at this point!" Thor said, shocked and saddened by how much he had fallen.

"Don't say that!" Loki said to him, "You are still grieving. We all have our ways to grieve! And not all of them are healthy!"

Thor simply nodded.

"**I get it. You're in a rough spot, okay? I've been there myself. You wanna know who helped me out of it?" Bruce asked. Thor slurped, "I don't know. Was it... Natasha?"**

"Please don't mention that thing again." Natasha said and all groaned.

"Don't worry. This was the last time we mentioned it." Odinson said and all sighed in relief.

"**It was you." Bruce told him, "You helped me."**

"And I thank you for it." Bruce said to Thor and Odinson gratefully.

"**Why don't you ask the, Asgardians down there, how much my help was worth?" Thor asked as he sat down, "The ones that are left, anyway." Bruce said they had a way to bring everyone back but Thor told him to stop, saying he was fine with Korg and Miek agreeing. Rocket said they had beer on the ship. Thor's bottle clattered to the ground as he asked what kind.**

"That's what it took to get me to come?" Thor asked.

"As shameful as that is, yes." Odinson said and Thor groaned.

**A Quinjet flew to Tokyo. In one building, a fight was going on as some men firing at someone were taken down by throwing weapons. Another ran to fight the hooded man but he smashed him through some glass. One man ran up and with a sword, jumped out the window when another jumped after him. "**_**Why are you doing this?" **_**The escaping man asked the one after him in Japanese, **_**"We never did anything to you!" "You survived!" **_**The other man said in Japanese, **_**"Half of the planet didn't. They got Thanos. You get me."**_

"That is me." Clint said in shock and horror while the others looked shocked too, "I'm killing people."

"Clint, what did we tell you about hating yourself?" Natasha asked.

"You were hurting dad. And these were scum you killed." Lila assured him, mostly to stop him from breaking down.

**The two fought a little as Clint said he was done hurting people and the man scoffed. As they fought more, Clint pushed him back and put the sword to his throat before he deflected it and they fought as Clint sliced him a little, staggering him. As they fought again, he sliced his throat, making him drop to his knees as he said he would give him anything he wanted. "What I want…you can't give me." Clint said before stabbing him and then cleaning his blade.**

Clint was disturbed the ruthlessness of his on-screen self. Sure he had killed scum, but not like this.

"What have I done?" Clint said as Wanda held his hand.

"You haven't done it yet." Scarlet Witch told him.

"We won't let you lose your family and go down this path." Wanda assured him.

"It won't happen." Natasha assured too, "Not again."

"Even if you did those things, you became better." Lila assured him.

"Clint, we're all here for you." Steve assured him.

"You won't be going down like this again." Fury said, "But even doing so doesn't make you bad."

"You were just lost." Natasha told him, "Like I was."

**He felt a presence behind him and took off his mask, "You shouldn't be here." "Neither should you." Natasha said behind him as he turned with a broken look on his face.**

All watched both the Clints in sympathy and sadness. He was an Avenger and an agent, but he was a family man first. And losing them had been the last straw for him.

**Clint said he had a job but Natasha pointed out killing these people wouldn't bring his family back. She then said they had found a chance. "Don't." He said. "Don't what?" She asked. "Don't give me hope." He cried.**

Everyone was even more saddened by this. Clint had gone so low in his own eyes that he didn't want to see a sliver of hope.

"**I'm sorry I couldn't give it to you sooner." Natasha said as she walked closer and they both held hands in the rain.**

Everyone found the scene emotional and heart-touching. One friend reuniting with the other and giving his dark life some hope at last.

"Thank you." Clint said to Natasha emotionally before turning to the others, "All of you."

**Later, Thor drank beer in the Compound with glasses on as Tony told him to pick a side, calling him 'Lebowski.'**

"I'm behaving too badly at this point." Thor said.

"Not proud of it." Odinson told him.

**Tony asked 'Ratchet' how it was going and Rocket corrected him before saying he was only a genius on Earth.**

"Clearly, he doesn't know me." Tony smirked.

**Scott was fitted with a time travel suit as he told Bruce to be careful due to his large hands but got annoyed, saying after Hank Pym had been snapped, these were all the Quantum Particles they had enough for one round trip each and two test runs. While fitting it, he accidentally shrunk himself and grew back up, saying now only one test run.**

"What the hell, Scott?" Hope asked as Scott groaned.

"I think I can't do it." Scott noted.

**He said he wasn't ready for this when Clint said he was game.**

"Good." Wanda said to the on-screen self.

**As Clint was fitted with the suit, Rhodes asked if they could go back in time and kill baby Thanos.**

"Dude, that's horrible!" Tony said as all glared at Rhodes.

"How can you think that?" Sam asked him too.

"It's all over like baby Hitler again." Natasha said, "If you ever ask me, I'd say not to kill them as babies but instead take them away from their surroundings to raise them in better environments." [4]

"I'mm sorry guys." Rhodes said, "It was a pretty horrible thing to say."

**Bruce said that was terrible and time didn't work that way. Changing the past didn't change the future. Scott suggested taking the Stones before Thanos did as he and Rhodes listed all the time travel movies- Star Trek, Terminator, TimeCop, Time After Time, Quantum Leap, A Wrinkle in Time, Somewhere in Time, Hot Tub Time Machine and Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Scott added 'Die Hard' before remembering it wasn't one.**

"It doesn't work like the movies." Hope said.

"**I don't know why everyone believes that, but that isn't true." Bruce explained, "Think about it: If you travel to the past, that past becomes your future. And your former present becomes the past. Which can't now be changed by your new future..." "So Back to the Future's a bunch of bullshit?" Scott asked.**

"Looks like it." Scott groaned.

"But there are different rules for the future." Cassie told them all.

"We can see that." May said.

**Later, Clint was in the suit and on the count of 3 was sent through. He suddenly found himself in his old farmhouse and looked around before walking up to the house. He picked up his son's baseball glove and smiled before hearing Lila call out to Cooper.**

"It worked!" Clint said happily, "Thanks a lot Tony."

"No problem." Tony said.

"Now you'll get everyone back." Natasha smiled at him while Morgan winced on hearing that.

**Clint ran to the door, calling to Lila but was then brought back through time as a confused Lila arrived and looked around before going back.**

"You all did it!" Pepper said happily to them.

**Clint was back and on his knees as the others ran to him and he said it worked.**

"Awesome!" Peter cheered.

"Now the Stones." Odinson pointed out and they nodded.

**Later, they sat together as Steve said now they had to figure out where and when to go and that everyone in the room had an encounter with an Infinity Stone. Tony said they could replace 'encounter' with 'damn near killed.' Scott said he hadn't and didn't even know what they were talking about.**

"He doesn't but I do." Scott said and all nodded.

**Bruce said they only had enough Pym Particles for one round trip each and the Stones had been in a lot of places in their history. Tony said not a lot of convenient spots to drop in and Clint said they had to pick their targets.**

"Archery pun. Nice." Tony said as Clint and Lila shrugged.

**They started with the Aether but then noticed Thor dozing off in his chair wearing sunglasses. Natasha asked if he was asleep and Rhodes joked he was dead.**

"I'm making a Bilgesnipe out of myself at this point." Thor said and all sighed.

"No kidding." Odinson agreed.

**Thor later stood, saying Aether was an angry sludge and not a Stone, saying someone had called it one before and pointed at Steve.**

"I don't remember that." Steve shrugged.

**Thor then said how his grandfather had taken it from Dark Elves, doing gestures and calling them scary beings.**

"Boring beings." Benjamin said and all groaned on remembering Malekith.

**Then a hologram of Jane appeared as Thor said she was an old flame and had got the Aether stuck inside her so he had taken her to Asgard and introduced her to his mother, who was dead now and he and Jane weren't even dating. He started breaking down, saying nothing lasted forever and ended with, "The only thing that is permanent in life, is impermanence." Tony asked if he wanted eggs or breakfast but he said he'd like a Bloody Mary.**

"Stop drinking, start working." Thor said.

"What do you think I've been doing?" Odinson asked as he gestured to himself and Thor sighed.

**Then Rocket said Quill had stolen the Power Stone from Morag. Bruce asked if it was a person but Rocket corrected it was a planet and Quill was a person.**

"PhDs don't teach that." Tony said and all chuckled.

**Scott asked excitedly if it was a planet in outer space and Rocket said he was excited like a puppy, asking if puppy wanted to go to space.**

Everyone laughed as Scott asked, "Do I actually sound like that?"

"As much as I hate to say it, you do." Cassie said and Scott groaned.

**Then Nebula said the Soul Stone was on Vormir which was a dominion of death in the center of celestial existence and was where Thanos had murdered Gamora. All sighed sadly on hearing that while making notes.**

"Bastard." Clint said about Thanos.

**Later, Tony, Natasha and Bruce lay together, the former two on the table and the latter on the ground, with Natasha asking what kind of doctor Strange was and Tony joking 'neurostuff meets rabbit from a hat.'**

All chuckled as May said, "Pretty accurate."

**They discussed where he lived and then Natasha realized if they picked the right year, there were 3 Stones in New York, giving the other two the good kind of shock.**

"Smart woman." Bucky said and she smirked while all smiled.

"Now the mission begins." Steve said and all nodded.

**Later, Steve, Tony, Thor, Bruce, Natasha, Clint, Rhodes, Scott, Rocket and Nebula looked at the locations of the Stones on the screens as Steve said, "All right. We have a plan. Six Stones, three teams, one shot." Then they all walked together, wearing the Quantum suits as Steve said, "Five years ago, we lost. All of us. We lost friends...We lost family...We lost a part of ourselves. Today, we have a chance to take it all back." They joined their fists together over the machine.**

"Doesn't that look like your original Arc Reactor?" Pepper asked.

"Now that you say it, it does." Tony said and all nodded in realization. [5]

**Steve said, "You know your teams, you know your missions. Get the Stones, get them back. One round trip each. No mistakes. No do-overs. Most of us are going somewhere we know. But it doesn't mean we should know what to expect. Be careful. Look out for each other. This is the fight of our lives. And we're gonna win." He looked at Tony who smiled at him as he said, "Whatever it takes."**

"Whatever it takes." Steve said too.

"Whatever it takes." Tony repeated after him.

"Whatever it takes." Thor said.

"Whatever it takes." Bruce said as he looked up.

"Whatever it takes." Natasha said with some emotion in her voice.

"Whatever it takes." Clint then said.

"Whatever it takes." Rhodes said too as he shared a look with Tony.

"Whatever it takes." Scott said with a smile.

And then they continued watching.

"**Good luck." Steve said as Rocket said he was good at that and Scott agreed.**

"Oh no contest. Captain America gives the best speeches." Loki of all people said as all looked at him.

**Bruce worked the keys and Rocket gave Clint a shrunk Benatar, asking him to bring it back in one piece. Clint said he'd do his best as Rocket said that was a lame promise.**

"Never make promises you can't keep. "Clint shrugged.

"**See you in a minute." Natasha said as she looked at Steve with a smile.**

The future people couldn't help themselves from wincing at that and it took Lila everything not to break down at that.

**Then they all pressed the buttons of their suits and shrunk, travelling into the Quantum Realm to execute the Time Heist at last.**

"So it begins." Steve said.

"The hope is that we succeed." Bruce said.

"Let's continue." Logan said as all watched with a renewed sense of hope in their hearts.

* * *

**Finally, done at last. I covered a lot, didn't I? Now that leaves 5 chapters for this movie.**

**[1] A reference to Namor and it was meant to be that in the movie too. In case you don't know who he is, he is basically Marvel's Aquaman. But he came before Aquaman actually so Aquaman is DC's Namor technically.**

**[2] In the comics, Rhodes and Carol have been in a relationship.**

**[3] I don't know if others liked the resolution to the Bruce/Hulk thing but I didn't because it was glossed over and another thing I noticed was that it's Bruce in Hulk's body and Hulk doesn't really speak much. But as you have noticed from Benjamin's dialogue, I plan to give their conflict a much better resolution and it involves not science, but magic. That's all I'll say for now.**

**[4] A reference to the Guardian Devil Arc of Daredevil where when Matt asked Natasha this question about Baby Hitler, this was her response about changing what kind of environment he was raised in.**

**[5] The scene where all the heroes joined their fists over the machine recreated the design of Tony's original Arc Reactor. Just a fun fact.**

**So hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	103. Time Heist begins

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And now we got over 600 favorites too. Thank you all! **

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. I've heard of Jeff Bridges being Lebowski but that's one of the few things I've never seen so I can't remember to reference it unfortunately. **

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. Yeah I remember on Baby Thanos.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. The part with Cassie getting it does make sense to me too now that you say it.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. My headcannon is that Luke, Danny, Colleen, Claire, Karen, Foggy and Maggie all died while the others survived.**

**Guest 5: Thanks for the review. I was upset Natasha didn't get a funeral so I'm adding one for her myself. Yes everyone has forgotten. Point 3 will happen for sure. The spanking joke is too inappropriate to be used publicly so not using it. I wonder too on Nat but I don't think that's something I want to use. Yes I agree on Points 6 and 7 too.**

**Guest 6: Thanks for the review. Oh they will have things to say for sure.**

**Guest 7: Thanks for the review. I don't think I can make it work. Sorry.**

**Guest 8: Thanks for the review. They will ask and I have something in mind.**

**Guest 9: Thanks for the review. That makes sense on how Laura found out 5 years have passed and I'll add it. Thanks.**

**Guest 10: Thanks for the review. I think that's a good theory but I don't think I can make everything work here. I think that idea worked better in comics instead of MCU, but I see where you're coming from.**

**Guest 11: At this point, the only thing your comments are doing are giving a boner….to my middle finger. Considering you've nothing to positive to say, you should do us all a favor, stop embarrassing yourself, fuck off of this story and never come back! To quote Gollum- "Leave now and never come back!" **

Chapter 103- Time Heist begins

"Now we have to be very careful with this time heist." Steve said.

"Yes." Hope agreed, "Even if it isn't affecting our timeline, don't want to let the other timelines end in disaster now, do we?"

"No we don't." Tony agreed.

**In New York, 2012, the battle with the Chitauri was going on.** **The Chitauri roared angrily. Hulk roared back louder as Clint notched an arrow next to him and Thor raised Mjolnir while Natasha loaded her guns. Steve stood with his shield as Tony descended next to him. The Avengers had assembled in a circle. **

"Avengers assembled." Steve said happily.

"Good ol' days." Tony said.

"It's kind of nostalgic to see that again after all that's happened." Natasha said and all nodded.

"But we aren't doing this for nostalgia." Bruce pointed out.

"No. But to bring everyone back." Cassie said.

**In a nearby alley, Steve, Tony, Bruce and Scott appeared as their Quantum suits disappeared, with Steve telling them they had 2 Stones uptown, one Stone down. They had to stay low and keep an eye on the clock. Then they noticed Hulk of 2012 angrily smashing a Chitauri with a car before throwing its tire around randomly while another scared Chitauri ran off. Hulk then jumped on the car, crushing it before running off. Bruce looked horrified as Steve told him to smash a few things along the way.**

"I don't think you'd like to." Thor told him.

"No. Me and Hulk are kind of opposites." Bruce said.

"Just wondering though, why the hell is Hulk randomly smashing stuff out of anger?" Clint asked, "Because I remember New York. Hulk was angry but he fought smartly. Not like this." [1]

"I don't know what happened." Bruce said.

"Me neither." Logan said.

"No idea." Benjamin shrugged.

"Let's just continue." Morgan said.

**Bruce said he found it gratuitous but agreed, ripping off his shirt and giving out fake half-hearted roars as he lightly smashed a car and threw a bike.**

Everyone burst into laughter as Scott said, "Okay, you acting like Hulk is hilarious."

"Like I said, opposites." Bruce said.

**On the New York Sanctum, Ancient One was using her Eldritch magic to cut down any Chitauri flying nearby.**

"So she was there too?" Rhodes asked in shock.

"The Masters of the Mystic Arts leave physical threats to us but they do defend their Sanctums." Odinson said.

"Though if by chance you had failed to stop the Chitauri, she would have interfered." Lila told them and they nodded.

**Bruce then jumped there and was about to go in until Ancient One said the floors were waxed. He said he was looking for Doctor Strange and she said he was 5 years too early. **

"If only I had known." Bruce sighed.

"But she is a reasonable person." Fury pointed out.

"She might give it to you." Hill agreed too.

"She also has to look after her reality." Scarlet Witch told them.

**Ancient One said Strange was performing surgery 20 blocks the other way and asked what Bruce wanted from him. Bruce pointed at the Eye of Agamotto and said that. She said she couldn't give it to him. Bruce walked up to her, reaching out, saying he wasn't asking. She said he didn't want to do this and he agreed but he needed the Stone. Then she struck him and his body fell down as Bruce's astral form was thrown out of his body, shocking him. She calmly said they needed to start over.**

"Man, I am behaving like an idiot." Bruce said.

"It's not like you knew their full capabilities." Wanda pointed out.

"Now you will be enlightened." Bucky joked as all chuckled a bit.

**In Asgard, 2013, Loki was lying in his cell, tossing an object around as Bro Thor and Rocket snuck past his cell.**

"Good thing you didn't see me." Odinson said as Loki smirked.

"I'm in a mood." Loki shrugged.

"We're in Asgard." Thor noted emotionally as all felt their greatest sympathies going out to him.

**Thor and Rocket noticed a maiden giving Jane clothes. Jane asked if she had anything with pants but the maiden was confused so Jane took the clothes.**

"No pants on Asgard." Vision noted.

"We live like ancient people." Thor said.

"Now we don't." Odinson told him.

**Rocket told Thor that he would charm Jane while he would get the Aether out.**

"How stupid does he think Jane is?" Thor wondered.

"And how are you going to charm in that state?" Sam asked.

**Thor said there was a wine cellar down there with Aakonian ale so he would get it first while Rocket said he was drunk enough already.**

"What is up with us?" Thor asked his future self.

"We've become too much of a disgrace is what." Odinson said, "Sad, I know."

"Do not blame yourself." T'Challa said, "It is never easy to give up bad habits."

They nodded in appreciation.

"Yeah, like I still smoke. Now I know it won't affect me but it is unhealthy." Logan said.

**Thor then noticed Frigga walking with some maidens, telling them to send Loki soup.**

"She cares about me." Loki said guiltily as Thor put a hand on his shoulder, trying to control himself along with Odinson.

**Rocket asked who she was and Thor said she was his mother. She was going to die that day. That shocked Rocket.**

"Please don't tell me we have to see that again." Thor said.

"No, we don't." Odinson assured.

"Good to know." Loki sighed. He wouldn't be able to deal with it.

**Thor realized he was having a panic attack. Rocket called him closer and then slapped him.**

Everyone froze at that scene as Thor and Odinson touched their cheeks. Then everyone laughed.

"He slapped you!" Tony said, trying to control himself.

"The God of Thunder slapped by a rabbit." Loki chuckled.

"It's kind of hilarious." Pepper agreed too.

"I deserved that." Odinson said, "I'm not being very useful."

"No kidding." Thor agreed. While he knew he had lost it, he was going a bit too far with it.

**Rocket then gave a motivational speech, "You think you're the only one who lost people? What do you think we're doing here? I lost the only family I ever had. Quill, Groot, Drax, the chick with the antenna, all gone. Now, I get you miss your Mom. But she's gone. Really gone. And there are plenty of people who are only kinda gone. But you can help them. So is it too much to ask that you brush the crumbs outta your beard, make schmoopy talk to Pretty Pants, and when she's not looking, suck out the Infinity Stone and help me get my family back?"**

"It shouldn't be too much to ask." Thor said.

"But I'm struggling to get rid of my bad habits." Odinson said.

"Don't blame yourself too much." Tony said, "You're having a panic attack. Like I did after New York. It's understandable."

They nodded in appreciation before Scott said, "Rocket can give motivational speeches."

"I know right?" Hope asked as all chuckled.

**Rocket assured Thor he could do this and Thor said he could before chickening out and turning away. Rocket said they had their shot before turning around to notice Thor was gone, to his disappointment. **

"The difference between you and me is that you fought through your panic attacks." Odinson told Tony, "I'm letting them get to me."

"When I shouldn't." Thor said.

"Brother, not all people are the same. Stop insulting yourself." Loki said, "It won't do a thing."

**In Morag, 2014, the Benatar descended as Natasha, Clint, Rhodes and Nebula walked out, with Natasha kicking the lizard like creature away.**

"And now we've met them." Natasha said in disgust.

**Natasha and Clint hugged Rhodes goodbye who wished them luck and asked them to return with the Stone. They flew off in the Benatar as Nebula said coordinates to Vormir were laid in and they did not have to fall out. In the Benatar, Clint said this was a long way from Budapest as Natasha chuckled happily.**

"You look…..happy." Bucky said to Natasha with a smile.

"Because we're bringing you all back." Natasha as they wrapped their arms around each other.

'At the cost of your life.' Lila said in her mind, trying not to break down. Right now, because of the light-hearted atmosphere, they had all forgotten how to get the Soul Stone. They were in denial at the moment.

"Budapest isn't even comparable to this." Clint said and they both nodded.

**Rhodes then asked if they had to wait for Quill to show up. Nebula said they had to take cover as they weren't the only one looking for the Stones in 2014. Rhodes asked who else was and Nebula said her father, her sister and her.**

"Uh-oh." Rhodes said and all paled.

"The Thanos of that timeline." May realized.

"He would be looking for the Stones with Ronan." Steve said.

"This is not good. This is not good." Peter said, panicking.

"Relax, dude." Benjamin said to his younger self, "Let's just watch."

**Rhodes asked where she was right now. In the Sanctuary II, Nebula of 2014 roared as she battled Chitauri Gorillas for practice. She took one down but its grenade dropped and exploded, sending her back. Another one was about to shoot her when someone else killed it by throwing it into a beam. It was Gamora of 2014 who gave her a hand but Nebula swatted it away, saying she hadn't asked for help while Gamora said she always needed it.**

"She is so different from the Gamora Thanos killed." Scott noted as all nodded, seeing the difference which was clear as night and day.

"Not that different." Odinson said.

"You will see." Scarlet Witch added.

"Their sister issues are as bad as mine." Thor said.

**Gamora said father wanted them back on the ship as he had found an Infinity Stone.**

"On Morag." Tony said and all paled.

**In the Q-ship, Nebula said Thanos' plan was finally in motion when Gamora pointed out one Stone wasn't 6 but Nebula said it was a start. Then a beam of light shone and out of it stepped Thanos of 2014, wearing his golden armor and helmet. **

Everyone instantly tensed on seeing Thanos again. After his death earlier, it was rather shocking for them all to see him like this. Most of them were too numb to talk.

"Thanos." Tony whispered in dread as Pepper held his hand.

"Now the only hope is he doesn't get wind of what we're up to." Steve said.

The future people exchanged grim looks.

**Thanos said Ronan had located the Power Stone and he was dispatching them to his ship. Gamora said he wouldn't like it when Thanos pointed out his alternative was death and his obsession clouded his judgment. Nebula said they wouldn't fail him. Thanos looked at Gamora said she wouldn't so Nebula kneeled before him, saying she swore she would make him proud.**

"His treatment of them both is too toxic and abusive to even describe." Clint snorted in disgust and all nodded.

**Then suddenly Nebula held her head in pain as Gamora supported her. A holographic recording of the 2023 Nebula's chat with Rhodes appeared, with him asking if they should just wait for Quill to show up and her saying they weren't the only ones in 2014 looking for the Stones.**

"Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!" Peter was saying with a hand on his chest as all watched, pale.

"And now he knows." Thor moaned in sadness.

"Why can nothing be easy?" Natasha groaned sadly.

"The Universe hates us." Bruce sighed.

"What now?" Rhodes asked.

"Just watch." Logan said.

**Nebula said her head was splitting as Gamora made an excuse about her synaptic drive being damaged in battle but Thanos wasn't fooled, pointing his giant double-edged sword at Nebula.**

"That is a big sword." Tony gulped as all watched.

"I thought Sephiroth's Masamune was big." Scott said too.

"Does it have a name?" Loki asked.

"Oh it does." Odinson said, "The Thanoscopter." [2]

"Wait what?" Hope asked in amusement as all ended up snickering.

"Yeah. That's what it is called." Morgan said.

"So the all-powerful Dark Lord names a sword like a helicopter?" Tony asked in amusement as all chuckled.

"**Bring her to my ship." Thanos commanded.**

The light atmosphere instantly faded as all gulped.

**In New York, Tony flew to the tower and his suit wrapped up as he noticed their past versions standing over Loki after beating him as he said, "If it's all the same to you…I'll have that drink now."**

"I'm not getting it." Loki groaned as all chuckled.

"The nostalgia." Tony said and all smiled.

**Then 2012 Tony quipped to get Loki on his feet and stand around to pose a storm later and clean up the mess.**

"Now you just ruined the moment." Peter joked and all laughed.

"Life isn't like the movies, kid." Bruce said.

**They picked Loki up as 2023 Tony noticed something and commented, "Ugh, Mr. Rogers. I almost forgot that that suit did nothing for your ass." "No one asked you to look." 2023 Steve said indignantly as 2012 Steve's ass was shown. Scott, who was shrunken on Tony's shoulder said, "I think you look great, Cap. As far as I'm concerned, that's America's ass."**

All burst out laughing as Steve put his head in his hands in embarrassment.

"I have to thank Coulson for giving is that!" Tony said as the laughter increased.

"You like that ass, don't you?" Hope jokingly asked Hill.

"Not as much as your boyfriend does." Hill fired back and Hope groaned as Scott sighed.

"That is America's ass!" Bucky said and all laughed more while Steve groaned.

**2012 Natasha noticed the STRIKE Team coming to get the Scepter as Brock Rumlow, Jack Rollins and Jasper Sitwell led them.**

"Oh! Them!" Natasha said and all groaned.

"The ones who got the Scepter for Hydra." Wanda sighed.

**2012 Natasha handed Sitwell the Scepter as Scott asked if they were SHIELD while Tony corrected they were Hydra which they didn't know yet while they put the Scepter in a case. Scott commented how they looked like bad guys.**

"Don't judge a book by its cover." Fury told Scott who nodded.

**Tony said he was small but talking loud. 2012 Steve said he was going to coordinate search and rescue and Loki transformed into him, repeating his line before transforming back to himself and asking how they kept the food down when Thor put a muzzle on his face to shut him up.**

"That is the only way to shut me up." Loki said and all chuckled.

"Why do you always have to turn into me?" Steve asked and all laughed.

"It's fun." Loki shrugged.

**Tony noticed the Teserract being kept away and flicked Scott away onto 2012 Tony just as they went off. Tony then put on his suit and flew out. The Avengers were taking the lift and Hulk tried to join but they pointed out maximum occupancy was reached and to take the stairs. As the lift closed, Hulk angrily punched the wall, denting the lift and whined, "Take the stairs. Hate the stairs."**

"Couldn't you have just jumped down them?" Benjamin asked and Bruce groaned.

"Yeah. Makes sense." Bruce shrugged.

**Tony noticed the lift moving to the 80****th**** floor and 2023 Steve noticed, stopping the elevator and getting in with the Strike Team. Sitwell remembered he was coordinating search and rescue but he said plans had changed. Rumlow and Steve greeted each other. Steve looked at them all tensely, remembering the fight in the elevator.**

"Oh my God!" Scott fanboyed.

"Elevator fight is happening again!" Peter cheered too.

"I need to see it again!" Hill said, remembering the fight.

"Oh that was too awesome!" Thor agreed too as all looked forward to the fight.

"Hope I don't disappoint." Steve said while the future people exchanged knowing looks.

"**I just got a call from the Secretary. I'm gonna be running point on the scepter." Steve said. "Sir? I don't understand." A confused Sitwell said. "We got word there may be an attempt to steal it." Steve said. "Sorry, Cap." Rumlow said, "I can't give you the scepter." Sitwell took out the phone saying, "I'm gonna have to call the Director." Steve stopped him, "That's okay. Trust me."**

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Tony was cheering.

"Kick their asses!" Hope said too.

"Especially Rumlow's!" Sam added.

**Steve brought his face closer to Sitwell and whispered in his ear, "Hail Hydra."**

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Scott was saying as all gapped.

"OH MY GOD!" Peter cheered.

"WOW!" Loki of all people said, impressed.

"That was so awesome!" Hope said too.

"Awesome job." Hill complimented.

"I knew you'd make SHIELD proud." Fury said.

"I'm proud too." Natasha smiled.

"Hydra got mind-blown." Bucky said.

"More than they could imagine." Sam added.

"You just did it, Cap." Clint said.

"Cap, you just cut the wire." Tony said and the two exchanged a knowing look and all nodded.

**Steve then walked away with the case, smirking.**

Everyone chuckled and clapped while Steve smirked.

"**So many stairs!" Hulk whined as he crossed them.**

"I think he's gonna blow up." Bruce said.

**As 2012 Thor and Tony walked to the entrance with a restrained Loki and the STRIKE team, 2023 Tony stood there, disguised as an agent. He gave Scott instructions and Scott jumped from Tony's beard to his chest, getting to his Arc Reactor before asking if that was Ax body spray he had. Tony said he'd a can on his desk for emergencies and told Scott to focus.**

"Focus please!" Tony said as Scott groaned and all chuckled.

**Scott said he was now going inside Tony.**

"It sounds weird." Pepper said.

"Yeah I know." Morgan nodded.

"Why?" Scott moaned.

"I wish I knew." Tony said.

**Then Alexander Pierce and others stopped 2012 Tony and Thor, asking where they were going. Thor said they were going for lunch and then to Asgard as Tony explained who he was.**

"Now he had to show up." Natasha said and all groaned.

"Nothing is easy." Steve sighed.

**Thor said Loki will answer to Odin as Pierce he'd answer to them and Odin could have whatever was left and also asked for the case. 2023 Tony told Scott to give him a mild cardiac dysrhythmia and Scott said it didn't sound mild.**

"Dude, that isn't mild!" Bruce said as Tony shrugged.

"Please survive." Pepper begged.

**As Pierce's men got physical, Scott pulled the pin and Tony gasped as he got mild cardiac dysrhythmia, falling down while the others tried to help. 2023 Tony shouted for someone to help.**

"Oh no!" Pepper gasped as Tony touched his chest.

"Sorry." Scott said to Tony apologetically.

"I told you to do it." Tony shrugged.

**Scott then pushed the case away which Loki noticed as 2023 Tony picked it and started walking off.** **Tony was walking away to a door when Hulk smashed it open from the other side roaring, "NO STAIRS!" All the people ran around in horror as the case fell down and the Teserract fell near Loki. Loki picked it up and teleported away.**

"Uh-oh." Rhodes said as all paled.

"Bye-bye timeline." Hope said dryly, "You're too messed up now."

**Thor tapped Mjolnir on Tony's chest and a minor electric shock brought him to normal.**

"Oh thank God!" Pepper said as Tony stopped rubbing his chest and all sighed in relief.

"Thanks Point Break." Tony said to both the Thors who shrugged.

**Then they noticed Loki and the Tesserract were missing as Scott and Tony realized they had blown it.**

"Well, this timeline is messed up." Tony sighed before asking the future people, "Ever found out what happened to it?"

"We will tell you when this is over." Benjamin said.

"How had the incident with Hulk originally gone?" Hope asked out of curiosity.

"Oh that?" Tony asked before saying, "One agent fired at Hulk in panic so Hulk crushed his gun and I told Pierce his agent had fired first so it was assault and we'd file a case if they tried anything. Made them back off." [3]

"Wow!" Scott said, impressed.

"I remember that." Thor said.

"Was smart." Odinson said.

"Only because they were dumb." Tony added.

**2023 Steve heard all that only to see 2012 Steve in front of him and said, "You've gotta be shitting me."**

"Cap, watch your mouth!" Tony said and all laughed.

"Now you're facing your old self." Fury noted and all tensed, knowing a fight was coming.

**2012 Steve said he'd eyes on Loki as 2023 Steve put his case down and said he wasn't Loki and didn't want to hurt him. 2012 Steve charged and both clashed their shields.**

"It's on." Wanda said as all watched.

**They blocked and dodged each other's hits before 2023 Steve was kicked away. "I can do this all day." 2012 Steve smirked. "Yeah, I know, I know." 2023 Steve said in annoyance as he got up.**

"Now you see it! Now you finally see it!" Tony said as all laughed.

"Yeah, that is so annoying." Bucky said too as all groaned.

"Basically I'm fucking myself up." Steve used bad language on purpose.

"Now you don't get to say 'language.'" Natasha mock scolded and all laughed.

**They both threw their shields which clashed and flew off and then fought hand to hand before 2023 Steve flipped 2012 Steve down. As they fought, the case with the Scepter was kicked down, smashing through glass as the case opened and the Scepter fell out. The two continued fighting before tripping on the glass and falling down, crashing through more glass and then on the ground.**

Everyone cringed, finding the fall very painful.

**2012 Steve then noticed the compass with Peggy's picture and asked where he'd gotten it. 2023 Steve tried to get the Scepter but 2012 Steve stopped him and put him in a chokehold with both falling. As 2023 Steve was getting choked, he coughed out, "Bucky….is….alive." That shocked 2012 Steve enough to let go as 2023 Steve coughed. "What?" 2012 Steve asked before being punched down as 2023 Steve picked the Scepter and put it on his chest, knocking him out.**

"You little rascal!" Bucky said to Steve as all laughed, "You used my name on yourself."

"Only I know my greatest weaknesses." Steve shrugged.

"That was awesome!" Peter laughed.

"Now you've cut the wire twice already." Tony said as all chuckled.

"Guess we both are proving each other wrong." Steve said and both smiled at each other.

"What a timeline though." Natasha said, "Loki has escaped. Hydra thinks Captain America is on their side and 2012 Cap knows Bucky is alive."

"He might dismiss it as a taunt by me." Loki pointed out and she conceded.

"Basically, you guys fucked up the timeline so much you should just go and marry it." Clint joked and all burst out laughing.

"That was a good one!" Lila said.

**Steve then looked at his knocked out self and commented, "That is America's ass."**

Everyone laughed as Steve groaned and Cassie said, "Don't fanboy over it, dad."

All laughed again.

**At the Sanctum, Hulk's body was knocked out with a hat on it as Ancient One said she couldn't help Bruce because by helping her reality, she was dooming her own. Bruce said science didn't support it when she used her magic to create a line which was presented as time with all 6 Infinity Stones around it and said, "The Infinity Stones create what you experience as the flow of time. Remove one of the Stones, and that flow splits." She removed the Time Stone and a dark tendril of enrgy split as a new timeline, "Now this may benefit your reality. But my new one, not so much. In this new branched reality, without our chief weapon against the forces of darkness, our world will be overrun. Millions will suffer. So, tell me, doctor, can your science prevent all that?"**

"She's got a point." May said.

"I've a feeling I got one too." Bruce said.

"**No." Bruce said, "But we can erase it. Because once we're done with the Stones, we can return each one into its own timeline at the moment it was taken. So, chronologically...In that reality..." He put the Time Stone back and the tendril vanished, "it never left."**

"Told ya!" Bruce said as all smirked.

"She's got to listen to that." Tony said.

**Ancient One said they'd return it only on surviving but Bruce promised they would. She said she couldn't risk this reality on a promise and it was the duty of the Sorcerer Supreme to guard the Time Stone. Bruce asked why Strange had given it away, shocking her. She asked if he had given it away willingly and he said Strange had, so he might have made a mistake. "Or I did." Ancient One realized, "Strange was meant to be the best of us." Bruce realized, "So he must've done it for a reason."**

"Now she'll give it." Scarlet Witch told them.

"**I fear you might be right." She said as she summoned Hulks' body and the astral form went into it.**

"Oh thank God!" Bruce sighed in relief.

**She opened the Eye of Agamotto and handed the Time Stone to Bruce who thanked her. She put her hand on his and said, "I'm counting on you, Bruce. We all are."**

"We won't disappoint." Bruce promised.

"At least we have two now." Steve said.

"Four to go." Tony shrugged.

"But what about the Space Stone?" Scott asked.

"Just watch, bub." Logan said.

**In Sanctuary II, Ebony Maw was accessing Nebula's memory drives after Thanos put a machine on her head as Maw said her memory drive was entangled with another and was sharing consciousness with another network.**

Everyone was worried about Thanos discovering them but they were sickened to their core by his treatment of Nebula. He had replaced her so much with cybernetic organs and parts that now she had a network and memory drives and wires could fit into her. How much of a monster was this guy? Scott, Clint and now Tony as well were especially pissed.

**Thanos realized there was another Nebula and Maw said the duplicate carried a time stamp from 9 years in the future. Thanos asked where the other Nebula was and Maw said in their Solar System in Morag. Thanos asked to access her and Maw did, searching the duplicate's memories for Infinity Stones on Thanos' orders. And then they saw a holographic memory of the Avengers discussing their time heist. Gamora recognized them as Terrans. "Avengers." Thanos growled, "Unruly wretches." **

"We are wretches? We are wretches?" Tony asked, "You are the one unhappy with so much life growing around!"

"Every villain is the hero of his story." Cassie said and they nodded, knowing she was right.

"But now he has found out our plan." Steve said and all paled.

"Oh no!" Thor sighed.

"'Oh no' indeed." Odinson said.

**Then he noticed a reflection and made Maw amplify it, finding another Nebula. Gamora was shocked there were 2 Nebulas but Thanos said it was the same one from two different timelines. He asked to plot a course to Morag and scan the duplicate's memories as he needed to see everything.**

"Damn it!" Natasha said as all were frustrated.

"Now that happened!" Clint groaned.

"And he is coming to where I am!" Rhodes snorted.

**In Asgard, Frigga sent her maidens away and sensed a presence. 2023 Thor was hidden nearby behind a column when he turned to see her and screamed like a girl while she screamed too before saying he should leave the sneaking to his brother.**

"Yeah you should." Loki said but Thor was absorbed into the screen, like everyone else. And they had to be of course.

Loki put a hand on Thor's shoulder, knowing what they were about to witness.

**He said he was going for a walk as she noted what he was wearing. Thor lied it was his favorite as she noticed the cybernetic eye and he reminded of being hit on the face with a broadsword during the Battle of Harokin. "You're not the Thor I know at all, are you?" Frigga asked. Thor lied he was when she said the future hadn't been kind to him and on hearing his shocked reaction reminded, "I was raised by witches, boy. I see with more than eyes, you know that." Breaking down, Thor hugged her, "Yes, I'm totally, totally from the future!" "Yes you are." She said as she hugged back and he said he needed to talk to her.**

Thor was panting heavily at the scene, missing Frigga and Loki was as well while Odinson looked down sadly.

"Her words were what got me moving again." Odinson said as all looked at both the Thors in sympathy.

"Thank you, mom." Thor whispered as Loki smiled at him.

**In Jane's room, she woke up and walked around when Rocket popped up with the device and struck.**

"Good luck, rabbit." Thor said as all smirked.

**Thor was telling Frigga about killing Thanos, saying now it didn't matter as it was too late and he was just an idiot with an ax. She told him he wasn't an idiot as he was seeking counsel from the wisest person in Asgard. "Idiot? No. A failure? Absolutely." She said. Thor said it was a bit harsh but she sat next to him and said, "You do know what that makes you? Just like everyone else."**

Thor had happy tears in his eyes, remembering how Frigga used to always counsel him like this as Loki struggled not to break down at the scene as well while Odinson smiled sadly.

Seeing Thor's powers it was easy to forget that he too was a person with flaws he had to overcome. Like right now.

**Thor said he wasn't supposed to be like everyone else but she said everyone failed at who they were supposed to be. "The measure of a person, of a hero is how well they succeed at being who they are."**

"Wise words." Steve said with a smile as all had respect for Frigga in their eyes.

"**I really missed you, Mum." Thor said when Rocket came running on all fours, saying he had it while the guards chased him, calling him Rabbit.**

"Looks like raccoons aren't common on Asgard." Scott said.

"They aren't that common on Earth either." Hope told him.

**Thor said he had to tell Frigga something but she said, "You're here to repair your future, not mine." "But this is about your future." He argued. "It's none of my business." She said.**

"You wanted to save her. I understand that." T'Challa told him.

"But it would only mess with the timeline." Thor conceded sadly.

"Mom knew that." Odinson told him, "Hence she stopped me."

**Rocket stopped and greeted her as Thor hugged Frigga and said, "I wish we had more time." "No this was a gift." She assured, "And you're going to be the man you're meant to be." She then told him to eat a salad.**

All chuckled a bit at her motherly instincts.

**Rocket was about to go when Thor stopped him and raised his hand, confusing Rocket. Frigga said it took a second at times. Then Mjolnir came flying into Thor's hand and he laughed happily. "I'm still worthy!"**

Thor gasped as Odinson smiled while all clapped for Thor.

"You're still worthy, man." Tony said, "Now put a smile on that face."

"A permanent one." Loki added, happy for his brother.

"I'm still worthy." He said, "I can't believe it."

"I couldn't either." Odinson said, "Mom and Mjolnir together made me finally get off my ass."

"Awesome." Clint said.

"Congrats Thor." Natasha said to him and he smiled.

Stormbreaker was a King's weapon but Mjolnir always had a special place in Thor's and Odinson's hearts as it reminded them they were worthy.

"But if 2013 Thor tries to call it, what will happen?" Tony wondered naughtily.

"He'll stand like that for an hour or two." Steve joked and all laughed.

"I hope we return the hammer before that." Thor said.

**Thor and Frigga bade each other goodbye as Thor and Rocket went off while at Morag, Quill was dancing to 'Come and Get Your Love', lip-syncing by putting the lizard like creature near his lips. Rhodes and Nebula watched him and they couldn't hear the music, only him singing and dancing. "So he's an idiot?" Rhodes asked finally.**

"Without music, it does look stupid." Rhodes said as all chuckled.

Benjamin suddenly gasped as all looked at him.

"What happened?" May asked him.

"Don't ask." Benjamin said in embarrassment. [4]

"**Yeah." Nebula said. As Quill slid, Rhodes knocked him out.**

All burst out laughing at the scene.

**Nebula then took out his tool from his bag and used it to open the door to see the Orb in the beam device. Rhodes stopped her from walking, saying spikes with skeletons on the ends would come out and that booby traps were to be expected in 'The Temple of the Power Stone.'**

All burst out laughing as Rhodes said, "So I watch movies! What's the big deal?"

"Never expected you to refer to one is all." Tony said as all laughed while Rhodes groaned more.

**Nebula still walked and nothing happened. She put her hand through the beam, burning it to Rhodes' shock. She was unaffected as it was cybernetic and took the Orb out at last and then blew at her hand. "I wasn't always like this." She said. "Me either." He told her, "But we work with what we got, right?"**

"We do." Rhodes said, now realizing how he was like Nebula in a way, with those braces attached to him and all.

All looked at both him and on-screen Nebula in sympathy.

**Then they synced up as Rhodes wore the Quantum Suit and disappeared. Nebula was about to follow when her head beeped and she fell down as 2014 Nebula screamed while the recording of the Avengers interrogating Thanos after finding him in the Garden played.**

"Damn it!" Rhodes said in guilt, "Why couldn't I wait for a second?"

"You didn't know the two Nebulas would be connected." Steve assured him.

"And we all would have shown up in the compound after one second anyway." Tony pointed out.

Rhodes nodded but wasn't entirely convinced.

"Don't blame yourself." Morgan said too.

"But now he knows everything." Thor said and all paled.

"**I used the Stones to destroy the Stones." 2018 Thanos said, "But the work is done. And it always will be. I am inevitable." Gamora asked what Thanos had done to them and 2014 Thanos said nothing yet. They weren't trying to stop him from doing something but undo what he had done. "The Stones….I found them all. I won." He said to her as he stroked her hair, "Tipped the Cosmic scales to balance."**

"Shut up!" Scott said as all glared.

**Gamora kneeled to him, saying this was his future and he said it was his destiny. Then 2018 Nebula was heard saying, "My father is many things. But he is not a liar." 2018 Thanos looked at her gratefully and in regret and said, "Thank you daughter. Perhaps I treated you too harshly…." He was cut off when Thor chopped off his head with Stormbreaker with a roar of rage. Gamora gasped in horror but Thanos didn't even flinch. "And that is destiny fulfilled." He said.**

While all of them hated Thanos to their core, they could respect him as a warrior. And to not even flinch on seeing the death of his future self, instead accepting it as destiny. He did have globes. They'd give him that.

**Maw telekinetically wrapped a chain around Nebula, saying she was a traitor. She gasped she wasn't when Thanos walked to her, his future self's words causing a change in his attitude to Nebula. He removed the change and told her he knew and she'd have the chance to prove it.**

"Now you're trying to act like you can love her." Clint said as all watched in disgust.

**2023 Nebula gasped, "He knows!" She ran to her pod and tried to contact Natasha and Clint, saying Thanos knew but then she saw the Sanctuary II above her as it beamed her up.**

"Oh no!" Peter said as all paled.

"This is terrible." Loki said.

"Now what?" Steve wondered.

"Just watch." Lila said, "It gets worse before it gets even a little better."

**In New York, Steve leapt off the tower with the Scepter in his hand and saw Tony and Scott in a car, saying they had a problem and Scott scoffed. Later, they discussed it as Scott said they had shot and missed because it was 6 Stones or nothing and then repeated himself. Tony pointed that out and Scott repeated his line twice too.**

"Please stop fighting." Wanda said as all groaned.

"Hope you two don't fight like that." Tony said to Morgan and Cassie.

"Nope." They said together.

**Scott then said how Tony wasn't on board with the time heist and had now ruined it. Steve asked if there were any other options and Scott said there were none as they had one particle left and if they used it, there was no coming back.**

"We're in a tight spot." Steve sighed.

"Just watch yourself." Morgan said to Tony.

"**I got it." Tony said suddenly with a look of realization on his face, "There's another way. To retake the Tesseract and acquire new particles." He walked to Steve and said, "We'll stroll down memory lane. Military installation, Garden State."**

"Oh!" Steve said as realization dawned on everyone.

"Camp Lehigh." Tony smirked.

"Memory Lane for sure." Fury smirked.

"Now you two are gonna do it." Morgan said to Tony and Steve.

**Steve asked when they both were there and Tony said he had a vague idea. Steve asked how vague as Scott asked what they were discussing. Steve realized they were improvising as Scott asked how. Steve gave him the Scepter, telling him to get it to the Compound.**

"Now you two are on your own." Scott said, "Good luck."

They nodded in thanks.

**Scott asked what was in New Jersey as Steve and Tony fed the time periods into their Quantum Suits and Scott asked them if they were sure, calling Steve as 'Cap', 'Captain', 'Steve', 'America' and 'Rogers.'**

Everyone burst out laughing as Hope said, "You are such a fanboy!"

"Of Steve." Hill added and Hope groaned.

**Scott said they wouldn't come back if they failed and Tony sarcastically thanked him for the pep talk. "You trust me?" Tony asked Steve. "I do." Steve said. "Your call." Tony said. "Here we go." Steve said as they wore their suits and were gone.**

Everyone smiled on seeing that Steve and Tony trusted each other again at last.

"Now a stroll through memory lane then." Tony said.

"More nostalgia." Steve added as all smirked.

"Just watch." Logan said as the recording continued.

* * *

**Next chapter will be devastating for sure. Especially for me. **

**Also, I never watched the first Avengers movie in a theater (I got into Marvel and MCU when I was 13 in 2013), so when I watched that scene in Avengers: Endgame in the theater, it was very breathtaking to say the least and I could imagine how people would have felt on seeing the movie back then in theaters.**

**[1] I think the Russos don't really get Hulk's character that well. Whedon got him far better. Even in Age of Ultron, now that I think about it, if you scrap the Brutasha garbage, Hulk's own character arc was handled fine and in the first Avengers movie he was done awesome. In that movie, Hulk, while angry, fought like a smart fighter. But here they show him randomly smashing stuff. Pretty sad what they did to his character.**

**[2] Back when comics were still cheesy in the 70's, Thanos had his own helicopter called Thanoscopter and the sword's design was based on that helicopter's blades. The sword was a reference to it actually. So I just named it Thanoscopter for fun.**

**[3] A reference to my own one-shot called 'No stairs' in which I wrote what I imagined would have happened originally at the 'No stairs' scene. **

**[4] There's a video on YouTube of the Spider-Man 3 dance without the music. It looked funny with the music (To me. Yeah I know, I'm messed up) but without music it sure looks a bit disturbing. Looks like our Benjamin danced like that too sometime XD.**

**So hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	104. Whatever it takes

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, the Russos never really got Hulk's character. Yes, it was the last time for sure. Yeah, poor Scott. Same here on Tony and Pepper squabbling over Morgan. I don't think Nebula knew either. She probably just thought Thanos was cruel and killed her after getting it. Imagine if Natasha and Clint returned and told Steve of it. Then Steve goes to Vormir and is like, "Schmidt. I don't care if you were a Nazi. I love you." Schmidt is confused as Steve comes closer to kiss him and then pushes him off, taking his life for the Soul Stone instead XD. Just trying to lighten the mood as this chapter is gonna be a gut punch. Yeah, Frigga was a good mom and after this movie, her death hits much harder. Yes, Stan Lee's cameo sure does. I agree on Natasha actually there and thanks for the suggestion on the picture. I'm actually going to use it now. I actually haven't seen them yet due to lack of time but I will tomorrow for sure. Yes, I agree that Mordo got dusted too probably. I've seen those scenes of Deadpool 2 and they were too funny to handle. Yeah, Wade saved us all from Cage and glad the 'toxic male' joke amused you. And hope you enjoyed my response to Guest 11 in previous chapter. I had no idea people could be that obnoxious. Yeah, Steve's other moments more than made up for that. Mindblown right on Thanoscopter? I was too. I did it to Benjamin because I'm evil XD. Yes, Rhodes/Carol would be awful and I remember that interview. It seemed off and Brie was too defensive. Like seriously, being called the 'next Tom Cruise' offends her? Lady, Tom Cruise has globes of Vibranium and really awesome abs. I wanna k- Uhhhhhh…let's not talk about that again. I love that idea on Stan Lee actually. I'll see if I can make it work. Thanks for that.**

**Antonio Guestie: Thanks for the review. Yes, very sad. And this time you were first.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. I meant jump from one part of the stairs to another. It would cause very little damage. Or jump out the window from which he had jumped in.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. See reply to Guest 1 above.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. I can understand. Really sorry to disappoint. I do remember something about that article too. But I'll still give her one. As for the titles, I love 'Countdown.' I have some other sequels planned too and I feel 'United We Stand' can be the name of another one of those. So thanks a lot for the titles. I appreciate it so much.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. And thanks for the recommendation. I'll check that out to see if I can use that story's concept for Steve then.**

**Guest 5: Thanks for the review. Yes, Nat's funeral was a private one and you will see how it goes.**

Chapter 104- Whatever it takes

"So the two of us taking a stroll through your birthplace." Tony said to Steve.

"Yeah. Never thought that'd happen." Steve said.

**In New Jersey, 1970, a car was being driven with rock music playing in it while on the back of it was a sticker saying 'Nuff said.' As it passed by Camp Lehigh, the elderly man inside it said to the soldiers, "Hey man! Make love, not war!" He and the woman next to him happily raised their fingers as they drove away.**

"Wise words." Thor said and all nodded.

"This was the last time we saw him in any of the recordings." Benjamin said.

"Yeah, he just never appeared after this one." Logan said.

"Don't know why." Odinson told everyone.

"Maybe he went to a better place than where we all are." Peter said and all nodded.

"As shocking as it sounds, I'm gonna miss him." Tony said.

"Yeah, it feels like we are all connected to him somehow." Natasha said as all wondered.

"Excelsior!" They all said together to him in goodbye.

**Tony and Steve walked together in disguise as Tony asked if Steve was actually born here and he said the idea of him was.**

"Yes, the idea was." Bucky said.

**Tony asked where they would hide the Teserract and Steve said in plain sight as they noticed Howard Stark and Edwin Jarvis entering a doorway.**

"Dad." Tony said with a lump in his throat as Pepper held his hand while Bucky sighed guiltily.

**Tony scanned the doorway with his glasses to see an elevator and then they walked into it with a dark-skinned woman who was reading a file and looking at them suspiciously. Tony walked out, wishing 'captain' luck on his mission as Steve wished 'doctor' luck on his project. **

"Now you're the doctor." Bruce said to Tony as all chuckled.

**The woman asked if Steve was new and he said not exactly as she shot him a weird look and he walked out.**

"She knows you two are up to something." Scott said to them and they nodded.

**Tony ran to where he knew the Teserract was kept, using his glasses to scan all the containers before eventually finding the Teserract in one. He used his Gauntlet to laser it open and taking it out, put it in a case.**

"At long last!" Loki said as all sighed in relief.

"So now we have 5." Hope said.

"One more to go." Hill added.

**Then Howard Stark spotted him when he arrived to look for Arnim Zola.**

"Uh-oh." Rhodes said.

"Dad saw me." Tony whispered in a thick voice as Pepper held his hand and all watched him in sympathy.

"Dad, I know it's hard, but watching what happens can make you feel better." Morgan assured.

"Really?" He asked.

"Really." She said.

**Tony started walking away as Howard said the door was the other way. Tony walked to him as Howard asked if he'd seen Dr. Zola and Tony said he hadn't seen a soul. Howard asked if he knew him and Tony said he was a visitor from MIT, showing a fake ID. **

"MIT. It's not much." Tony said and all rolled their eyes good-naturedly.

**Howard asked if he'd a name and Tony said his name was Howard. He then added it was Howard Potts.**

"Howard Potts?!" Pepper asked in shock and amusement as all found it a bit funny.

"Hi, I am Howard Potts." Tony said jokingly as he gave Rhodey a hand.

Rhodes shook it and said, "I'm Doctor Drake Ramoray."

Everyone laughed at the Friends reference.

**Tony shook Howard's hand as Howard told him to shake and not pull.**

"I remember that." Steve said fondly.

**Noticing Tony's expression, Howard said he looked a little green around the gills.**

"He is a hard man to fool." Fury said and all nodded.

**Tony said he was fine and just had gone long hours. Howard asked if he wanted to get some air and he said it'd be swell as they started walking out and Howard picked his briefcase for him, giving it to him.**

"So you left it on purpose for Howard to return." Clint noted, "Smart."

Tony nodded.

**Hank Pym was in his lab, working with his Ant-Man helmet next to him when he got a call from 'Captain Stevens' from shipping who said they had the package.**

"There's my dad." Hope said, "So young."

"And his helmet is there too." Scott pointed at it.

"The original Ant-Man." Cassie reminded.

**Steve said they couldn't bring the package as some men had opened it and felt sick. Hank angrily bolted out of the office, pushing people away.**

"No offense, but he is kind of unpleasant." Lila said to Hope who sighed, knowing she had a point.

**Steve snuck into the lab and picked up some Pym Particles. **

"Now you got it." Sam said to Steve.

"Sorry Hope." He said to Hope who shrugged.

"Now he apologized to me." She said to Hill who groaned.

**Tony and Howard were in the lift as Tony noted the flower and sauerkraut and asked if Howard had a date and he said his wife was expecting. Tony congratulated him.**

"Now I'm congratulating my dad for having me." Tony said, "Never thought that'd happen."

"Back to the Future may not be accurate but now it's kind of like that." Scott said and all nodded.

**Tony held the flowers for him as he asked how far along was she and he said she couldn't stand the sound of his chewing now so he'd have to eat in the pantry.**

Everyone chuckled as Pepper asked, "Was I like that?"

"Much worse." Morgan said and she groaned while all chuckled.

**Tony said he had a little girl and Howard said a girl would be nice as she would turn out less like him.**

"You turned out like grandpa but a bit better." Morgan said to Tony, "You learnt to be a better dad than him."

Tony smiled and nodded in appreciation.

**Tony asked what was so bad about that and Howard said the greater good rarely outweighed his own self-interest.**

"Both of us are futurists." Tony sighed and Pepper held his hand.

**Steve was sneaking around when he noticed the woman from earlier telling two guards about him and Tony, saying one of them had a hippie beard like Mungo Jerry.**

"What the hell?!" Tony asked in shock and bewilderment as he touched his beard while everyone else burst out laughing, "Mungo Jerry? Really?!"

"She's got a point." May said and all laughed more while Tony looked indignant.

"And hippie!" Rhodes added and the laughter increased.

"Just wait, Doctor Ramoray, I will write the next episode of 'Days of our Lives.'" Tony said to Rhodes as the laughter increased even more.

**Steve hid in an office where he noticed a picture of him before the Super Soldier Serum. He then noticed an older Peggy talking to someone and looked at her with sadness on his face.**

"You still miss her, don't you?" Natasha asked comfortingly.

"Yeah." Steve said, "But I know we can't be together."

The future people exchanged grim looks at that. Steve wouldn't be pleased when he would see what his future self did.

**Tony and Howard walked out as Tony asked where he was with names and Howard said they were thinking Elmonzo for a boy.**

"Elmonzo Edward Stark." Tony said, "More like E.E. Stark."

"Double E. Stark." Sam joked and all laughed.

"Good thing that didn't happen." Morgan said and all chuckled and nodded.

**Howard asked if Tony was nervous when he had a kid and he said wildly. Howard asked if he felt qualified, like if he could operate on that thing.**

"Wow!" A bewildered Tony said. His father so involved in work he was talking about a baby in terms of a machine.

"Yeah. We all have our flaws." Pepper assured and he nodded.

**Tony said he pieced it together as he went along as Howard said his old man had no problem he couldn't solve with a belt.**

Everyone looked at Howard in sympathy, knowing how much he had suffered. And in spite of that, risen to greatness.

"That's why he kept his distance." Tony said sadly, "He didn't want to turn out like his dad so he tried to be indifferent."

Pepper held his hand for comfort as Morgan gave him a reassuring smile and he nodded gratefully.

**Tony said he'd thought his dad was tough on him and occasionally dropped the odd pearl. Howard asked like what and Tony quoted him, ""No amount of money ever bought a second of time."" **

"Yes, he used to say that back then too." Steve said fondly as all smiled.

"He was a smart guy." Tony said, "If flawed. I miss him."

"I'm sorry." Bucky said apologetically.

"It's not your fault. It's Hydra." Tony said, forgiving Bucky at last and all felt the atmosphere in the room get happier.

"Thank you." Bucky said gratefully as he smiled at him.

**Howard said he was a smart guy and Tony said he had done his best. Howard said the kid wasn't even here and there he was nothing he wouldn't do for him.**

"I know dad. I know." Tony smiled, feeling better now.

**Howard then moved to his car as Tony noticed Steve and gestured he had the Teserract. Howard said it was good to meet him and Tony said everything would be all right before hugging him to his shock, "Thank you for everything...you've done for this country."**

"For everything you've done." Tony said with a few tears in his eyes as Pepper held his hand while Rhodes put a hand on his shoulder and Morgan gave him a reassuring look.

Everyone felt good for Tony. Now he had worked things out with his father at last.

**Tony walked to Steve as Howard asked Jarvis if they had met the guy and Jarvis said he met a lot of people. Howard said he looked familiar but the beard was weird.**

Everyone laughed as Tony asked, "What is wrong with my beard?"

"Hippie!" Bruce teased and he groaned.

"Anyone heard Black Sabbath's 'Iron Man' song?" Clint asked and Tony raised his hand along with several others except Peter.

"Kid, improve your taste." Benjamin said to his younger self who looked sheepish but nodded.

"You remember the line- 'When he travelled time, for the future of mankind?'" Clint asked and everyone's eyes lit up.

"So Iron Man travelled time with others for the future of mankind." Pepper said proudly while Tony smirked. He had no idea such a dark song could be referred to in a hopeful way too.

**In Sanctuary II, 2014 Nebula threw 2023 Nebula down as she told Gamora she could stop this as she wanted to. She asked if Gamora knew what Thanos did to her to get the Soul Stone. 2014 Nebula shut her up by kicking her down, saying she disgusted her.**

"The desire to please her father is strong." Scarlet Witch said and all nodded.

**2014 Nebula then said 2023 Nebula wasn't useless as she took out her knife and cut off some armor plating. She then walked to Thanos on his throne, asking how she looked as she held out the Pym Particle for him.**

"Oh no, no, no, no, no." Rhodes said as all paled.

"Now he is going to send her as his spy." Fury said.

"And she will bring them all to our timeline." Steve said grimly as the atmosphere dropped instantly.

The future people knew it was about to get even worse.

**Natasha and Clint arrived at Vormir as Clint said it would be awesome under different circumstances. They trekked through Vormir as Natasha complained the raccoon wouldn't have to climb a mountain. Clint said he wasn't a raccoon technically and she countered by saying he ate garbage.**

All laughed at that.

**Then the Red Skull appeared, announcing, "Welcome. Natasha, Daughter of Ivan. Clint, Son of Edith." They took their weapons out in defense.**

"Ivan?" Natasha whispered as all looked at her, "I-I never knew his name."

"I'm sorry." Steve said apologetically as Bucky held her hand and all watched her sadly.

**Schmidt said he was their guide for the Soul Stone. Natasha said he could tell them where it was and they'd be on their way. He whispered something in German before revealing his face, saying if only it were that easy.**

And then everyone paled as they remembered the condition at last, the denial fading away.

"No." Bucky whispered.

"A soul for a soul." Thor remembered as everyone felt pits in their stomachs.

"Which means…." Loki trailed off as looks of horror crossed everyone's faces.

"No, no, no, no, no." Steve was saying to himself in disbelief.

"Why does this thing even have a condition?" Tony asked angrily, feeling helpless as all put hands to their mouths.

"Nat….." Clint trailed off as he looked at her.

"Clint…" She whispered to him.

Lila looked at them both with tears in their eyes, not able to control herself and now everyone knew what was going to go down.

"No!" Steve snapped and put his head in his hands as Peter and Wanda tried to control their tears.

"The guy had to have made it up to screw with people." Sam said about Schmidt, trying to put blame on someone due to his grief at the impending deaths of one of Clint or Natasha.

"**What you seek lies in front of you...as does what you fear." Schmidt said as he led them to the cliff, "The Stone is down there. For one of you. For the other..." He trailed off as Natasha and Clint realized what he was saying, "In order to take the Stone, you must lose that which you love. An everlasting exchange. A soul, for a soul."**

"Why is it everlasting?" Bruce moaned.

"To make people understand the consequences of power." Odinson simply said, "And the Soul Stone is different from others."

"That thing is evil then!" Scott snapped angrily.

"I wish things were that simple, dad." Cassie said with quivering lips.

**Natasha was sitting down later as Clint sarcastically waved to Schmidt. He told Natasha Schmidt was making this shit up but she said he was right. Clint asked if it was because he knew her daddy's name but she said she didn't know it either.**

All watched the screen sadly.

**Natasha remembered Thanos had left with the Soul Stone but not Gamora which couldn't be a coincidence. She looked at a picture of Bucky and herself, taken in Wakanda, when things were simpler and they were happier. Putting it inside, she said, "Whatever it takes." **

Bucky paled as he held Natasha's hand while grateful she had held onto that picture the entire time.

"Please…" Clint begged her.

"We have to bring them all back." Natasha said to him.

"But we can't lose you." Steve said, trying to wipe his tears, "Any of you."

"**Whatever it takes." Clint said too. Natasha walked to him and said billions of people would stay dead if they didn't get the Stone. Clint said then they both knew who it was gotta be. Natasha said they did and as they held hands, Clint realized they meant different people.**

"You think I'll let you die?" Natasha asked incredulously.

"Why are you doing this?" Clint asked, not wanting her to die while Bucky was panting, knowing he wouldn't be able to handle it. No one would.

"For us." Lila said with tears in her eyes.

"**For the last five years I've been trying to do one thing: Get to right here." Natasha told Clint, "That's all it's been about. Bringing everybody back." Clint said, "Oh, don't you get all decent on me now." "What, you think I wanna do it?" She asked, "I'm trying to save your life, you idiot."**

"I didn't ask for you to!" Clint snapped as Wanda held his hand.

"A friend never has to ask." Natasha said, trying to keep emotion out of her voice.

"**Yeah well, I don't want you to, because I..." Clint trailed off, "Natasha, you know what I've done. You know what I've become."**

"You knew what I did. Yet you gave me a chance." Natasha reminded Clint in a quivering voice as Clint had tears in his eyes. So did Steve, Bucky, Tony, Wanda, Peter and Lila. The others were watching with hearts beating against their chests.

"**I don't judge people on their worst mistakes." She said to him. "Maybe you should." He told her guiltily. "You didn't." She reminded.**

"Maybe I should have so this doesn't happen!" Clint said, not wanting to see her die.

**Clint said she was a pain in his ass as they held hands and touched their heads. He said she won. They were like that for a few seconds before he suddenly flipped her to the ground and said, "Tell my family I love them."**

"I won't. You will." Natasha said as all watched with heavy hearts, knowing something was going to happen now.

**Natasha flipped him down and said, "You tell them yourself." She fired her Widow's Bite, sending shocks through him and ran off.**

"Damn that thing!" Clint said as all paled.

**Then Clint recovered and fired an explosive arrow next to her, sending her down. He threw off his bow and ran to the cliff, jumping off. At the last moment, Natasha grabbed onto him and used a grappling hook to leave them both hanging. She was below him as he held on.**

"Why couldn't you have just let me go?" Clint asked with tears.

"Because she wanted you to come back to us." Lila said with tears of her own as she got up from her chair and walked next to him, both of them hugging each other with tears in their eyes.

"Nat…" Bucky trailed off, words failing him as there was a lump in his throat.

"For you." She whispered to him and he hugged her with tears in his eyes as she hugged him back. Steve was still trying to wipe his face. Fury's façade was close to breaking at this point. Hill looked devastated too. She and Natasha had been friends at least. Not best friends, but good friends.

"**Damn you!" Clint whispered as he held onto her. "Let me go." She whispered.**

"Don't let go!" Clint urged his on-screen self.

"**No." He begged, "Please, no." She whispered in an assuring tone, "It's okay."**

"It's not!" Bucky said.

"**Please..." Clint begged when Natasha let go. "NAT!" He screamed in horror. A second later, Natasha's broken and bleeding body was shown on the ground.**

"NO!" Bucky screamed and in his shock, he grabbed Natasha's hand so hard it broke.

"AH!" Natasha screamed and he let go as he turned to her, seeing her hold her hand in pain.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" He said apologetically as he held her hands with guilt on his face.

"It's all right." She said as she winced.

"You…..did it…for everyone…." Steve struggled to speak coherently as he broke down in that moment while Sam put a hand on his shoulder, tears in his own eyes as he looked at Natasha.

"Why? Why did you have to jump?" Clint asked. He knew the answer already but he was just asking it out of grief.

Natasha started, "Clint…"

She was cut off as Clint got off his chair and grabbed her in a hug so tight she was being suffocated, "I'm sorry….I'm sorry…Please don't go."

She hugged him back, trying to breathe as she said, "I won't."

Wanda and Peter were crying at this point with May trying to comfort Peter as Benjamin and Scarlet Witch had tears in their eyes too.

"You didn't even hesitate…" Bruce said to himself, grief getting to him.

Tony wasn't speaking a word, just looking between Natasha and the screen with eyes wide in disbelief as he put a hand on his head and tried to wipe any tears that were forming. Pepper held his hand, horrified and saddened herself.

Even Vision's eyes had widened in horror as he felt sad at her death.

Morgan, Cassie and Logan were just watching the screen sadly as Thor said to her, "I should have been at Vormir."

"Don't say that!" She said to him.

"I wanted to save you." Odinson told her, remembering his outburst after her death.

"You wiped the red in your ledger." Loki said to her, respect shining in his eyes. And even he looked saddened.

Scott and Hope were holding each other's hands for comfort. The recordings had made them like Natasha very much so seeing her go was a very, very bitter pill to swallow.

Hill had a hand on her mouth.

No one noticed Fury wiping a tear from his eye.

"My hand." Natasha reminded and Clint let go.

"Come on, Auntie Nat, we'll get it patched up." Lila said as she got off her chair and led her away while Steve, Bucky and Clint went with them.

"I-I-I-I-I…." Tony trailed off and broke down as Pepper held him for comfort, crying herself.

The others were too numb to talk. Everyone was affected by her death.

* * *

Lila and Steve bandaged Natasha's hand as Lila said, "I missed you, Auntie Nat. Every day."

She turned to Clint, "And you were never the same after her death."

"You gave your life so others could live." Steve said through a veil of tears, "No one can thank you enough."

"They don't have to." Natasha said.

"I do." Bucky told her, "You did this for me. For us all. Without asking for anything in return."

"You deserved better." Clint said to her, "After everything you've been through, you deserved much better."

"That's why we are here." Lila said, "So you all can get much better than you got."

"And it's done." Steve said as the bandaging was finished and Natasha looked at her bandaged hand.

"I'm sorry." Bucky said guiltily.

"It's all right. You didn't mean to." Natasha said before joking, "It just shows how much you love me."

Everyone gave watery chuckles and then all four of them embraced Natasha with tears in their eyes, grateful to her for what she did but devastated by it too. Natasha closed her eyes and hugged them back as tears rolled down her cheeks too.

* * *

After about 5 minutes, Steve, Natasha, Clint, Bucky and Lila returned and took their seats, still wiping some tears.

All of them wanted to say something but they were too saddened to discuss anything.

"I'll just….continue." Logan sighed before unpausing the recording.

**A bright light shone and later, Clint woke up in water. He looked around, panting heavily before noticing the Soul Stone in his hand. Seeing that, he sobbed bitterly, hitting the water angrily.**

"That thing!" Clint said with venom in his voice as all had lumps in their throats still.

**Everyone returned through the Quantum Realm to the Compound and took off their suits as Bruce realized they had got them all and Rhodes was shocked in a good way that it worked. Then Bruce asked Clint where Nat was. Clint's expression was all everyone needed to know as Bruce gasped softly while Steve and Clint exchanged a look and Steve lowered his head, trying not to break down. Bruce angrily punched the ground.**

Everyone flinched at their on-screen selves' reactions.

**Later, the other five original Avengers stood near the water, trying to come to terms with Natasha's death. "Do we know if she had family?" Tony asked in a voice that was barely a whisper. "Yeah." Steve said, "Us."**

"It was always you guys." Natasha said with a lump in her throat as the others tried to control their tears.

"**What?" Thor asked as he walked to Tony. Tony said, "I just asked him a question..." Thor, still in disbelief, cut him off, "Yeah, you're acting like she's dead. Why are we acting like she's dead? We have the Stones, right? As long as we have the Stones, Cap, we can bring her back, isn't that right? So stop this shit. We're the Avengers, get it together." Clint said sadly, "We can't get her back." "Wha- what?" Thor slurred. Clint let the harsh reality sink in for both himself and Thor, "It can't be undone. It can't."**

"An everlasting exchange." Odinson recalled sadly as all sighed.

**Thor laughed, "I'm sorry. No offense, but you're a very earthly being. Okay? We're talking about space magic. And "can't" seems very definite don't you think?" "Look, I know that I'm way outside my paygrade here." Clint started, "But she still isn't here, is she?" Thor started, "Now that's my point. "It can't be undone." Clint said again before snapping angrily, "Or that's at least what the red floating guy had to say. Maybe you wanna go talk to him? Okay? Go grab your hammer, and you go fly and you talk to him."**

Everyone flinched, never having seen Clint this angry ever. But he had lost Natasha. What could he do now?

**Thor looked guilty as Steve looked up with a tear rolling down his cheek. "It was supposed to be me." Clint cried.**

"Don't say that." Natasha said, trying not to cry herself.

"I'm sorry." Odinson apologized to Clint and Natasha for his behavior in the recording.

They waved him away.

"**She sacrificed her life for that goddamned Stone. She bet her life on it." Clint said. Bruce angrily ripped out a bench and threw it into the water.**

Bruce's reaction only increased the gloomy atmosphere as Bruce's lip quivered.

**Turning around, Bruce said, "She's not coming back."**

"Fuck the Soul Stone!" Clint snapped angrily and Wanda had to grasp his hand to start calming him down.

**Bruce told everyone, "We have to make it worth it. We have to." Steve got up, recovering himself and masking his emotions said, "We will."**

"They all made sure it wasn't in vain." Scarlet Witch told Natasha.

"Then that's all that matters." Natasha said.

"Don't say that, please." Bucky said as the two held each other.

**Later, Tony, Bruce and Rocket worked together to make the bots attach the Stones to the newly made Nano-Gauntlet. Tony still looked like he was trying to stop himself from crying. Soon, the Stones were assembled together in the Nano-Gauntlet.**

"Did we make it?" Tony asked, trying to get his mind off of Natasha's death.

"Yeah." Morgan said, "The Nano-Gauntlet."

"**Boom!" Rocket said, startling the other two and then chuckled mischievously.**

Everyone gave watery chuckles. It was clear he was only trying to cheer them up with a prank.

**Later, all of them stood together as Rocket said the Gauntlet was finished and the question was who snapped their fingers. Thor stepped up, saying he would do it as Steve and Tony tried to stop him, saying they hadn't decided who was gonna put it on. Thor asked if they were waiting for an opportunity, saying staring at the thing won't bring everyone back. "I'm the strongest Avenger, okay?" He said, "So this responsibility falls upon me. It's my duty."**

"Your mental state isn't right for snapping." Loki pointed out and Thor nodded.

"Tell that to him." Thor said.

"They tried. I didn't listen." Odinson said, "I could have snapped. But I might have made it worse due to everything going on in my head."

"So who does it?" Tony asked.

"Just watch." Benjamin said.

"**Just let me. Just let me do it. Just let me do something good. Something great." Thor begged.**

"Or something even worse." Odinson whispered sadly as Thor sighed while Loki put a hand on his shoulder.

**Tony said the glove was channeling enough energy to light up a continent and he was in no condition to do it. Thor asked what he thought was flowing through his veins right now. Rhodes jokingly asked if it was cheese whiz.**

"Dude!" Tony snapped at Rhodes as all glared at him and he raised his hands.

"I'm sorry. That was way out of line." He said apologetically to Thor and Odinson and they nodded, accepting it.

**Thor said it was lightning when Bruce said, "Lightning won't help you, pal. It's gotta be me. You saw what those Stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him. None of you could survive." Steve asked, "How do we know you will?" Bruce walked to the glove and looking at it said, "I don't. But the radiation's mostly gamma. It's like...I was meant for this."**

"So you snapped." Natasha said as she turned to Bruce.

"Looks like it." Bruce said.

"And it had hurt like hell." Scarlet Witch remembered his charred arm.

"Oh it sure would have." Bruce said.

"So you snapped us all back to life then." Peter realized and all who had been snapped away looked at him gratefully. He simply nodded humbly.

**Outside, 2014 Nebula walked to the machine and using her cybernetics, hacked into it.**

"Oh no." Rhodes said as all paled.

"She is bringing him here." Steve said.

**Bruce looked at the glove as Tony reminded him to bring back everyone Thanos had snapped 5 years ago and not change anything else. "Got it." Bruce said. Steve raised his shield as Scott and Rhodes shut the visors on their suits while Thor put an arm in front of Rocket to protect him and Tony put on his Iron Man Armor: Mark LXXXV. He also formed a shield, putting Clint behind him and said, "Friday, do me a favor and activate protocol 8." "Yes, boss." FRIDAY said as all the doors and windows were shut and barred. Bruce looked at the Gauntlet and said, "Everybody comes home."**

"Here goes." Bruce said as all tensed.

**He then slowly put on the Gauntlet and immediately screamed in pain as energy surged through him. Thor told him to take it off as Steve asked if he was all right and Tony asked to talk to him. Bruce assured he was okay.**

"You don't look like it." Clint said.

"I have to do it." Bruce said.

"Good luck." Scott said and he nodded.

**Outside, 2014 Nebula pressed some commands and a gateway was opened from 2014. The Sanctuary II flew through the Quantum Realm at atomic size before flying out, enlarging to its regular size as it shattered the ceiling above.**

"Shit!" Sam said as all paled.

"Now he has to mess it up." Pepper groaned.

"Too badly." Morgan whispered so only she could hear.

**Bruce panted heavily and yelled before raising his hand and snapping his fingers.**

"YES!" Peter said as all cheered a little, though it was rather restrained as the shadow of Natasha's death still loomed over them.

"We did it." Bruce whispered.

**Bruce fell down as the Gauntlet fell off his hand and Clint kicked it away while Tony used his suit's mechanism to cool down his now charred arm. As the doors and windows started opening, Bruce asked if it worked and Thor said they weren't sure but told him to take it easy. Scott walked to the window when Clint heard his cell phone vibrate. He walked to it and was shocked to see Laura's picture on the screen.**

Clint put a hand on his mouth, trying not to cry out of joy as Natasha gave him a smile.

"I remember that day." Lila remembered, "The house was covered in cobwebs. But the phone was still there for some reason. Mom was shocked to see the year on it."

"It worked!" May said happily as all sighed in relief, very briefly letting their minds off Natasha's death, including Natasha herself.

**Clint picked up the phone and said in a heavy voice, "Honey?" "Clint?" She asked. "Honey?" He said again.**

"It worked. They are all back." Clint said in a voice that was a mix of a laugh and a sob.

Scott and Hope gave each other smiles as May and Peter embraced each other while Clint held Wanda's hand.

**Scott noticed birds chirping outside as the sun shone a bit brighter and he said, "Guys…..I think it worked!"**

"There's some good in this world. And it's worth fighting for." Scott said as all nodded, knowing he was right.

**Then Bruce looked up to see the Sanctuary II as it rained fire down on them. Scott was sent flying off but shrunk just as the blast hit him while Rhodes, Bruce and Rocket were thrown down when the floor below them shattered. All of them were thrown around as the entire Avengers Compound was blown to bits, the only thing left of it being rubble. **

"No." Steve whispered in horror as all paled and their breaths became hoarse. The Avengers Compound had been like a home to them. And now this monster had destroyed it all and reduced it to rubble.

"We won't let him off this time." Thor snarled.

"No bub. You won't." Logan said.

**Rhodes and Rocket were trapped under rubble with water flowing around as Bruce held up the collapsing building to save the other two.**

"Okay, that's a lot of strength." An impressed Cassie noted as all watched.

"Being Bruce and Hulk in one won't reduce his strength." Hill pointed out.

**Rhodes said 'Canopy' 3 times and his suit opened as he fell out while Rocket was trapped under rubble. As Bruce held up the collapsing building, Rhodes crawled to where Rocket was and using a rod, lifted the rubble, helping him out. Water was falling on them from above due to the attack.**

"Now what?" Hope asked.

"Now it gets worse." Lila said.

**Rhodes and Rocket lay down when Bruce called out to them and they saw water rushing towards them as a flood.**

"Shit!" Sam said as all paled at what was happening.

"He hit us right where we live right after we were at our most relaxed." Tony groaned.

"Which is why he is such a cunning opponent." Odinson pointed out.

**Scott woke up and pushing rubble off him, heard Rhodes' 'Mayday' as he asked if anybody copied. "Wait! I'm here! I'm here, can you hear me?" Scott asked as he tapped his earpiece.**

"Now dad is about to do something." Cassie smirked.

"Will it give me fans?" Scott asked jokingly.

"Everyone in this room are your fans." Steve said and all nodded while he smiled in appreciation.

**Clint woke up, pushing rubble off him and switched on his gauntlet's light, walking around. He saw the Gauntlet nearby and picked it up.**

"That!" Bucky said and all groaned.

**Then he head a growl.**

"Are those…..?" Rhodes trailed off in horror.

"Yes." Scarlet Witch said and all groaned.

**Clint fired a light arrow in the direction, illuminating several Outriders. Picking up the Gauntlet, he ran as they all chased him.**

"Run faster, Clint." T'Challa said.

"I'm trying!" Clint said.

**The Sanctuary II beamed Thanos down as 2014 Nebula walked to him. "Daughter." He said. "Yes father." She said as she walked to him. "So this is the future." Thanos noted and said, "Well done." "Thank you father." She said as she ripped the plating off and threw it away, "They suspected nothing." "The arrogant never do." Thanos said as he planted the Thanoscopter in the ground and put his helmet on it.**

"We're arrogant? We're arrogant?" Sam asked angrily as all glared at him.

"He is getting overconfident." Fury noted and all nodded.

**Sitting down he said, "Go. Find the Stones. Bring them to me." "What will you do?" She asked. "Wait." He said as she walked away.**

"For us." Steve noted grimly as all tensed.

**Up in the Sanctuary II, 2014 Gamora looked down in horror and walked to where 2023 Nebula was held prisoner, asking, "Tell me something. In the future, what happens to you and me?" Nebula looked up and said, "I tried to kill you. Several times. But eventually, we become friends." She added firmly, "We become sisters."**

"Very close sisters." Thor said as all watched.

**Gamora walked to her and giving her a hand and said, "Come on. We can stop him." Nebula grasped her hand and both walked together.**

"Bet Thanos didn't see that coming." Wanda used her brother's words as all smirked.

"Now what?" Peter wondered.

"Now we fight Thanos." Odinson said and all tensed, knowing this was the fight of their lives. The Battle of Earth. No, not just the Earth, but the Universe.

With that in their minds, they continued watching.

* * *

**And there we go. **

**Natasha's death and the reactions were near impossible to write with how emotional and personal it was. I had to take a lunch break while writing it to distract myself. And then listen to a bunch of romantic songs in my mother tongue before coming back to finish it up.**

**The picture of Bucky was my own little WinterWidow addition on Chaos Sorcerer's suggestion (Thanks bro!). Hope no one minded it much.**

**The deleted scene of Natasha's death was so terrible. I really, really hated it and I'm so glad they changed it for this one. A wise decision.**

**Next two chapters cover the big fight and then another chapter for the aftermath. **

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	105. Avengers Assemble!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**And here, at last we reach the moment everyone had been waiting for! Hope everyone enjoys!**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, the big fight is coming up soon. Yeah, Steve sure did. And Hill would XD. You will see the reactions. And glad you loved the Friends reference. Oh yeah, Odinson sure would. Sorry about that on Cap and Skull. Like I said, trying to lighten the mood. Thanks. Glad it was savage and nicely done. The Guest review was insulting me for my opinion on Tony's rant. It said- 'Hydra-like and out of line. What are you, five?' If that's all these idiots can say, they should just fuck off of not only this story, but this site as well. Yeah I did use your idea. Thanks. Glad I managed to recreate the emotions from the sacrifice. Yeah, Howard was a far worse workaholic than Tony and not as good as dad but he tried his best and that scene sure was beautiful. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm checking it out tomorrow for sure. And glad you enjoyed the lyrics of the song in conjunction with this. Thanks. I actually figured out another connection between the song and the movie which I'll share in my A/N down below. And yeah, the lines will be thought of. My jaw dropped too. Speaking of what you said about Odin's words, there's a tribute to Cap on YouTube called 'Steve Rogers- End of Line' by Jds Edits in which this happens. You'll love it. The thumbnail for the video is Old Steve giving Sam the shield. And yeah, so many awesome Cap moments to look forward to now. Yes, they ruined all of his character development with that ending. I'm gonna have Steve be pissed at his future self. Actually, I'm ending it on the epic moment. Because I want one chapter called 'Avengers Assemble!' and another called 'And I am Iron Man.' Yeah, I'd love the TV characters and I'm gonna make a joke about it. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Guest: Thanks for the review. That makes sense on Hank. You got a point on Jarvis too there and I could have done it. But with everything I had to cover, it slipped out. Glad it was great.**

Chapter 105- Avengers Assemble!

"So how do we beat him now?" Tony wondered.

"Together." Steve said as he and Tony shared a look.

"Yes. Only together can we do it." Thor said too.

The future people knew what the price of victory had been as they exchanged grim looks.

**Tony walked through the remains of the Compound before finding the unconscious Steve, "Come on, buddy. Wake up." Steve gasped as he woke up and Tony said, "That's my man." Holding out the shield, he said, "You lose this again, I'm keeping it."**

Everyone chuckled as Sam wondered, "Captain Iron Man."

"**What happened?" Steve asked as he looked around. "We messed with time. It tends to mess back." Tony said as he helped Steve up, "You'll see."**

"Yeah. It does tend to mess back." Hope mused.

"Let's talk about time travel movies later." Scott said and she nodded as all watched, tense.

**Thor was standing at an opening in the rubble and they walked next to him to see Thanos sitting on a rock, fiddling with a stone with the Thanoscopter planted next to him and his helmet on it. "What's he been doing?" Tony asked. "Absolutely nothing." Thor said.**

"Waiting." Thor said.

"To spring his trap." Loki added.

"**Where are the Stones?" Steve asked. "Lost somewhere under all this." Tony said, "All I know is he doesn't have 'em." "So we keep it that way." Steve said.**

"You will have to." Sam said grimly.

"I have them right now." Clint muttered.

"So Nebula will be after you." Natasha realized.

"**You know it's a trap, right?" Thor asked. "Yeah..." Tony said, "I don't much care."**

"Now the only thing to be done is fight." Bucky said.

"And end him." Bruce added and all nodded.

"**Good." Thor said, "Just as long as we're all in agreement."**

"I'm sure we are." Odinson said and all tensed, knowing the biggest fight ever was coming.

"The bastard is now facing the big three of the Avengers." Logan said.

"I can't wait to see it!" Peter said excitedly.

"For the fate of the Universe." Benjamin reminded and Peter deflated.

"Which means no mistakes." T'Challa said.

"They won't fail Earth. They are Earth's Mightiest Heroes." Fury reminded and all nodded.

**Thor then raised both his hands as lightning flashed in his eyes and cracked in the sky darkened by the explosion's smoke. And then Stormbreaker flew into his right hand and Mjolnir into his left as lightning emanated from him while his beard turned into a kempt one and his armor formed around him along with his cape.**

Everyone clapped and cheered happily as Loki said, "Now my brother has returned at last."

"My best moment in this recording." Odinson shrugged.

"I hope this works." Thor whispered.

"It will." Hill assured him.

"It has to." Hope said.

"Thanos is no slouch either." Scarlet Witch reminded and the atmosphere grew tenser.

"**Let's kill him** **properly this time." Thor said.**

"So that he never comes back." Morgan sneered.

**The three marched towards him as one, slowly spreading out to surround him. Thanos looked at them and announced, "You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me."**

"But you're the one who came to them." Lila said angrily as all glared at him.

"He considers himself to be a harbinger of fate, remember?" Rhodes reminded and all nodded.

**The three slowly surrounded Thanos as he said, "I thought by eliminating half of life, the other half would thrive. But you've shown me, that's impossible."**

"Because the other half won't thrive." Morgan sneered as all glared more.

"His narrow mind doesn't get that." Wanda reminded and all nodded.

"**And as long as there are those that remember what was, there will always be those that are unable to accept what can be." Thanos announced, "They will resist."**

"Yep. We're all kinds of stubborn." Morgan said.

"**Yep. We're all kinds of stubborn." Tony said.**

"You repeated her." Pepper joked to lighten the mood but it didn't work.

"**I'm thankful. Because now, I know what I must do." Thanos said as he threw the rock away.**

"What?" Scott asked, dread filling him.

"**I will shred this universe down to its last atom." Thanos said as he stood up and took his helmet from the top of his sword, putting it on, "And then...With the Stones you've collected for me, create a new one." He picked up his Thanoscopter and said, "Teeming with life, that knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given."**

"He wants people to worship him as a God in this new Universe!" Hope said in dread as all paled and glared.

"That's worse than even me." Loki commented.

"**A grateful universe." Thanos said.**

"Only because they don't know their God is a daughter-killing bastard." Clint said angrily as all tensed up.

"**Born out of blood." Steve pointed out.**

"He doesn't care about that." Natasha said and the disgust increased.

"**They'll never know it." Thanos said as he prepared to fight all three of them at once, "Because you won't be alive to tell them."**

"Because it will never happen." Steve said firmly and all watched the screen determinedly.

**Thor bellowed a war cry as he and his weapons flashed with lightning while Tony formed a blade with his suit and jumped at Thanos who deflected with his sword, throwing him down as he rolled and recovered before Thanos deflected Steve's shield which he had thrown as well back at him and dodged Mjolnir thrown at him by Thor and then smacked Steve away by hitting his shield while Tony flew up before he kicked Thor away into a rock and Tony fired his repulsors which he blocked with his sword.**

"And so begins the biggest fight of the Universe." Fury announced as all watched with wide eyes and pale faces. They couldn't make any mistakes or afford to be tardy. Because if they did, Thanos would slaughter them all and create a new Universe which would worship him as their God.

No one commented, too absorbed in what was happening to do so.

**Bruce held up the collapsing building as Rhodes said he'd see him on the other side and Rocket whimpered.**

"No else is dying today." Tony said firmly while Morgan winced, trying not to cry while Cassie put a hand on her shoulder.

**Scott floated on debris, saying he was coming and leaping off some kind of lever, jumped into the water.**

"You're going to save them, aren't you?" Hope asked Scott.

"Looks like it." He shrugged.

"Thanks man." Rhodes said and he nodded.

**Clint was running from the Outriders before he planted 2 explosive arrows in the walls and ran further as an explosion occurred, throwing him down and killing some. As more came at him, he fired a grapple arrow at the ceiling and was pulled up. Some of them tried to jump at him but he sliced them down with his sword, slicing one clean into two as he fell at the upper level and roared.**

"You and your sword are awesome." Peter noted as all nodded.

**Clint then lay down, tired and panting when 2014 Nebula stood over him. He thought she was on their side and handed her the Gauntlet when she told Thanos she had the Stones and pinned him down with her foot, pointing her gun at him.**

"And now I gave it to her." Clint groaned.

"You don't know there are two Nebulas." Bucky reminded, "No one does."

"**Stop." She turned to see 2014 Gamora approach her, gun out.**

"Oh boy!" Peter said as all tensed up again.

"**You're betraying us?" Nebula asked in shock. "You don't have to do this." Gamora said. "I am... this." Nebula said sadly when 2023 Nebula approached. 2014 Nebula pointed her gun at her as 2023 Nebula raised her hands and said, "No, you're not. You've seen what we become."**

"Does she want to?" Fury wondered and all noted what he had said.

"**Nebula, listen to her." Gamora urged, "You can change." "He won't let me." 2014 Nebula said in a quivering voice.**

"Asshole!" Scott snarled about Thanos as all growled.

**She was then about to shoot Gamora when 2023 Nebula shot her instead, killing her as a hole was formed in her chest.**

Everyone gasped at the scene.

"Gives an entirely new meaning to killing yourself." Tony quipped to lighten the mood but it didn't work.

**2014 Nebula was dead with a glassy look in her eyes as Clint got up and lifted the Gauntlet again.**

"We must take that thing away." Clint said and all nodded, tensing up more, knowing this was getting terrible for all involved.

**Outside, Tony landed and the back of his suit opened to reveal a new energy absorber as he said, "Okay, Thor. Hit me." Thor roared and charging both Mjolnir and Stormbreaker, hit the absorber with a huge blast of lightning, supercharging the suit as Tony fired eight overpowered repulsors at Thanos. Thanos spun the Thanoscopter fast enough to deflect them all and walked closer. Thor threw Mjolnir up and used Stormbreker to bat it at Thanos. However, Thanos grabbed Tony and lifted him up, putting him in the way. Mjolnir hit him and both Tony and the hammer were sent tumbling to the ground, with Tony out cold. "Boss, wake up!" FRIDAY said and even the AI sounded concerned.**

"Oh no!" Pepper paled as she put a hand on her mouth and held Tony's hand with her other one while he held it back tightly, watching the screen with wide eyes.

"Sorry about that." Odinson apologized to Tony.

"Me too." Thor said.

"He lifted me." Tony shrugged.

**Steve flipped and kicked Thanos' face, very slightly affecting him. Thanos then punched him as he put the shield in the way but was still sent flying back, crashing into a rock, He then threw Thanoscopter at a rushing Thor, who ducked and slid under it as Thanos caught it on return and, just in time to block Stormbreaker.**

"The God of Thunder vs. The Mad Titan." T'Challa said as all watched, praying Thor won, including Thor himself. But the future people knew what would happen.

**Thor still managed to disarm Thanos of his sword.**

"Yes!" Steve of all people cheered at this small victory and all followed, but it was rather restrained.

**Then Thanos disarmed Thor too and lifting him up by the throat, threw him into a broken tree.**

"No!" Sam yelled as the slight hope from a second earlier faded.

**Thanos punched Thor several times before tossing him into a rock on the other side, dazing him badly. He then kicked Thor on the chest and punched his face again, dazing him more as Thor bled.**

"He is killing you." A concerned Loki said as Thor watched tensely and the others did too.

"Looks like I pissed him off by killing him." Thor noted.

"Oh that we did." Odinson said.

**Thor raised his hand, summoning Stormbreaker but Thanos caught it instead and gripping the handle in one hand and the ax's head in another, attempted to drive it into Thor's chest as Thor grabbed it, desperately trying to stop it.**

"No, no, no, no, no." Loki was saying as all paled.

"I'm still here guys!" Odinson reminded but it didn't work.

"Someone save him." Hill muttered and the future people smirked, knowing her prayers were about to be answered.

**Unknown to them both, Mjolnir slowly lifted into the air a few yards away.**

No one reacted then, assuming Thor was calling it. Hidden to all, the future people smirked.

**Thanos had almost pushed Stormbreaker into Thor's chest when suddenly Mjolnir flew into him, making him stumble away and drop Stormbreaker as Mjolnir halted in its path, then reversed course and flied back over Thanos' head. Right into the hand of Steve Rogers!**

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS!" Scott cheered, fanboying as loud applause filled the entire room.

"CAP CAN LIFT IT!" Peter screamed happily and clapped loudly.

"I KNEW IT!" Thor said happily, all clapping.

"Even I did!" Loki said, clapping himself.

"The Captain is worthy." Vision simply said.

"When the time came, you finally used its power after all." Odinson said to Steve who nodded.

"That looks so epic. Like next level epic." Hill cheered and applauded before whispering to herself, "And hot."

"I always wondered. Now I don't." Fury said.

Hope was so awed she didn't even make a jibe at Hill, instead saying, "Shield and Mjolnir combo coming up!"

"Oh I feel that too." Bucky smirked as all clapped.

"And you won't be holding back." Natasha said to Steve.

"Because he doesn't have to." Sam said.

"Hulk can hang his head in shame now." Bruce joked as all laughed and the applause continued.

"Take that Thanos!" Clint said as all continued clapping.

"Someone needs to record this scene." Wanda said.

"Someone has." Scarlet Witch pointed out and she looked sheepish.

"Awesome." May said.

"I do not think Thanos would have seen that coming either." T'Challa said and all nodded.

"Nope. Not at all." Rhodes said.

"Now he knows he isn't up against unruly wretches." Logan said.

"Which is how we prove him wrong." Benjamin said.

"Yeah." Morgan agreed.

"Well, Thanos, you have really screwed up." Cassie said.

"Too much." Lila added.

"Cap." Tony said as he looked to Steve, "Congrats."

"Thank you." Steve said to him and everyone with a humble and grateful nod.

'You could have the power of the Gods!' Steve remembered Schmidt's words.

"Well, now I do." He whispered to himself.

"**I knew it!" Thor laughed happily when Thanos kicked his face into rubble.**

"Now I repeated myself." Thor joked as all chuckled.

**Steve twirled Mjolnir and the two charged each other. Steve leapt up and swung Mjolnir upwards, hitting Thanos under the chin and knocking him down into rubble.**

"How do you like that, huh?" Scott cheered as all clapped.

"You can do this!" Sam cheered for Steve.

"Oh just do it!" Tony cheered too.

"Thanos is mindblown!" Hill cheered.

**As Thanos got up, Steve threw his shield which Thanos deflected with his sword. Steve then threw Mjolnir at the shield and a loud shockwave went off, knocking Thanos to his knee.**

"WHAT A COMBO!" Hope cheered as all clapped more.

"You learnt to master it in seconds." Thor said happily as all clapped.

"That's why he is the best hand-to-hand combatant on Earth." Natasha pointed out and Steve smiled gratefully at them all.

**Steve caught Mjolnir and shield on return and leaping up, kneed Thanos back before hitting his knee with Mjolnir and following up by a shield blow to the face, before striking his face with Mjolnir twice, the second strike breaking the helmet as Thanos staggered back.**

"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Peter cheered as the clapping increased.

"KICK HIS ASS!" Wanda of all people cheered.

And then all started chanting- "Kick his ass! Kick his ass! Kick his ass!"

Steve just smiled and continued watching.

**Steve then threw the shield at Thanos, staggering him back and then batted it with Mjolnir at him, staggering him back again and catching the shield, fired a powerful lightning bolt from Mjolnir which ripped the ground and hit Thanos, throwing him down.**

"Oh yeah!" Sam cheered as all applauded more.

"Oh Thanos, you're so screwed now." Bruce smirked.

"More than he knows." Thor said.

"Oh that is true." Odinson said, remembering what was about to happen a few minutes later.

**Steve raised Mjolnir skyward and as clouds gathered, an even larger lightning bolt was summoned which struck Thanos, making him roar in pain. Steve leapt at him with Mjolnir raised but he rolled away at the last moment and picking Steve up by the throat, slammed him to the ground.**

"NO!" Scott said as the cheering stopped and all paled.

"He had to roll away!" Loki complained.

"Oh no!" Peter paled.

"Why?" Tony moaned.

"Oh no!" Hill said too.

"Yeah…that happened." Logan told everyone lamely.

**Steve rolled away and got up as Thanos picked up his sword and threw his broken helmet away. He swung but Steve blocked or dodged a few times before being stabbed in the foot. He yelled in pain but tried to strike with Mjolnir. However, Thanos grabbed Steve's wrist and stopped the strike, dropping his sword and punching Steve with his other hand, knocking Mjolnir away.**

"FUCK!" Bucky cursed as the atmosphere plummeted.

"Damn it!" Rhodes said too.

"Sorry to disappoint." Steve said to everyone.

"It's not your fault. He's too strong." Fury pointed out.

**Steve was kicked away but got up as Thanos kicked his sword into his hand. Steve raised his shield as Thanos brought the sword down on him. Steve's shield held up. But Thanos brought it up and back down on Steve's shield many times and the seemingly unbreakable shield shattered into pieces at the top.**

Steve put his hand over his head in horror and disbelief, rubbing his head as everyone else was stunned to the next level.

"WHAT? THE? HELL?!" Sam said.

"It was supposed to be unbreakable!" Tony snapped.

"Looks like it is not." A pale T'Challa said, wondering what would happen if it was his suit instead.

"Thanos' sword is made of even more powerful alien metal." Odinson told everyone.

"Even Vibranium can't stand against that." Morgan said.

"Oh no!" Steve simply said. The shield was a part of him and even though he didn't consider himself worthy of it for the time being, he missed it a lot.

Bucky and Natasha put hands on his shoulders as all watched, now even paler than before.

**Thanos then smacked Steve who put his shield in the way and he was thrown back. Steve lay on the ground, straining heavily and groaned to get up as Thanos announced, "In all my years of conquest...violence...slaughter...It was never personal.** **But I'll tell you now...what I'm about to do** **to your stubborn,** **annoying little planet...I'm gonna enjoy it.** **Very, very much." A beam shot down from the Sanctuary II and the entire Chitauri army appeared led by Ebony Maw, Corvus Glaive, Proxima Midnight and Cull Obsidian. Leviathans were flying in the air too. Some war devices were being moved by Sakaarans. Chitauri gorillas were unchained. And Outriders ran into the fray as well.**

Everyone's hearts stopped at the scene. Thor and Tony were out cold. Everyone else was trying to save themselves from the collapsing building. Steve's shield was broken and Mjolnir knocked away. He was alone and wounded. And Thanos had made it personal. What would happen now?

**Steve looked at the approaching army. He wanted so badly to just lie down and rest. But he was the last line of defense between not just Thanos and the Stones, but the Universe as well. He straightened up and tightened the remainder of his shield's strap on his arm, sealing a giant cut Thanos' sword had made. He staggered towards the limitless marching army, ready to face them all alone.**

All of them gulped on seeing that. And also looked to Steve with respect shining in their eyes. Facing the entire army alone with wounds while everyone else was down? That took courage too much to even describe.

"He can do this all day." Tony said with a smile as Steve nodded gratefully at him and they looked at the screen.

**As Steve continued marching, he suddenly heard a voice in his earpiece. "Cap?" Steve froze, "You hear me?"**

Everyone froze at that too and all turned to look at Sam who was watching the screen with wide eyes. Then they all turned to look at the screen, knowing something was coming.

"Oh boy!" was all Peter could say, with everyone trying to temper their excitement.

"It is happening." Scarlet Witch whispered with a smirk.

"**Cap, it's Sam. Can you hear me?" Sam asked again as Steve breathlessly tapped his earpiece with shaking hands. And then Sam settled a score from years ago. "On your left." Steve turned behind to his left to see a golden portal open up.**

"YES!" Sam raised his fist happily, "I DID IT! I GOT BACK AT YA! YES! ON YOUR LEFT!"

Everyone shook their heads in amusement at Sam's enthusiasm before turning to the screen again.

"It worked." Natasha smiled in joy as everyone's hearts beat against their chests, anticipation for what was coming high.

**Out of the portal walked T'Challa, Okoye and Shuri. T'Challa retracted his visor as Steve looked at the three, panting in relief. T'Challa gave him a nod.**

"You're back!" Thor said happily to T'Challa and clapped him on the back. T'Challa stared at the screen like everyone else, absorbed into the scene.

"The King has returned." Odinson smiled.

**Then Sam flew over their heads as several golden portals started opening up all around.**

"OH YEAH!" Sam cheered as all started clapping happily.

"YES! YES!" Peter was cheering.

**Thanos looked around as out of one portal flew Doctor Strange with Mantis and Drax. Drax brandished his knives as Mantis took a fighting pose while Strange summoned Tao Mandalas and Quill flew next to them, retracting his visor just as Peter swung down and standing up, retracted his mask too, revealing a smile on his face.**

"Peter!" May said happily as she hugged Peter tightly and he hugged her back happily while Logan clapped Benjamin on the shoulder who was smiling and Scarlet Witch gave him a reassuring smile too.

"Great to have you back, kid." Tony said to Peter and Benjamin who smiled at him.

"Aunt May, you're suffocating me." Peter then said and she let him go.

"Oops!" She said as all chuckled and then turned to the screen again.

**Steve smiled in relief on seeing Peter while T'Challa chanted 'Yibambe' and Okoye, Shuri and his Wakandan troops that had assembled behind him repeated.**

"Yibambe!" T'Challa said and all repeated.

**Several more portals opened as Ravager ships flew out with Ravagers coming out of several of them. Bucky and Groot walked out of another portal with several Wakandans.**

"Bucky!" Natasha said as she smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Buck!" Steve said too, clapping Bucky on the shoulder as all looked at the screen.

"Mordo was wrong about one thing." Tony suddenly popped up as all looked to him, "You can never have too many sorcerers."

All nodded and clapped at what he had said as well as the scene.

**Korg and Miek stood in front of another portal with Valkyrie on her Pegasus called Aragorn while several Asgardians stood behind them. Wanda flew down to join them.**

"Wanda!" Clint said happily and hugged her, kissing her forehead while Vision smiled at her.

Benjamin and Scarlet Witch held hands and gave each other smiles.

**Wong and other Masters of the Mystic Arts clapped their hands, forming Tao Mandalas, prepared to fight. As Ravagers and Howard the Duck marched out behind them, Hope, in her suit, suddenly enlarged, looking at them all.**

"Hope!" Scott and Cassie said the same time as Scott kissed Hope and she kissed back.

"I'm back!" She said.

"We all are!" Peter added.

"For one last fight." Bucky smirked.

**Thor summoned Stormbreaker to him and smiled happily while Tony woke up, looking around in shock. Then Pepper landed in her Rescue armor and retracted her visor, revealing her face.**

"That's my girl!" Tony cheered happily as he hugged Pepper and kissed her on the forehead, "Now we'll fight together!"

"Yes. You both fight together in this one." Morgan smiled at them as Tony let Pepper go and she smiled at them both.

"Good luck." Tony said to her.

"Good luck." Everyone else said too.

"Thank you." She nodded with a smile.

"**Is that everyone?" Strange asked Wong. "What, you wanted more?" Wong asked incredulously. **

"Oh yeah!" Hill said, "Matt, Frank, Elektra, Jessica, Luke, Danny, Colleen, Daisy, Bobbi, Hunter, Mack, Melinda and some more."

"They couldn't make it." Logan said lamely.

"Just kidding." Hill said as the recording continued.

**Then there was a crashing sound as Scott emerged from the rubble as Giant-Man and opened his fist. Bruce and Rocket jumped out while Rhodes flew out in a new War Machine suit while Rocket jumped at his shoulder and loaded his gun.**

"And you saved them!" Hope said as all clapped for Scott too.

"My moment…" Scott trailed off happily and smiled at the others in appreciation.

"Thanks mate." Rhodes said.

"Yeah me too." Bruce added.

He nodded.

**All the armies of Wakandans, Asgardians, Ravagers and Masters of the Mystic Arts roared in unison as Steve turned to look at Thanos who was watching in shock.**

"What? You thought there were only 6 of us?" Clint asked mockingly.

**Everyone got into fighting poses while Steve stepped forward. "Avengers!" He shouted and held out his hand while all looked at him and the approaching army just as Mjolnir flew into Steve's hand, "Assemble."**

For few seconds, it was silent. Then Tony started clapping, followed by Thor and Odinson and then Loki, and then Clint, Bucky and Sam (Natasha couldn't because of her injured hand) then Bruce, then Fury, then T'Challa and then everyone burst into loud applause at what they had just seen.

"Avengers have assembled." Steve smiled, "In this moment, all of us are Avengers."

"AYE!" They all said simultaneously.

**Thor bellowed, followed by T'Challa and then all charged as Rhodes flew with Rocket on him and Valkyrie too flew on her Pegasus along with Tony, Pepper, Wanda, Quill and Ravager ships as Scott ran in giant form while Peter swung from his hand. An unintimidated Thanos pointed his sword at the charging army and his army charged too. Thor continued bellowing as the armies reached closer with M'Baku roaring next to him. And then the two armies clashed, determined to end the Battle of Earth once and for all. **

There were no words. This was it at last! The fight of their lives! The battle for the fate of the Universe! And they had to fight it for the sake of everyone.

With those thoughts in mind, they continued watching.

* * *

**Done at last! This chapter had so many epic moments from the movie- The Big Three vs. Thanos, Steve wielding Mjolnir and the big one- Avengers Assemble! Hope my reactions to them were well done.**

**Also, funny story, when I was 14, I once had a dream I was Captain America. Me and the Howling Commandoes had taken down a Hydra base and were posing for a photo. When we did the salute, my hand went to my head in reality and my mother came into the room at that very moment and asked, "Why is your hand on your head? Are you sick?"**

**Okay, it was funnier than it sounds here but it happened. **

**Also, you remember my Black Sabbath reference in last chapter? I just realized, the 'Iron Man' song came out in 1970. And guess which year Steve and Tony traveled back to? Yeah, that's right! 1970!**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter which is going to be another devastating emotional gut punch. **


	106. And I am Iron Man

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far. **

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. So glad the reactions were top notch. And thanks for the thumbs up. These chapter names were needed. I can understand that on the scene. Same here on Giant-Man. I wish that too on Steve and Odin. Yeah, it's getting too spooky now. Yes Sam did and Bucky would be. Awesome! So glad you enjoyed that video. Yes, Steve did want a simple life but leaving his timeline and friends like that is so not a 'Steve Rogers' move. Thanks for the corrections too. Yes I believe that too on the sword and shield. I'm gonna roast that scene by pointing out facts. Thunder Cap huh! Thanks for that. Glad you liked the reference and those two have for sure. Yes, it's a bonus that me, my favorite book/movie character and the Pegasus share the same name. I really hope Marvel doesn't try anything between Peter/Carol. I'm fine with quite huge age gaps, like even 20 years. But Peter/Carol in MCU is a bit too huge for me. Plus, Peter is a minor and Carol has to be over 50. Agreed on the dialogue too. Let's see how you react to this chapter.**

**Barry Allen: Thanks for the review. We will.**

**Zero: Thanks for the reviews. Yes, Avengers have assembled.**

**Antonio Guestie: Thanks for the review. Yes, the moment of truth!**

**Robert: Thanks for the review. Thanks for that. Glad you find me talented.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review and suggestion. Scott will say that here now.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. I'll figure out a way to heal it till then.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Yes, she would have been probably but I like your idea of Benjamin convincing her not to do it so I will talk about that later. Thanks.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. Yes, I noted that on the Black Order. I don't think they contacted Carol actually. How I think she arrived is explained in the chapter so you can read it from there. Yes Peter will be. I actually got a good idea on the Watcher informant now from buddy Chaos Sorcerer. We'll see on the Helicarrier.**

**Guest 5: Thanks for the review and both the points. Yes, someone will comment on the head-butt and chant too just like you described. Thanks for that.**

**Guest 6: Thanks for the review. Yes, someone will remark that on how badly Wanda is beating Thanos.**

**Guest 7: Thanks for the review. Even if there is a way to save Coulson, he made it clear he does not want to be saved. He prolonged his life once, and won't do it again. He wants to die peacefully. Plus, he had a great run so I feel he should be allowed to be at peace. Yes, that will be it. I will have to think on the Thunderbolts. You'll see on their reactions to Happy being in love with May, even though I personally found it cringeworthy. I have read 'Infinity Crisis' and most of the spin-offs. It was very well done for sure, though there were some things I disliked, like the Marvel side being portrayed as weaker which always pisses me off, Lady Thor (never a fan of that) and Kara lifting Mjolnir (on surface level she looks like the perfect candidate to lift it but she is too self-righteous and allows her principles to get in the way of saving lives so that makes her unworthy). I actually am writing a story like that, except it's a crossover between The Lord of the Rings, MCU and Arrowverse. It has 3 parts so far- 'Heroes from two worlds', 'Heroes in Middle-earth' and 'Heroes stand united.' The third one is heroes from all 3 fandoms against Thanos.**

**Guest 8: Thanks for the review. It was confirmed that Bruce wished for everyone to be brought back safely. So if someone was in an airplane, they would be brought back to the nearest land settlement and so on.**

**Guest 9: Thanks for the review. So glad it was epic. We'll see.**

**Guest 10: Thanks for the review. I will.**

**Guest 11: Thanks for the review. The quote was- "As long as one man stands against you, Thanos, you'll never be able to claim victory." I might use it in one. I used it in another story of mine but it's a crossover.**

**Guest 12: Thanks for the review. Glad you loved the sendoff to Stan Lee. Yes, same here.**

**Guest 13: Thanks for the review. Glad you love the story, writings and reactions and I will. I also feel he deserves happiness but I didn't like that he traveled back in time to live with Peggy and left his friends like that without telling anyone but Bucky which is so not a 'Steve Rogers' move. Plus, in Age of Ultron, he said- "I am home." Basically, he has already moved on from Peggy and his timeline by the end of that movie and now he is going back to them. So it ruins his character development in my opinion as well as his ending. My preferred endings for him are- Steve returns the Teserract and ends up meeting Peggy, deciding to talk to her (like Tony and Howard and Thor and Frigga) and she finally tells him he needs to get a life too after hearing of his adventures in the future. So he returns, gives Sam the shield like in the movie and goes off for soul-searching, to find out who he is outside of Captain America. A friend of mine called Stand with Ward and Queen wrote exactly this in a one-shot of his- 'A Captain's Farewell.' Another preferred ending for him is he retires, gives Sam the shield, but continues working from behind the scenes to honor Natasha, hooking up with Hill while he's at it XD (though I'm serious about the hooking up part). If you disagree, that's fine. It was just my opinion.**

Chapter 106- And I Am Iron Man

No one said a word. They all just watched. Both sides were going to go all out on each other now with everything they had got.

**Cull was thrown down by a blast as Tony and Pepper started blasting from above. Thor slammed Stormbreaker on the ground and the lightning killed several foes. Hope enlarged and jumped on a foe as M'Baku roared and Bruce threw an opponent away just as Scott punched a Leviathan down.**

"Yeah!" Hope cheered for Scott as all applauded while he smiled humbly, happy that people appreciated him for who he was and what he was doing.

**T'Challa and Okoye took down foes side by side as Shuri blasted them with her blasters. Drax jumped on Cull, who had grabbed Korg, and started stabbing him while Korg knocked him away. Tony and Pepper flew next to each other and blasted all foes around them back to back with their repulsors.**

"Oh yeah!" Tony cheered for them both as he and Pepper exchanged a smile with each other and Morgan as well.

**Steve and Thor fought side by side, throwing their weapons as they continued fighting. Thor then grabbed Mjolnir on return as Steve grabbed Stormbreaker. "No, no. Give me that. You have the little one." Thor said as he tossed Steve Mjolnir and took back Stormbreaker, flying off to fight.**

Everyone chuckled as Steve asked jokingly, "Stealing my thunder?"

All laughed at the pun as Thor joked back, "You stole mine."

The laughter increased as Odinson said, "Yeah. Captain Thunder steals my thunder."

Everyone laughed more.

**Bucky and Rocket fired at foes, standing next to each other. From up above, Tony fired at more foes and landing on the ground, fired at more before Cull knocked him away from behind. Before he could bring his hammer down on Tony, Peter pulled him away with webs and Scott stepped on him.**

Everyone cheered as Hope said, "An ant stepped on the poor thing's toe. He's crying right now about why the ant didn't pick on someone his own size."

All laughed as Tony turned to Peter, Benjamin and Scott and said, "Thanks bug bros."

They laughed at the joke and nodded.

"**Hey!" Peter said as he helped Tony up, "Holy cow!"** **As Tony looked at him he said, "You will not believe what's been going on.** **Do you remember when we were in space?** **And I got all dusty? I must've passed** **out, 'cause I woke up, and you were gone.** **But Doctor Strange was there, right?** **He was like,** **"It's been five years.** **Come on, they need us!"" Peter mimicked Strange's gestures of portal opening and said, "And then he started doing the yellow** **sparkly thing that he does all the time..."** **Tony cut him off by wrapping him in a loving hug. "What are you doing?" Peter asked in shock before finally hugging back, "This is nice."**

"This is so nice." Peter said too as Tony actually hugged him, "Oh than you, Mr. Stark."

"No problem, kid. You earned it." Tony said as he let go while everyone smiled at the two and Benjamin gave Tony a nod too.

"Kid got a hug finally." Pepper said to Tony who smirked.

"And it was nice." Benjamin said.

**At a distance, Quill fired at foes before he was thrown down. There, he fought two simultaneously, knocking one down when the other punched him down. He was about to kill him when a shot from behind killed him instead. Quill got up and was shocked to see Gamora standing there. "Gamora?" He asked in shock.**

"Yes." Rhodes said.

"But not yours." Natasha added.

"This is gonna be interesting." Sam muttered.

**Quill walked to her saying, "I thought I lost you." **

"You did." Bucky said in sympathy.

**He was about to touch her face when she grabbed his hand and twisted it, "Don't..." She kneed him in the nuts, "touch... me!" She kneed him again and he was down.**

Everyone cringed, especially the guys, considering where Quill was kicked.

"Poor guy." Logan muttered and all nodded.

"**You missed the first time... then you got them both the second time." Quill groaned in pain.**

"We didn't need to know that." Loki cringed and all nodded.

"**This is the one? Seriously?" Gamora asked as Nebula walked up to her. "The choices were him, or a tree." Nebula said as Quill looked between the two and mouthed.**

"And a raccoon." Wanda added and all chuckled.

**Clint ran, avoiding a Chitauri Gorilla when Sam flew into it and with a roar, stabbed it with his wings.**

"Wow!" Hill said as all clapped for Sam.

"That was ruthless. Just like it deserved." Rhodes said and Sam nodded humbly at all as they clapped for him.

"**Cap, what do you want me to** **do with this damn thing?" Clint asked as he ran. Steve threw Mjolnir at some foes and fighting an Outrider said, "Get those Stones as** **far away as possible!" He recalled Mjolnir and ended the Outrider, throwing it into Bruce who knocked it away with his uninjured hand and said, "No!** **We need to get them back** **where they came from."**

"Back in time." Bruce said, "The only place Thanos can't get them."

"But he won't just sit around and let you do it." Fury pointed out and all nodded.

"**No way to get them back. Thanos destroyed the quantum tunnel." Tony pointed out. Scott shrank to normal size and said, "Hold on! That wasn't our only time machine." Then he pressed a button and the horn of Luis' van was heard.**

"Oh! That!" May said as all laughed a bit.

"Luis' van." T'Challa noted.

"**Anyone see an ugly brown van out there?" Steve asked.**

"It's not ugly." Scott said and Steve nodded.

"**Yes!" Valkyrie said as she flew on Aragorn, "But you're not gonna like where it's parked." It was on some destroyed rubble between foes.**

"Definitely don't like it." Morgan said and all nodded.

"**Scott, how long you need to get that thing working?" Tony asked him. "Maybe ten minutes." Scott said as Hope enlarged next to him. "Get it started. We'll get the Stones to you." Steve ordered. "We're on it, Cap." Hope assured as she and Scott shared a knowing smile.**

"Cap." Hope said as she exchanged a smirk with Scott.

**The two shrunk as Hope flew Scott away. Strange flew and opened numerous chasms in Earth, producing purple tendrils of energy that forcefully lifted up Thanos' minions and dragged them into the ground before resealing and vanishing.**

"Wow!" An impressed Tony said as all gapped.

"Yeah. He is very powerful. Not to be messed with." Lila said and all nodded.

**He turned to see Tony land behind him and open his visor, "Hey. You said one out of 14 million, we win, yeah? Tell me this is it." **

"It has to be!" Pepper said as Morgan winced.

"**If I tell you what happens, it won't happen." Strange said almost regretfully. "You better be right." Tony told him.**

"He was." Morgan whispered to herself as Cassie put an arm around her.

Tony started wondering. Why wasn't Strange telling him? Could it be….? Really?

Or maybe not. He pushed the thought to the back of his head and continued watching.

**Hope flew Scott to the van and they enlarged as she said, "It's a mess back here." Scott pressed some buttons and said, "It's... it's dead."**

"Bummer, I know." Cassie said as the two sighed.

"**What?" She asked. "It's dead." Scott said before pulling out wires, "I have to hotwire it."**

"Only you can." Scarlet Witch said and he nodded.

**Thanos struck down a Master of the Mystic Arts with Thanoscopter and asked Glaive, "Where's Nebula?" Glaive killed an Asgardian and said, "She's not responding."**

"Because she killed herself." Tony quipped and all chuckled due to the double meaning.

"**Sire!" Maw pointed at Clint, who was running while killing enemies and shooting explosives.**

"Oh no!" Natasha paled as Clint watched with wide eyes.

"Just watch." Lila said as she looked at Clint and T'Challa.

**T'Challa then jumped to the ground and his suit discharged kinetic energy, taking many foes down. "Clint!" He said as he walked to Clint and opened his visor, "Give it to me."**

"Oh! You do care after all!" Clint said happily to T'Challa as all snickered and he shook his head in amusement.

"It appears I do." He said.

**Clint gave it to him and he ran, kicking away a foe before flipping and knocking another down and then kicked two away. He then ran and leaping up, punched the ground, discharging more kinetic energy to take down foes.**

All clapped for T'Challa as Rhodes said, "Now that's a badass King who fights his own battles."

"Achilles would love to fight for you." Bruce said to him and he smiled in appreciation.

**Then the Thanoscopter flew at him, knocking him down as Thanos caught it on return while the Gauntlet fell away. As he charged at T'Challa, Wanda jumped in his way.**

"What are you doing?" Clint asked, pale, as he held Wanda's hand while the others watched in concern.

Then he noticed the future people smirking.

"It's not her you should be worried about." Benjamin said.

**Her eyes glowing red, she declared with venom in her voice, "You took everything from me."**

Wanda and Vision exchanged a look, knowing she meant him.

"**I don't even know who you are." Thanos said as he charged.**

"Big mistake, bub." Logan said as all watched in anticipation for what was coming.

"**You will." Wanda promised and flew into the air, raising huge columns of debris with her. She threw two of the columns at Thanos who chopped them with his sword before she jumped down and fired at him twice, making him drop his sword as he tried to defend himself. He picked his sword again to defend as she walked closer, firing at him.**

"OH! MY! GOD!" Scott cheered happily as all loudly started applauding Wanda and Scarlet Witch both.

"You're kicking his ass, kid!" Clint said, the concern in his eyes replaced with pride.

"That looks so awesome!" Peter said.

"Because it is." Benjamin told him before giving Scarlet Witch a smile which she returned.

"Thanos made a mistake by pissing her off." Tony noted and all nodded.

"Just like Ultron." Odinson reminded and more nods followed.

"Great job." Natasha complimented Wanda too who nodded.

"Not just great, it is awesome." Steve clapped and she gave him a smile. Which was shocking as it contrasted her on-screen self's ruthlessness.

"Let's hope she does it." Fury said as Wanda smiled thankfully but Scarlet Witch shared grim looks with the future people.

**T'Challa ran to the Gauntlet when Maw lifted it up with telekinesis along with rocks. T'Challa jumped to grab it but was lifted too when Peter swung to get it. T'Challa tossed it to him as he said, "I got it!"**

"Great job." May complimented as all clapped but it was restrained because now Peter was a target.

**Peter landed on a foe and commanded, "Activate Instant Kill!" And then his suit's eyes glowed red as his feet started killing foes that came close.**

"I'm…killing people." Peter noted, unnerved as May wrapped an arm around him for comfort. Sure these were mindless aliens. But taking a life for the first time had got to affect anyone.

"I understand kid." Steve said to him in sympathy.

"But sometimes, it is the only way." Benjamin said to him with a look which said he had done it a few more times than just this once.

Peter nodded, still not over it but knew they had a point. May wrapped him closer.

**Wanda blocked Thanos' sword with her magic as Thanos grunted, using his other hand to bring the blade down as she strained.**

Everyone paled as Clint wrapped Wanda closer, everyone worried for her again.

**Then Wanda smirked and straining a little, pushed his sword away, breaking it. **

"OH YEAH!" Sam cheered and loud applause filled the room again.

"You broke the sword!" Thor cheered, all clapping.

"The sword that destroyed Captain America's shield!" Loki added as the applause continued.

"You are awesome!" Peter said to her as they all clapped.

"Thanos is done for!" Clint smiled in pride as the applause continued.

"KICK HIS ASS!" Hope cheered as all clapped.

And then they started chanting the same thing they had for Steve- "Kick his ass! Kick his ass! Kick his ass!"

Wanda and Scarlet Witch exchanged a smile and nodded humbly at the others.

**Using her powers, Wanda lifted Thanos into the air along with debris and using her magic, started ripping apart his armor and slowly moved to his skin as he screamed in pain.**

"He's in pain!" Hill said, happy about it as all clapped more.

"No more than he deserves!" Morgan said while the applause continued.

"No kidding." Lila said.

"She can do it by herself." Logan said and all nodded.

And then everyone chanted- "Rip him up! Rip him up! Rip him up!"

Wanda and Scarlet Witch had humble smirks again.

"**Rain fire!" Thanos then commanded, his voice strained due to his pain. "But Sire, our troops!" Glaive pointed out in concern a she struck down a defender.** "**Just do it!" Thanos groaned, still in pain. **

"Uh-oh!" Rhodes said and they deflated.

"The dude is using friendly fire to escape you." Scott said to Wanda, "That's how awesome you are!"

"But he did escape me." Scarlet Witch said a bit guiltily and Wanda had the same expression.

"Don't blame yourself." Benjamin said.

"Thanos doesn't care about his troops. So that's what he will do." T'Challa pointed out and they nodded.

**Then the Sanctuary II pointed guns at the ground, piloted by The Other, and fired, killing several defenders. Wanda had to raise a shield to defend herself, distracting herself from Thanos as one blast sent her back too. Wong used the Shield of Seraphim to defend himself and the other Masters used those too, though shots were still rained upon them. Pepper noticed a flood approaching from a nearby broken dam and asked, "Is anyone else seeing this?"**

"Now that." Fury groaned as all sighed.

"Why can't the Universe give us a fucking break?!" Scott asked and all nodded in agreement.

**Strange noticed and using his powers, stopped the approaching flood. "I got this! I got this!" Peter was saying as the foes covered him, "Okay, I don't got this. Help! Somebody, help!"**

"No!" May said in concern as she wrapped Peter in her arms.

"Now time for another callback." Benjamin smirked at her and Peter, confusing them.

**Steve noticed and said, "Hey, Queens. Heads up!" And then he threw Mjolnir in his direction. As it passed over Peter's head, he used a web to hang onto it, escaping.**

"Oh thank God!" May sighed in relief as she let Peter go and turned to Steve, "Thank you!"

"Thank Cap!" Peter and Benjamin said simultaneously.

"Don't think of it, Queens." Steve smirked as all smiled at that.

**Peter hung onto Mjolnir as it flew, avoiding shots before Pepper got him and flew with him, "Hang on. I got you, kid."**

"Thanks." Peter said to Pepper who smiled and patted his head.

"You're a sweet kid." She said to him.

"I know right?" Tony asked as all chuckled before they turned to the screen.

**She dropped Peter on Aragorn as he said to Valkyrie, "Hey! Nice to meet-" The shots knocked them away as Peter yelled, "Oh! My God!"**

"How polite are you, kid?" Rhodes asked in appreciation as well as amusement.

"Very." Benjamin said as all snickered.

**Aragorn was knocked away by the airstrike as Peter fell down, still holding the Gauntlet tightly as he rolled. As he got up, one shot destroyed his spider-legs and he rolled away, holding the Gauntlet tight. As more shots were fired near him, he covered himself and yelped.**

No one said a word, worried for Peter as May held him tight and Scarlet Witch held Benjamin's hand. And they also had appreciation for him. In spite of losing his spider legs and in spite of being so young, he was trying his best to protect the Gauntlet with everything he had.

**The shots knocked down Clint, Korg, Bruce, Rhodes and Groot when Rocket covered him with a fierce roar, not wanting to lose him again. And in that moment, the firing stopped.**

"What?" Sam asked as all gapped.

"Something's happening?" Fury asked them.

"Oh yeah." Odinson smirked, "Something big."

**All looked up as the guns started firing at someone above. "What the hell is this?" Sam asked. "Friday, what are they firing at?" Tony asked his AI.** **"Something just entered** **the upper atmosphere." FRIDAY told him.**

"What?" Hill asked.

"Just watch." Scarlet Witch smirked.

**The ship fired at a glowing light that was flying down on it. The light wasn't affected and smashed into the ship, destroying it. The light then straightened, revealing herself to be Carol Danvers. "Oh, yeah!" Rocket cheered as Steve looked at the ship being destroyed.**

"Oh yeah!" Tony cheered too as all applauded at Carol's entrance.

"What are you gonna do now, Grimace?" Scott asked Thanos mockingly as all chuckled and clapped.

"Bet he didn't see that coming either." Bucky cheered and all continued clapping.

"When did we contact her?" Steve wondered.

"You didn't." Morgan said.

"When people randomly started appearing around, she noted and flew to Earth to meet you guys." Lila said.

"And then she saw a fight was going on." Cassie said.

"You know the rest." Logan said, "Or will know."

All nodded.

**Carol flew as the ship was destroyed while Thanos breathed heavily, watching in horror. **

"What? Mindblown?" Loki asked mockingly as all laughed and clapped.

"**Danvers, we need an assist here." Steve then informed her. Scott opened the back of the van and managed to restart the tunnel at last.**

"Finally!" Scott said as all sighed in relief.

**Carol flew down and stopped in front of Peter. "Hi. I'm Peter Parker." He said, still holding onto the Gauntlet. "Hey, Peter Parker. Got something for me?" She asked playfully.**

Everyone chuckled as Sam teased, "She likes you, kid." [1]

"Oh please don't say that." Peter blushed and Benjamin did too as the others laughed at the joke.

"Well, he is the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man after all." Tony pointed out and all nodded.

**He gave her the Gauntlet and noticing the charging army said, "I don't know how you're gonna get through all that." And then Wanda flew down next to her with Valkyrie landing on Aragorn and Okoye and Shuri walking up to them. "Don't worry." Wanda said. "She's got help." Okoye said as Pepper landed too while Mantis arrived, walking with them just as Hope enlarged all of a sudden, joining them with Gamora and Nebula. They all nodded at each other and started walking at the army. **

Everyone was cringing at the scene, finding it way off.

"What are Okoye and Shuri doing there?" T'Challa wondered, knowing they preferred to fight alongside their people.

"And you?" Clint said to Wanda, considering she would go after Thanos again instead of posing with the other women.

"And how stupid are you, Hope?" Hill asked as Hope shot her a look, "You're in the van. And then you go out of the van to pose with a bunch of women you don't even know to fight your way back to the van!"

Hope looked up and then at Scott and Hill before realizing, "I got nothing for that. Hill is right this time."

"I know right?" Scott wondered.

"And can't Carol just blitz through the army?" Steve wondered as all nodded. [2]

"You know what?" Tony said, "Let's just roll with it."

All shrugged.

**As the army charged, Wanda fired a blast, scattering some of them while Pepper, Shuri and Hope at a Leviathan and more soldiers respectively just as Gamora leapt, slicing a Chitauri Gorilla while Okoye stabbed Glaive through the heart and lifting him up, threw him down.**

"Okoye killed him!" T'Challa cheered as all clapped at that.

**Wanda stopped a Leviathan with her magic while Valkyrie flew to another one on Aragorn, slicing it brutally. Carol flew past them with the Gauntlet in hand, destroying more Leviathans. Thanos ran with his broken Thanoscopter to stop her when Pepper, Shuri and Hope fired at him together, sending him back. He got up as Carol flew past him and threw the Thanoscopter at the back of the van, causing an explosion that sent many of them flying back, including Carol as the Gauntlet dropped from her hand.**

"Oh shit!" Sam said as all paled.

"Even the all-women team-up couldn't stop this guy." Tony quipped.

"Now what?" Thor wondered.

"A lot of stuff." Morgan whispered sadly.

**The explosion made the flood rise as Strange strained to stop it. Tony pushed a dead foe off of him and saw the Gauntlet. He ran to it, pushing Thanos away, but Thanos elbowed him in a rotatory motion, sending him down.**

Everyone paled as Pepper and Tony held hands tightly, hoping it turned out all right.

**As Thanos tried to pick the Gauntlet, Thor jumped to him, swinging his weapons. Thanos backed to avoid Stormbreaker and ducked to avoid Mjolnir being thrown at him. Thor turned to pick the Gauntlet when Thanos grabbed him so he freed himself and swung Stormbreaker, though Thanos managed to grab it to save himself. As they struggled, Thor summoned Mjolnir and used it to push Stormbreaker, trying to break the deadlock. Thor roared as lightning flashed and then Steve leapt at Thanos from behind, grabbing Stormbreaker as well, trying to pull it into Thanos to help Thor.**

Everyone was biting their nails at this point as Loki shouted, "OFF WITH HIS HEAD!"

Hearing that, all started chanting, "Off with his head! Off with his head! Off with his head!"

**Then Thanos head-butted Thor, sending him back before grabbing Steve's head and throwing him down too, punching him out.**

"Fuck this!" Clint said angrily as all deflated.

"What does it take to beat this guy?" Rhodes wondered.

Morgan exchanged sad looks with the others, knowing what was coming.

**As he picked up the Gauntlet, Carol leapt at him, kicking his knee, sending him down before punching him and dodging his punch. She hovered in the air, firing two blasts at his face, sending him back and then tried to punch but Thanos dodged and grabbing her hand, spun her around and threw her off.**

"Damn it!" Sam said.

"No!" Steve said too.

**Thanos then put on the Gauntlet and grunted as energy surged through him. Struggling through the pain, he tried to snap his fingers when Carol grabbed the Gauntlet, stopping him.**

"OH THANK GOD!" May said as she touched her chest while the others sighed in restrained relief.

**With her hands on the Gauntlet, Carol absorbed its power, increasing her energy as she did so. Thanos angrily head-butted her but she was unaffected, only looking pissed.**

"Thanos used Headbutt! It's not very effective." Scott quipped and all laughed at the reference.

"But it was." Thor said as all remembered he had been head-butted moments ago.

"She absorbs energy of stuff she touches." Odinson explained, "When she touched the Gauntlet, she absorbed its energy and that increased her strength and durability to that level in the moment. [3]

Everyone nodded at the explanation.

**Absorbing more energy, Carol flew into the air while holding onto the Gauntlet, sending Thanos to one knee. As she pushed him back, he suddenly ripped out the Power Stone from the Gauntlet and before she could react, punched her with it, sending her flying off.**

"Oh no!" Rhodes paled.

"No, no, no, no, no." Peter was saying, almost biting his nails.

**Tony looked up at Strange. As he struggled against the flood, he looked at Tony regretfully and with shaking hands, raised one finger. And then Tony knew what he had to do.**

Pepper froze. As did everyone else. They looked between Tony and the screen. Tony had a look of realization on his face.

"No, no, no…." Pepper started whispering as all lowered their heads sadly, realizing what was coming.

Tony looked at Morgan, who looked at him with quivering lips as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Trying to control himself for Pepper, he said to her, "Hon-"

"NO!" She screamed and hugged him so tightly he would have been suffocated. With shaking hands, he hugged her back, looking at the others, who all looked horrified and saddened by what was going to happen now as Cassie and Lila hugged Morgan, trying to calm her down.

**Thanos put the Power Stone back in the Gauntlet and power surged through him. Tony rushed him and grabbed the Gauntlet, trying to snatch it. Thanos kneed him and smacked him away. As Tony looked up, Thanos looked at the Gauntlet and turning to him declared, "I am... inevitable." Then he snapped!**

Everyone felt their hearts stop.

**But nothing happened! Thanos turned the Gauntlet around to see the Stones were missing and turned to Tony in horror. The Stones were on Tony's right gauntlet now. Tony closed his eyes, grunting painfully as power surged through the suit.**

Everyone watched with pale faces and their hearts beating against their chests. Pepper and Morgan felt like their hearts would burst out of their chests at this point. Pepper was in Tony's embrace, who himself was panting. Morgan was in the embrace of Lila and Cassie.

Steve looked at Tony with tears in his eyes, already feeling grief clutch his chest. Everyone felt their respect for him grow to a new level as they knew what he was about to do. Thor gave Tony a nod as a tear rolled down his cheek and so did Loki, Odinson and T'Challa.

Fury looked at Tony and then at the screen, closing his eye and opening it, feeling proud of the man but saddened too.

Natasha nodded at Tony with a half-smile and a tear in her eye and he nodded back with the same expression, knowing both of them had given their lives for the Universe.

Clint looked at Tony, taking heavy sad breaths, and nodded in thanks, knowing that Tony was the reason his family and the rest of the Universe would live.

Bruce turned to Tony and with shaking hands, gave him a thumbs-up as a form of comfort while wiping a tear from his eye. Hill simply followed his gesture with a tear of her own.

Bucky and Sam gave Tony very respectful salutes while Wanda gave him a respectful and appreciative nod, feeling only respect for him now as Vision and Tony exchanged a look, as AI and creator.

Benjamin wiped a tear from his eye as Scarlet Witch held his hand for comfort. Rhodes was panting heavily, seeing his best friend from childhood about to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Scott and Hope looked at Tony sadly, their eyes apologizing for Hank's bias and he acknowledged with a nod.

Logan too gave Tony a very respectful salute and a nod.

Peter was struggling not to cry as May hugged him, looking at the screen with quivering lips.

'Don't waste it. Don't waste your life.' Tony remembered Yinsen's last words to him.

"I didn't." He whispered to himself.

**Tony looked at Thanos and declared defiantly, "And I...am... Iron Man." With that, he snapped his fingers as the screen went white.**

That was it for Pepper, Morgan and Peter to burst into sobs as Steve got out of his chair and walking to Tony, actually gave him a hug. While they had their disagreements and didn't always see eye to eye, they cared about each other a lot. Tony gave a half-smile and accepted the hug. Rhodes put a hand on Tony's shoulder to assure himself he was there and Tony grasped the hand firmly to assure him he was.

The rest had their heads lowered in grief and respect for the man.

**Tony suddenly found himself in an orange landscape and looked around. It was the Soul World. "Hey!" He turned to look at an older Morgan Stark approaching him.**

"Morgan?" He questioned in shock, getting his mind off of his death for a moment as he looked between her and the on-screen version, "How?"

In a shaky voice, Morgan said, "When you snapped, the Soul World showed you a manifestation of me as a teenager to inform you of what I thought about what you had done."

Then she wiped her face again as Tony nodded shakily and all turned to look at the screen, grief clutching at then.

"**Do I know you?" Tony asked in shock as they walked closer. "You do." She said with tears in her eyes and Tony's eyes widened in realization. "Dad!" She cried out as the two held each other's hands. "Did it work?" Tony asked her shakily. "Yes." She cried out. "What did it cost?" He then asked. With tears in her eyes, she said to him, "Everything."**

No one could control their tears now as Steve sank to his knees while Morgan got up from where she was sitting and sat next to her parents instead, the two embracing her, trying to offer any comfort they could while trying to comfort themselves as well. Rhodes looked at the family and then at the screen, trying not to break down. Peter was sobbing still in May's embrace while Benjamin was wiping his face. The rest were sobbing either quietly or making some noise.

Everyone knew that by 'everything', Morgan meant her dad.

**Trying to comfort his daughter, Tony wrapped her in an embrace as she cried out, "I love you dad!" Tony kissed her forehead and hugging her tightly said, "I love you 3000." And then the screen went white again.**

"I do too, dad. I do too." Morgan cried out as Tony kissed her forehead while Pepper patted her head. The rest couldn't even speak. Because that's how full of grief they were.

**Back in reality, Rocket fired at a Leviathan which was about to eat him when it turned to dust. And then all of Thanos' army around them started turning to dust too while T'Challa and Quill watched.**

"It….it worked….." Steve said in a voice that was barely a whisper, trying to speak coherently.

**Steve looked around at the army turning to dust before turning to look at Thanos, who backed off in horror. Maw staggered up to him, not feeling well, like Peter had when he had been snapped. And then he turned to dust. Midnight was cradling the dying Glaive, like Wanda had done to the dead Vision before being snapped, and both turned to dust as well. Thanos looked around and knew he had been defeated. Refusing to let his enemies see him cry or beg, he sat on a rock and sighed, watching the sunset solemnly, closing his eyes and accepting his defeat with dignity. And with that, he turned to dust as well.**

The others would have laughed or cheered or even jumped from their couches happily with raised fists. But they didn't. Because the victory had come at a cost. A humongous cost.

Tony had one arm around Pepper and another around Morgan as they cried while Rhodes shook in grief now. The others looked at him with respect and grief but couldn't bring themselves to say anything.

They simply watched the screen again.

**Tony staggered and supported himself, his entire right side now charred, burnt and blackened brutally. As he fell down, Rhodes flew in front of him and opening his visor, patted Tony's head, trying not to break down while Tony tried to say something and failed. Then Peter jumped own and tried to help Tony as he soon cried, "Mr. Stark? Hey...Mr. Stark? Can you hear me? It's Peter. We won. Mr. Stark...We won, Mr. Stark. We won and you did it, sir. You did it." **

"This is not a win!" Peter cried out and smashed a table so hard it cracked while the rest flinched, never having expected such an outburst from him. But they couldn't blame him. Tony, while the best mentor, had cared for him and saved his life with a new suit. Of course this was how Peter would react.

"**I'm sorry... Tony..." He cried as Pepper helped him up from behind while he sobbed. She then knelt in front of him and put her hand on his Reactor as he grasped it. "Hey." She said weakly. "Hey, Pep..." He groaned painfully and weakly too. "Friday?" Pepper called out, even though she already knew the answer. "Life functions critical." Friday said.**

Pepper still hadn't calmed herself down for obvious reasons and this did no favors, making her hug Tony's chest again as he tried to offer comfort, not sure how to at this point because how could he?

"**Tony." She called out, putting on a smile as she didn't want his last sight of her to be of her crying, "Look at me." He weakly groaned and managed to look at her. "We're gonna be okay." She smiled through a veil of tears, "You can rest now." And in a few seconds, his Arc Reactor shut itself off and his hand slumped to the side, letting Pepper's go. Steve and Thor watched sadly from behind, struggling not to cry as Pepper sobbed and kissed the dead Tony, having lost him forever.**

"No." Pepper whispered to herself into Tony's chest as Morgan hugged him too crying a muffled 'Daddy.'

Tony himself had tears in his eyes, watching the two of theirs', Rhodes', Peter's and the others' reactions at his end which almost made him regret doing it. Almost! Because if he hadn't, they wouldn't be alive to grieve for him either.

"Thank…..thank…thank you….." Steve said to him almost incoherently as the two exchanged a respectful but saddened nod. He looked at the others and they gave him nods too with tears in their eyes, looking like they were barely holding on.

They looked back at the screen, not wanting to see further but knowing they had to.

**Clint looked at the scene glumly and then he kneeled respectfully with his head lowered in grief. T'Challa saw that and kneeled as well. They were spotted by Carol who then kneeled to Tony respectfully. They were followed by Quill, then Nebula, then Valkyrie and then Scott. Steve, trying not to break down, kneeled as well along with Thor and Bruce. Strange looked at the scene with guilt and grief on his face and walking further, kneeled too. Gamora looked at the scene but knowing she wasn't part of them, left while Bucky, Sam, Wanda, Shuri, Drax and finally Mantis kneeled. Rhodes simply stood with his head lowered in grief.**

No one, not a single soul could pass a comment or a word of comfort on that scene, knowing there was nothing to say. Tony had done it. He had not wasted his life and brought it full circle at last, ending Thanos with the ultimate act of self-sacrifice to make the world a better place for not only his daughter and wife but everyone else.

Then, to everyone's shock, Loki got up and walking up to where Tony was, kneeled to him. He remembered the old man telling him that they wouldn't kneel to a man like him. Well, he was sure they would kneel to a man like Tony for sure. Tony accepted with a humble nod but did a wave, not wanting anyone to kneel to him.

Loki got up and walked back to his couch, with Thor giving him a nod of appreciation.

There were still no words.

After about at least 10 minutes, Logan said in shaky voice, "There's…a bit….more."

With heavy hearts clouded with grief and faces covered by veils of tears, the audience continued watching what was left of the recording.

* * *

**Oh please Gods save me! Writing the entire ending part took a toll on me. A huge toll. Why did this have to happen? WHY?! **

**I saw the deleted scene for Tony and Morgan in the Soul World and while the acting was decent, the dialogue was clunky. Hope my revised dialogue was better and more meaningful.**

**[1] In the comics, Carol had a crush on Peter and they dated for a while back when she wasn't written as a fascist. Though I really hope they don't go down this path in the MCU. While Tom and Brie are only about 5 years apart in age difference, Peter and Carol would be apart by many years. Peter is still a minor and Carol should be above 50 (her powers probably slow her aging) and an age difference that huge is just creepy. Very creepy. **

**[2] Now I don't mean to offend anyone as I'm all for women-power but the all-women team-up was a stupid scene in my opinion and very convenient. The worst part of it was Hope showing up considering she was in the van, and now she is flying out of the van to pose with a bunch of women she doesn't even know and fight her way back to the van? Seriously? And couldn't Carol have just blitzed through them all? I love all these women (except Carol who I don't hate but am not very impressed with either) and in this moment, all of them were reduced to SJW symbols sadly. I know the actresses wanted a scene together but all of them deserved better than this. It would be stupid if all the men gathered like that too conveniently-**

'**Mantis is clutching the Gauntlet when Thor takes it from her and she asks, "How're you going to get past that?" "Don't worry." Strange says as he flies next to Thor while Steve, Clint and Bruce walk next to him and Peter swings down with Tony flying in the front and T'Challa leaping down. "He's got help." T'Challa said as Scott suddenly enlarged (even though he's fixing the van) as Drax arrives next to him and Quill flies down.'**

**Still stupid. Very stupid. **

**[3] In the comics, Carol can absorb energy. I think the MCU version can do that too because the first time Thanos overpowered her with his skills. So when she touched the Gauntlet, she absorbed its energy and it amped her durability in the moment to take Thanos' head-butt like a champ. **

**Also, I noticed a movie mistake in this. When T'Challa is running with the Gauntlet, you see Giant-Man fighting a Leviathan in the background even though Scott is fixing the van in the moment. Hilarious, right? **

**Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed (or not. Because this was devastating) and see you all next time with another chapter which is just as devastating.**


	107. Part of the journey is the end

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Chaos Sorcerer: Thanks for the review. Yeah, no one came out with dry eyes for sure. Yes, we still feel the loss of his sacrifice for sure. Hope you liked Loki kneeling to Tony. Yes, the battle truly was amazing. Thanks for the correction on Cull. Thanks! Glad my version of the scene was better. Yes, Pepper would have trained for 5 years for sure. Yeah, Benjamin could have. Yeah, I chuckled too and I dislike it as well. I did point out the minor thing. That creeps me out infinitely more than the age difference. With an age difference that huge where one is a minor, no matter how the relationship is portrayed, it will always come off to me as the minor being used by the adult. Aragorn and Arwen were in a relationship when he was an adult too. That and Men and Elves age and mature differently too based on what hints have been given. Yeah, a weird plan for sure. Glad you liked the reference and yeah, Thor didn't do much in the fight. Agreed on Quill. Yes, RIP to the man who created such an amazing Universe. We will miss you 3000. And glad you love this 3000. Enjoy.**

**KingLAO2946: Thanks for the review. Agreed on that XD.**

**Anonymous: Thanks for the review. Glad you loved my revised version. Yes, it was a stupid scene. I think Nat's dialogue was handled poorly is what. People should never be defined by if they can conceive or not. But I believe to Nat, what she has been through plus her infertility emotionally devastated her, hence what she said. Not defending Whedon, just my interpretation of the dialogue.**

**Jason Hunter: Thanks for the review. Yes a sequel will come.**

**Zero: Thanks for the review. Yeah, a great line. Glad you agree.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. No idea what she think of the sacrifice. Though right now, I have started believing in the theory that she was planted to make Tony feel guilty and sign.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review and pointing it out.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. Still doesn't make it better. After seeing her destroy a ship, it is kind of weird.**

**Guest 4: Thanks for the review. Yes, I think that can work on Benjamin/Scarlet Witch. Will mention it later. Thanks.**

**Guest 5: Thanks for the review. Yes, the Outriders. We'll see.**

**Guest 6: Thanks for the review. Yeah Peter does. **

**Guest 7: Thanks for the review. Yeah, Peter must. I'll think on the bad timeline. Tony will. You'll love how Strange helps Bruce. Possibly on Ross.**

**Guest 8: Thanks for the review. Only female heroes? Cap would call anyone who is nearby and I'm sure it wouldn't be ONLY the ladies nearby. Few guys could be too.**

**Guest 9: Thanks for the review. I'll see if I can fit the line.**

**Guest 10: Thanks for the review. I'll see if I can make it work.**

**Guest 11: Thanks for the review. Noted.**

Chapter 107- Part of the journey is the end

No one still said anything, too saddened to really do so. Tony would still have made a quip about anything to lighten the mood but he knew it wouldn't work in this situation.

**Next day, a Quinjet flew over the Barton farmhouse and Lila and Cooper ran out to see Clint returning. They ran to him happily as he embraced them.**

Clint exchanged a look with Lila which was both happy and sad. They were reunited, but at the cost of Tony's life.

**Peter was shown in his high-school again and saw Ned standing there. The two did their 'cool handshake' happily and hugged each other.**

Peter felt inwardly relieved to an extent that Ned was back and so were his friend.

"We had to repeat high school." Benjamin told him and he seemed a bit disappointed.

"Don't worry. You'll handle it." May told him and he nodded.

**Firecrackers were shown being blown in the air as Scott, Hope and Cassie sat together happily while Tony's voice was heard saying, "Everybody wants a happy ending, right? But it doesn't always roll that way."**

Pepper put a hand on her mouth on hearing Tony's voice as Morgan looked between him and the screen. Scott, Hope and Cassie exchanged a look and nodded.

**T'Challa was shown hugging Ramonda and Shuri in Wakanda as Tony's voice said, "Maybe this time. I'm hoping if you play this back, it's in celebration. I hope families are reunited, I hope we get it back, and something like a normal version of the planet has been restored. If there ever was such a thing."**

"There never was such a thing." Fury muttered, "Not since 10 years ago."

All nodded.

**Shots of Scott, Hope and Cassie, T'Challa, Ramonda and Shuri, and Clint with his family were shown as Tony's voice said, "God, what a world. Universe, now. If you told me ten years ago that we weren't alone, let alone, you know, to this extent, I mean, I wouldn't have been surprised. But come on, you know? That epic forces of darkness and light that have come into play." Clint was shown reuniting with Laura.**

Clint felt his heart beat a bit faster due to the emotions of the scene and all had half-smiles on their faces due to Tony's voice, and what he was saying, as it was exactly what they would expect him to say.

"**And, for better or worse, that's the reality Morgan's gonna have to find a way to grow up in." Tony's voice said.**

"I did." Morgan whispered to him and he nodded.

**An Iron Man visor was shown on a table displaying a holographic recording of Tony to Pepper, Morgan, Rhodes, Happy and Steve as he said, "So I found the time and I** **recorded a little greeting...In the case of an untimely death.** **On my part.** **Not that, death in any** **time isn't untimely."**

Everyone chuckled a bit at his quip. The chuckles were watery.

**Tony said, "This time travel thing that we're gonna try and pull off tomorrow, it's, it's got me scratching my head about this. But then again, that's the hero gig. Part of the journey is the end."**

Everyone felt their hearts almost stop at the line due to how much they were saddened by Tony's future death. But the line was true. Part of the journey is the end for sure. And yes, that's the hero gig. No matter if they liked it or not.

**Tony then stood up, "What am I even tripping for? Everything's gonna work out exactly the way it's supposed to."**

Everyone shot Tony and Natasha sad looks at that. Everything hadn't worked out the way it was supposed to.

**Tony then knelt down to look at Morgan and with a smile, said lovingly, "I love you 3,000."**

Tears fell out from the eyes of almost everyone at that as Tony had to hug Morgan to calm her down while Pepper had her head in her hands. Rhodes was wiping his face constantly as the others just watched the family sadly.

**The hologram disappeared as Morgan watched it sadly while Pepper had a half-smile due to Tony's words but looked like she could break down any moment.**

No comments. Because it was just too much to bear.

**Later, Pepper led Morgan out by the hand as they were followed by the others. Everyone else stood outside. The flowers were put on the water nearby and between them was the original Arc Reactor that said 'Proof That Tony Stark Has A Heart.'**

Tony shot Pepper a grateful look, happy that this was what she had used for the funeral after all this time. The two held hands then.

**On the shore sat Pepper, holding Morgan while behind her, Rhodes and Happy tried to comfort each other and behind them, Steve looked at the floating Reactor, his face an emotionless mask, hiding how he was truly feeling. Behind him Peter was being comforted by May. Behind them, Thor stood sadly while Bruce, his arm now in a sling, wiped his face. Behind him stood Doctor Strange with regret on his face and Wong was with him too. Behind them were Scott, Hope, Janet and Hank who wore sunglasses.**

"Can't believe he showed up." Tony muttered.

"You did save our lives after all." Hope pointed out and he nodded.

**In another corner stood Quill, Rocket, Nebula, Groot, Drax (wearing a shirt!) and Mantis who was swaying as it was her species' way of mourning.**

"He wore a shirt!" Tony joked about Drax and all gave watery chuckles.

**Behind them were T'Challa, Okoye and Shuri. Behind them to their right were Clint, Laura, Lila, Cooper and Nathaniel and to their left were Bucky, Sam and Wanda, with Sam putting a hand on Bucky's shoulder. Behind them was a teenage Harley Keener.**

Tony knew who he was. He had been in contact with him even after the incident where he had lost his suits. [1]

"He attended too?" Tony asked.

"You did touch his life." Logan pointed out.

**Behind Harley were Hill and Ross.**

"Now my funeral ground is contaminated." Tony joked about Ross and all gave watery chuckles again.

"What is he doing here?" Pepper snarled.

"Don't worry, after it was over, you kicked him out." Benjamin told her.

"And Rocket threatened to cut his beard and hair while he slept." Cassie said and all chuckled again.

**Behind them was Carol, looking at the scene sadly and behind her arrived Fury, who looked both proud and sad. The screen then went dark.**

Everyone sighed sadly. Tony had saved many lives from Thanos with his sacrifice for sure. And that was why they were honoring him like that.

**Later, some of the Avengers were shown at a more private funeral where Steve and Clint stood together, trying to comfort each other with Wanda, Hill and Clint's family next to them. Thor and Bruce were there too in the corner as Bucky knelt to the grave in front of him and put a hand on the gravestone, "Hey, Nat. Clint told me what you did for us. And… I'm proud of you." Bucky said, considering his words. **

Natasha looked at Bucky gratefully as all looked between her and the screen with grief in their eyes.

**"We both did bad things in the past, on behalf of bad people. I guess we both were looking for redemption. And you… you made such a huge sacrifice and I can never repay you enough what you did for us all to bring us back. You should know… we've won, Nat. And… I guess it was inevitable that it would've come at such a high cost. I hope you're proud of us too." Bucky then wondered. "I didn't think I'd find anyone, who'd understand what I had been through, forced down a path I shouldn't have to walk, working on behalf of evil people, doing evil things… looking for redemption… I didn't believe I could find anyone I could care about deeply, maybe save for Steve. He's like my brother. And you… If I could ever love… I think I would've loved you." A stray tear rolled down Bucky's cheek. "I wish we had more time. And… I hope… wherever you are… that you and Tony have found your peace."**

Everyone felt tears roll down their cheeks at that as Bucky held Natasha, not wanting to let her go while Steve felt Sam's hand on his shoulder and Wanda tried to comfort Clint. Tony shot Bucky a grateful look as he had said he hoped Tony found his peace too, even though they hadn't reconciled in the recordings.

**As the others walked away, Fury stood alone by the grave. Strewed on the ground by it were a few flowers, all blood red. Nick himself was holding a rose. His hands were grabbing it so tight the thorns cut him, drawing a bit of blood. "Don't do this to me Romanoff." He muttered, unknowingly echoing the same words Nat did nine years ago, "Don't do this." But it was too late, he knew. She had done it. Natasha Romanoff was gone, for good. Another loss. Except Natasha had been much more than an agent. She had been a daughter.**

Everyone shot Fury a look whose face was an emotionless mask, hiding what he was truly feeling. Natasha gave him a grateful nod, knowing how much he cared for her. He returned it.

**"Goodbye, Nat." He whispered. He let the flower fall to ground, and walked away without looking back. No one saw him cry.**

No one had words for that. It was just too saddening to comment on. Someone would have made a joke on Fury crying if it hadn't been for Natasha's death.

**Clint and Wanda stood together later as he said, "You know, I wish there was a way...that I could let her know. That we won. We did it." Wanda looked at him and assured, "She knows. They both do." The two put their hands on each other's' shoulders for comfort.**

Clint gave Wanda a look, grateful for her support as they embraced while Vision nodded at her, knowing she was referring to him too.

**Happy and Morgan sat together as he asked, "How you doing, Squirt?" "Good." She said. "You good?" He asked and she nodded, "Okay. You hungry?" "Mm-hmm." She nodded. "What do you want?" He asked her. "Cheeseburgers." She said.**

Pepper gave a half-laugh, half-sob at that as Tony and Morgan shared a knowing look and then the family embraced each other.

"**You know your Dad liked cheeseburgers?" Happy asked her and she nodded. "I'm gonna get you all the cheeseburgers you want." He said. "Okay." She told him.**

"Thanks pal." Tony said to Happy, grateful that he was taking care of his daughter.

"Happy helped raise me after that." Morgan told Tony and Pepper who nodded.

**Thor stood at New Asgard with sunglasses as Valkyrie asked, "So, when can we expect you back?"**

"In a few years when I get my shit together at last." Odinson muttered.

"I won't let that happen again." Thor promised and he nodded.

"**About that..." Thor trailed off. "Thor. Your people need a king." Valkyrie pointed out. "No, they already have one." He said as he looked at her. She laughed and said, "That's funny." She noticed his look and asked, "You're being serious?" **

"So she became the ruler?" Loki asked.

"She was like a Steward." Odinson said, "Ruling as long as I was not around, which was quite a few years. She ruled them well."

"So now you are King?" Thor asked.

"Yes." Odinson told them, "I realized I couldn't run from my responsibilities any longer and getting my shit together, returned to do what I must at last. Now whenever I'm not around, she rules the people. When I am, it's me."

They nodded.

"**It's time for me to be who I am rather than who I'm supposed to be." He said, "But you, you're a leader. That's who you are."**

"So are you, Thor." Steve assured and he nodded.

"**You know I'd make a lot of changes around here." Valkyrie said. "I'm counting on it." Thor said as he held out his hand, "Your Majesty." She shook it.**

"She can make a good ruler for sure." Thor agreed on that and all nodded.

"**What will you do?" She asked him. "I'm not sure. For the first time in a thousand years, I...I have no path. I do have a ride, though." He turned to look at Rocket who said, "Move it or lose it, hairbag."**

Everyone chuckled as Scott said, "So that's why you know these Guardians so well."

"Yeah, he had to bear them for a few years." Scarlet Witch joked and all chuckled.

**Quill was looking at a hologram of 2014 Gamora before he heard Thro greet everyone behind him. "Well, here we are. Tree! Good to see you. Well..." He put his bag down and tapped Quill's shoulder, "The As-Guardians of the Galaxy back together again."**

"Okay, that was a good one." Hill said and all chuckled.

"Thanks." Odinson said.

"**Where to first?" Thor asked as he changed the map. "Just so you know, this is my ship still. I'm in charge." Quill said as he changed the map back. "I know. I know. Of course, you are. Of course." Thor said as he changed the map again.**

All chuckled, knowing something funny was coming.

"**See, you say of course, but then you touch the map. It makes you think that maybe you didn't realize I was in charge." Quill said as he changed back. "Quail, that's your own insecurities in there. Okay? I'm merely trying to be of service. An assistant." Thor assured. "Quill." Quill corrected him. "That's what I said." Thor shrugged.**

Everyone chuckled as May said, "You're riling him up."

"**You should fight one another for the honor of leadership." Drax said as he ate. "Sounds fair." Nebula said. "It's not necessary." Quill stammered. "It's not." Thor said too. "I got some blasters unless you guys wanna use knives." Rocket said. "Oh, yes. Please, use knives." Mantis urged.**

"Why does she sound so creepy here?" Peter asked.

"Because she is." Benjamin said and all chuckled a bit.

"**Yes, knives." Drax agreed. "I am Groot." Groot urged too. The two gave each other a look and laughed weirdly. **

"Remember something?" Tony asked Steve.

"Yeah." Steve said, remembering their weird laugh from a few days ago.

"I was reminded of this from that." Odinson told him.

"**Not necessary." Quill said. "There shall be no knifing one another." Thor said, "Everybody knows who's in charge." After a few seconds, Quill looked at Thor and asked, "It's me. Right?" Thor looked at him and said, "Yes, you! Of course! Of course. Of course."**

Everyone chuckled as Loki said, "I feel he didn't stay leader for long."

"He did." Odinson said, "Because I'm not a jerk."

All nodded, knowing that was true.

**Later, Bruce put the Orb, Time Stone, Soul Stone, remade Teserract and Rocket's Aether extraction device in a case while Steve held the Scepter on which the Mind Stone had been put back. "Remember...You have to return the Stones at the exact moment you got them. Or you're gonna open up a bunch of nasty alternative realities." Bruce warned him. "Don't worry, Bruce." Steve assured, "Clip all the branches." "You know, I tried." Bruce said regretfully, "When I had the Gauntlet, the Stones, I really tried to bring her back. I miss her, man. "Me, too." Steve said.**

"Thanks Bruce." Natasha said gratefully and he nodded.

"**You know, if you want, I can come with you." Sam offered. "You're a good man, Sam. This one's on me, though." Steve said.**

"I know." Sam said and Steve nodded.

"**Don't do anything stupid 'till I get back." Steve said to Bucky. "How can I?" Bucky asked as they hugged, "You're taking all the stupid with you."**

Everyone chuckled at that as Steve and Bucky shot each other looks, knowing the tables had turned now.

"**Gonna miss you, Buddy." Bucky said. "It's gonna be okay, Buck." Steve assured.**

"Why am I gonna miss him?" Bucky asked as all looked confused, including Steve.

"See for yourself." Lila shrugged, knowing Steve wasn't going to be pleased.

"**How long is this gonna take?" Sam asked as Steve walked to the machine and put on his Quantum Suit. "For him? As long as he needs, For us, five seconds." Bruce said before asking, "Ready, Cap?" Cap nodded as he said, "Alright. We'll meet you back here, okay?" "You bet." He said as he picked Mjolnir while Bruce counted, "Going quantum. Three..two.. one..." And then Steve was gone.**

"Let's hope I do it." Steve said.

"You will." Benjamin assured.

**After while, Bruce counted down again, "And returning in, five, four, three, two, one..." But nothing happened. Bruce tried to press buttons but nothing happened to his shock.**

"What happened?" Hill asked, worried for Steve.

"Did you lose him?" Sam asked Bruce.

"I don't know." Bruce said.

"Just watch." Logan said.

"**Where is he?" Sam asked. "I don't know. He blew right by his time stamp. He should be here." Bruce said, puzzled. "Well, get him back." Sam said. "I'm trying." "Get him the hell back!" Sam snapped. "I said, I'm trying!" Then Bucky noticed someone in the distance and called out, "Sam." Sam walked next to him and they noticed an old man on a bench with a round pack next to him.**

"Who-who is that?" Steve asked, though he already knew the answer. The others were watching in stunned shock.

"Keep watching." Benjamin said.

"**Go ahead." Bucky urged Sam as behind them, Bruce watched with a grim look. Sam walked to the bench and asked, "Cap?" And old Steve Rogers looked up at him with a smile and greeted, "Hi, Sam."**

"That's…..me?" Steve asked in shock.

"You look your age now." Tony quipped and all chuckled.

"What did you do?" Bucky asked Steve.

"You'll know." Scarlet Witch said.

"**So did something go wrong, or did something go right?" Sam asked him. "Well, after I put the Stones back, I thought...Maybe I'll try some of that life Tony and Natasha were...telling me to get." Steve said.**

'Not like this.' Steve said to himself in his head, as shocked as everyone else.

"**How did that work out for you?" Sam asked. "It was beautiful." Steve said. "I'm happy for you. Truly." Sam assured him. "Thank you." Steve said gratefully. "Only thing bumming me out is the fact I have to live in a world without Captain America." Sam said. "Oh...That reminds me..." Steve said as he opened the pack, revealing the remade shield, "Try it on."**

"You're….giving it to me." Sam said, not sure what to say.

"That's one right choice he made." Steve said about his future self.

**Sam looked to Bucky who gave him a nod of approval.**

"Right now, I feel you're more suited to it than I am." Bucky said to Sam who couldn't believe it but nodded gratefully at both him and Steve.

**Sam took it from him and held it. "How's it feel?" Steve asked. "Like it's someone else's." Sam said. "It isn't." Steve assured and he looked at him gratefully. "Thank you." He said, "I'll do my best."**

"I know you will." Steve assured and Sam nodded gratefully as all gave Sam reassuring smiles.

"**That's why it's yours." Steve said as they shook hands and Sam noticed a wedding band on Steve's finger. "You wanna tell me about her?" Sam asked him. "No." Steve said as he looked away wistfully, "No, I don't think I will."**

"Jerk." Steve muttered as all turned to him in shock while he asked, "Who the hell is this guy?"

"Steve…." Natasha tried to calm him.

"No seriously!" Steve said, "I would never do this."

"We know." Logan assured, "There were reasons."

**In the 50's, 'It's been a long, long time' played as Steve and Peggy were shown dancing to it together happily. They kissed each other passionately and the screen went black.**

"So…you went back to her." Tony noted, "To live with her."

"How can I?" Steve wondered, feeling almost angry at his future self and all agreed.

Steve looked to everyone and said, "You guys…you are my family. My home. I would never abandon you or the timeline."

"Tony's and Natasha's death broke you so badly that your way of coping ended up being this." Logan said as Steve turned to him in shock, "At that point, you just wanted comfort so badly your mind ended up reverting back to the way it was 8 years before this." [2]

"Oh no!" Steve said as he sank to his couch, "I abandoned you all to live happily. And I created an alternate timeline. I messed up!"

"We know." Logan said, "But that's why we brought you here. To make sure none of you ever mess up again about such situations."

Steve nodded, knowing Logan was right and he looked to the others, including the future people, "I'm sorry my future self left like that."

He turned to Bucky, who he knew would have needed him but instead was left behind, "But I will never, ever leave you guys. I promise."

They all nodded, knowing he was being honest to his core as Steve held out a hand to Bucky but he hugged him instead.

Tony, Natasha and Sam gave him nods too, knowing he would never leave them now.

"Well guys…this was the last one." Benjamin said as they looked to him in shock, "After this one, there's nothing more to be seen."

"Oh thank God!" Pepper said in a whisper.

The others all nodded, knowing they would need to process what was going on and couldn't deal with anymore.

"Well then." Logan said as he got up and all followed him.

* * *

**And done.**

**I was pissed off by Natasha not getting a funeral so I added a private one for her. It was taken from Bl4ckHunter's one-shot 'I wish we had more time' so thank you to him and from my one-shot 'Don't do this to me' as well.**

**[1] I'm sure Harley and Tony would have been in contact even after Iron Man 3 because Pepper won't let a kid Tony met only ONCE years ago attend the funeral. **

**[2] Don't know about you guys but I hated Steve's ending and found it a disservice to his character and Peggy's as well. A huge disservice! First of all, Steve abandoned his friends, family and timeline like that. Even if Tony and Natasha are gone, I don't buy him leaving Bucky, Sam, Wanda and Clint behind. And then he ends up creating an alternate timeline where Peggy's husband and family are gone. I know there are fanfics where he used the Time Stone with Ancient One's help to go back in time without creating an alternate timeline but that wasn't right for this story as it would open up too many plotholes in this fic so I didn't go with those. And even if he didn't create alternate timelines, the issue of him leaving his family behind is still there. So not a 'Steve Rogers' move. At the end of Age of Ultron, he accepted that now this timeline was where he belonged. "I am home." He had said. So his ending ruins that and takes his character development back to how he was before Age of Ultron's ending. My preferred ending for Steve is written in a one-shot called 'A Captain's Farewell' by my friend Stand with Ward and Queen in which Steve talks to Peggy instead while returning the Teserract and on returning, hands the shield to Sam before going off on soul-searching to find out who he is outside of Captain America. And another ending I prefer for him is that he retires while giving Sam his shield but continues working from behind the scenes to honor Natasha and maybe hooks up with Hill while he's at it XD (though I'm serious about the hooking up part but that's the shipper in me talking, though I wouldn't mind). So what I think is Tony's and Natasha's deaths messed him up so much that returning to Peggy was his unhealthy coping mechanism.**

**Oh boy! This turned into a rant. Anyway, if you disagree its fine. But this is what I feel about the situation.**

**Now, I know many of you are gonna be very, very disappointed by this so I am very, very, very sorry about this. But I thought a lot about this. I stayed awake half the previous night thinking about it, and now I've decided I'm not doing Far From Home.**

***Everyone points guns at me***

**I know, I know, it's disappointing and some of you probably hate me. I was even gonna do it earlier after the first time I had seen it.**

**But that's the thing. I loved it the first time. But after the second time, I hate that movie with a passion. So many things about it didn't make sense AT ALL- EDITH, Tony giving Peter EDITH, Peter giving Beck EDITH, Peter not having any PTSD, Tony being indirectly responsible for another villain (overused trope now), Happy/May and so on. These negatives outweigh the few positives like Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter/MJ (which was handled well enough in this movie to win me over).**

**And Peter's arc was terrible too. It was basically a repeat of his Homecoming arc, except it was handled terribly. Homecoming, in spite of flaws, handled his arc realistically in a good way. Not this movie. The writers did Spider-Man really dirty now and I will never forgive them for that.**

**I already told you what I think of EDITH and it's a disservice to Tony's character after Endgame. After all the respect Tony is getting in this movie, I don't want anyone to call him out again, even a little bit. And I already had him scrap EDITH earlier.**

**So from now on, I'm gonna pretend in my headcannon that Far From Home doesn't exist. And in any previous chapters where I said it will be shown, I'm gonna go back and edit it myself along with any references to the movie except EDITH which Tony might have been thinking of but scrapped it. **

**To conclude, Far From Home is not a worthy ending to Phase 3. Endgame was. And after it, Far From Home is unneeded. Like a reviewer known as Spike Trap said, Into the Spiderverse or something like it would have been an infinitely better ending to Phase 3. **

**But that movie isn't part of MCU unfortunately and Endgame was a near-perfect conclusion. **

**So I know many of you are disappointed, and there would be many who even hate me. And I won't fault you. Not one bit. **

**But I thought deeply about this and this is my decision finally. Plus, writing this has taken a toll at last and I want to be finished. **

**So next few chapters will be everyone coming to terms with what they have seen and then the resolution of the Bruce/Hulk conflict. Then the end.**

**Once again, I am really sorry if I disappointed (which I sure did) but this is my decision and I can't change it because of reasons I mentioned.**

**Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter. **


	108. Planning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far.**

**Now I know my decision not do Far From Home disappointed many, because many would have loved to see Beck and Jameson get some payback for what they did.**

**So I'd like to recommend to you a fic known as 'Helping Spider-Man' by Cornholio4 on A03 which has Beck and Jameson getting their just desserts. Hope you people enjoy that story a lot. **

**If I had done Far From Home, I'd have used that story as a reference point for what happened after the movie so thank you to Cornholio4 for that. **

**Anyway, moving on.**

**Harley Fan: Thanks for the review. I am aware.**

**123 power ranger: Thanks for the review. Thank you! That is my exact problem with the ending too.**

**Antonio Guestie: Thanks for the review. Thank you! So glad you agree with me on Steve's ending. It really was an overboard move. Yes, it's sad I'm finishing this up. And yeah, it was a monster to write. Thanks a lot. Hope you enjoy any of my other stories too then as you've enjoyed this one.**

**Guest 1: Thanks for the review. So sorry to disappoint.**

**Guest 2: Thanks for the review. There is no evidence he longed for his time period before this movie. I know he could just retire, but he could have done that in the present too. Like I said, my preferred ending is he gives the shield to Sam and goes off soul-searching to find out who he is outside of Captain America. Because to me, running back to Peggy comes off as nothing but an unhealthy coping mechanism. If you disagree, it's fine. We all have our opinions.**

**Guest 3: Thanks for the review. They are going to get an explanation.**

Chapter 108- Planning

Everyone sat in the dining room quietly, trying to come to terms with what they had seen. No one really said much.

"Anyone want cheeseburgers?" Morgan suddenly asked and they chuckled.

"Yes please, cheeseburgers would be good." Pepper said and she nodded as they were brought in.

"Thank you." Steve said to Tony, "For what you did."

He turned to Natasha, "And you too."

"But we will make sure the situations that led you two to lose your lives do not arise again." Steve assured before turning to Loki and Vision, "And you two as well, along with Gamora."

"The 2014 one would be so glad to hear that." Logan muttered.

"So she joined them?" Thor asked.

"Yes, she did." Odinson said.

"Tony, I know I can never get you to stop." Pepper said to him as he looked at her, "But please, don't kill yourself. I won't be able to live with myself if you did."

"I won't. Not this time." Tony assured as he hugged her and she accepted, knowing she needed it right now.

"Was this really the only way?" Peter asked, "Couldn't there have been a way where we won and everyone survived?"

"No, unfortunately there wasn't."

They turned to see Doctor Strange walking out of a fiery portal, a look of regret on his face as he looked at Tony.

"I looked into every single possible outcome I could." Strange said, "Even the rat stepping on the machine was a bit of a gamble."

"So the rat actually saved the Universe?" Scott asked.

"It contributed yes." Strange said before turning to the others, "But like I said, I looked into every possible outcome. There were some in which others went to Vormir, and couldn't do it. And one in which I told you, Tony, of what would happen, and in the last moment you hesitated and Thanos won."

Tony nodded at that, knowing Strange was right about it.

"So this was the only way then." Pepper said as she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "Basically, you saved him and set them both up to die."

"Before Titan, there could have been several ways to win. But when we reached Titan, there was only one." Strange informed them.

"So no running off half-cocked then." Tony said and he nodded.

He then looked regretfully at Tony and Natasha and said, "I know you two had to die for the Universe to live, so I am really, really sorry that I couldn't save you two along with the others. Because if I could, I would do it in a heartbeat. But you have to understand why I did it."

"It's all right." Natasha assured him, "We understand why you didn't. The Universe needed saving."

"And it almost was." Scarlet Witch said.

"Until we found out the Universe would collapse without the Infinity Stones in them." Lila said.

"Which is when we made this plan up." Cassie said.

"I hope we do not disappoint." Thor said.

"We can't fail all of your trust in us." Clint said too.

"We know you won't." Morgan assured, "You people are the Earth's Mightiest Heroes."

"So are you people." Steve assured the future Avengers and they nodded in pride, knowing Steve meant what he had said.

"So like I said, I am sorry for not being able to save you." Strange told both Tony and Natasha, "But now I hope you are saved."

"We will." Tony said, "It's not that hard."

"Don't underestimate Thanos." Odinson warned and he nodded, knowing Odinson was right.

"Now the only thing to be done is to plan out how to beat him." Fury said and all nodded.

"Yeah, let's do it." Bruce said.

"Actually, you're not going to be part of the planning." Strange said to Bruce's shock.

"Why?" He asked.

"Remember I told you he would come to help you with your green problem?" Benjamin asked and Bruce nodded, remembering.

"Right now?" He asked.

"Don't worry. We will tell you the plan when you're done." Loki assured and he nodded in thanks.

"Well, then, good luck guys." He said as Strange led him away to another room.

"Good luck!" They all said to him at the same time as the two disappeared from view.

"So, first things first, let's talk about allies." Morgan said.

"Yeah." Tony said.

"I'm still gonna be in space, right?" Thor asked and they nodded, "Well, I will go to Nidavellir and forge Stormbreaker first."

"I can get a staff forged for me too." Loki said.

"Awesome. You'd need it." Odinson said, "And when you get back, tell Heimdall about this."

"Really?" Thor asked and he nodded, "Why?"

"You need to send the Teserract to Earth." Benjamin said, "So give it to Bruce, and have Heimdall send him to Earth with his Bifrost powers."

"So Thanos never gets to you guys." Hope said in realization and they nodded.

"So Space Stone is on Earth, Time and Mind would be on Earth too." Steve noted.

"And tell Strange about the time travel thing as well." Lila said, "He'll probably figure it out though."

"Oh I'm sure he will. He is smart enough for that." Tony said.

"Tell him where the Reality Stone is and he can use a portal to steal it as well." Cassie said.

The past people chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Scarlet Witch asked.

"Just imagining how Tivan would look when he finds out the Aether got stolen." Hill said and all laughed at that.

"When you make Stormbreaker, find the Guardians and Carol." Odinson urged his past self, "We will give you the coordinates of where they were during those dates."

"Makes sense." Thor said, "Will save Nebula too then."

"Yes, please do." Benjamin said.

"And considering Gamora knows where the Soul Stone is, we need to keep her safe." Steve pointed out, "Though I wonder if she would want to be kept safe."

"She won't." Natasha said and all chuckled.

"And considering we have two weeks, we can separate the Mind Stone from you." Tony said to Vision, "Me, Bruce and Shuri together can do it."

"I would very much like that." Vision said gratefully.

"We need to stop him before he gets any of the Stones." T'Challa said.

"Which means stop him at Xandar itself." Steve said.

"Will we be able to do it?" Tony asked.

"We will have to." Steve said, "Together."

Tony nodded.

"And Tony." Steve said as Tony turned to him, "I was wrong about you. You can make the sacrifice play if needed."

Tony nodded, knowing Steve was referring to his snap.

"And everything special about you didn't come out of a bottle." Tony assured Steve and he nodded, knowing Tony was referring to him being worthy of Mjolnir this entire time.

"How will we make the people at Xandar listen to us though?" Natasha wondered.

"Strange will have to handle that." Logan pointed out and they nodded in agreement.

"And what about Ross?" Peter asked.

"Oh yeah." Benjamin said, "We have compiled all of his crimes into a drive. When you return, give it to Everett. He will expose Ross."

"Oh yeah!" Tony cheered as all smirked, "Can't wait for this to blow up in his face."

"Me neither." May said.

* * *

"Take a seat, Bruce." Strange told him.

Banner blinked and suddenly found himself seated. Which was rather startling.

"We need to talk." Strange firmly stated before revealing, "Based on the recordings, you and your green friend might have a problem in the near future."

The sorcerer had himself first witnessed the said problem himself during the Attack on Greenwich Village years ago.

"Well, according to everyone, he is tired of solving my problems." Bruce said, "So are we doing therapy?"

Strange was dry as ever. "I'm not that sort of head doctor."

The Master of Mystic Arts swiftly poked the Avenger's chest. Banner's head snapped back as his astral form was ejected from his body. With Banner still reeling from the experience, Strange summoned a mystical barrier encompassing the whole room. The stage was set for the astral equivalent of a cage fight.

"You two have a lot to talk about." Strange advised.

Banner anxiously glanced right – Strange had ejected Hulk's astral form as well! Hulk's expression left no doubt this encounter was not going to be amicable at all.

"The spell will lift when you sort things out." Strange concluded matters.

The sorcerer exited the pocket dimension he had created via a portal. Now alone in their pocket dimension, Banner's alter-ego spoke first.

"Puny Banner!" Hulk raged before throwing a punch.

Banner was struck directly in the face. Physically, the force of the blow would have killed him outright. His astral form instead merely flinched, realizing this was a far more even contest.

"Who's puny now?" he taunted back.

Banner drew on his martial arts training. A spinning kick sent Hulk hurtling into the barrier behind him. His pride stung; Hulk launched himself back in the fray. He grasped Banner on the fly before driving him into the barrier. Banner freed himself with a blow to the stomach. The pair flew within the barrier's confines, each trying to pummel the other into submission. Their conflict was intensified by years of pent-up anger, distrust, fear and self-hatred.

They had not yet returned to the past, but the battle to stop Thanos had already begun.

* * *

**The part with Bruce/Hulk was taken from Dr. Matthattan's 'Avengers: Dagor Arnediad' with his permission so thanks a lot to him for that.**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and see you all next time with another chapter.**


	109. Farewell

**Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel Cinematic Universe or anything else you may recognize **

**Thank you to everyone who has favorited, followed or reviewed this fic so far. And this is the last time I'm saying that for this fic. **

**Because at long last, we have reached the last chapter of this really long fic (I've seen longer though but not gonna talk about them). **

**It has been a wild ride for sure. **

**I'll say the rest in the ending A/N. Right now, let's do the last chapter. **

Chapter 109- Farewell

Hulk and Banner had stopped fighting after a few minutes. The pair stood well apart as they stared out the window at the city.

"There's got to be a way out of this," Banner thought aloud.

"Banner thinks he can escape?" Hulk sarcastically asked.

"Yeah, that's right," he testily replied.

Banner floated across the room to where the door was. The magical barrier overlaying it included a large disc that rotated erratically. A circle of Sanskrit runes inscribed within the disc spun in parallel. Banner tried deciphering them from his time in India.

"What's Banner going to do?" Hulk's scorn broke his concentration. "Smash monsters with PhD?"

"No, I'm going to use the Mark 49," Banner retorted. "You know, the one that kicked the crap out of you."

"Because little witch scared crap out of you," Hulk blamed him for it.

A fed-up Banner opted to ignore this. He then translated part of the runes that read "touch to open". Frustration caused him to overlook the preceding "Do not". Banner cautiously touched the disc. Hulk laughed mercilessly as the spell flung Banner back next to him. The brilliant scientist gave his alter ego a withering look.

"Banner stuck with Hulk," the latter smugly concluded.

* * *

After the compilation on Ross' crimes had been handed, the future people were telling some more stories until the past people decided to ask about something they all wanted to know.

"How did I return the Stones?" Steve asked the future people.

"Yeah, that has to be an interesting story." Tony said.

"I want to hear it too." Thor said before asking the others, "Anyone else?"

All raised their hands.

"All right." Benjamin said as he turned to Steve, "You went to New York first. You disguised yourself as an agent and when Loki was about to escape, threw a device at him."

"It electrocuted me?" Loki asked.

"No. It was a tracker." Morgan said and he nodded, "Made by Rocket."

"Then you tracked the coordinates and fed them to your suit." Lila told him, "You used it to go to where he was, which was where the Chitauri base had been destroyed."

All looked to Tony who nodded as Cassie said, "There Loki was being interrogated by The Other but you knocked them both out with Mjolnir and brought Loki back with you."

"You put him on the ground along with the Teserract he had stolen as well as the Scepter." Scarlet Witch finished.

"So timeline unscrewed." Hope said as all chuckled.

"Good thing I got caught." Loki said, "I have no idea how much damage I could have caused."

"A lot I'm sure." Natasha said.

"So no marrying the timeline then." Clint joked and all laughed.

"And the Time Stone was pretty easy to return." Rhodes remembered and all nodded.

"As for the Orb, you just put it near the container instead of inside it." Logan said, "Not much to change."

"Yeah, not much." Steve shrugged.

"As for the Aether, the Reality Stone had been turned back into a fluid by Rocket's device." Odinson said, "You snuck into Jane's room and injected it into her while she slept."

Steve nodded at that as Odinson said, "And dropped Mjolnir in a hallway."

"At least you won't be calling it for an hour." Sam joked to Thor as all laughed.

"Then you went to New Jersey and put the Teserract where Tony had taken it from." Scarlet Witch told him.

"As for the Soul Stone, you had to throw it back over the cliff." Benjamin said.

"And how did I react to seeing Red Skull?" Steve asked.

"I'm sure it would be the same as the two of us on seeing him in the recordings." Bucky said and he nodded, knowing it made sense.

"Yeah, just like that." Benjamin said, "Not very pleasant."

"Well, we'll give you the coordinates for finding the Guardians and Carol then." Lila said as she got up and picking the device, handed it to Thor.

"Thank you." He said gratefully, "I'll find them."

"I know." Odinson said.

"So we only have to wait for Dr. Banner then." T'Challa said and all nodded, deciding to tell him of the plan later.

* * *

Hulk was away from the window staring at the changing patterns on Strange's spell. By contrast, Banner was deep in thought. He wondered if Hulk never showed up again and without his strength, Tony or Natasha or someone else died again against Thanos. It was enough to make him swallow his pride.

"Look," Banner broke the silence. "We've got a lot of things to sort out. But we first have to stop Thanos."

Hulk turned around and faced him. "No."

"What do you mean, 'no'?" Banner repeated what his on-screen self had asked Hulk in New York.

"Banner like Ross," Hulk argued. "Just wants to use Hulk."

Banner was more than insulted by the comparison. So why did it cause him a pang of guilt?

"We don't have time for this," he testily replied before pointing out about the upcoming battle. "They need us out there to deal with Thanos in 2 weeks!"

"No!"

Banner tried changing tack.

"What about our friends?" He reminded Hulk. "Vision was murdered and Tony and Natasha had to give up their lives! Are you just going to let them die?"

Shaming Hulk into action only intensified his anger. If only because it proved what he said about being used.

"Banner's fault if they die," Hulk growled.

The assertion enraged Banner. For once he could fully vent without the risk of turning into his alter-ego.

"Screw you, you big green asshole!" he yelled at Hulk.

_"Screw you, asshole father!"_

Their argument ended in stunned silence. Hulk turned his back in hurt and frustration. His outburst had left Banner reeling. He assumed Hulk saw their relationship like he did, as an all-or-nothing fight for control. Banner had long been estranged from his now deceased father because of physical and mental abuse. The young Bruce wanted nothing more than his father's approval. But no matter how hard his son tried; Brian Banner was never impressed and instead used to hit and berate him for what he did. And now the ugly truth had hit Banner at last.

Hulk had a name; Banner referred to him as 'The Other Guy'. Hulk had saved millions of lives as an Avenger; Banner never stopped perceiving him as a threat. Hulk was equally a victim of Wanda's mind games; Banner did not show him any understanding. Hulk had found acceptance in the most unlikely of places – but not from the individual he most wanted it from. It ultimately led to Hulk becoming estranged from him. Banner had been just almost…his father. For a sensitive person like himself, it was a horrific realization.

"You're right," a remorseful Banner admitted. "I'm sorry."

An unmoved Hulk kept shunning him. Banner kept persisting though. His fateful accident prevented him from having children. But that same accident had also given birth to one. Hulk effectively was Banner's child. The latter willed himself to break a toxic cycle of emotional neglect and abuse.

"It wasn't your fault," Banner's voice began to quiver. "I can't change the past. But I'm not going to hurt you anymore." He decided to redefine their relationship. "From now on, I'm going to look after you."

Hulk slowly turned around. Normally, he would have dismissed the very notion that 'puny Banner' could look after him. Did Banner finally understand what he wanted?

"How?" Hulk dared to hope.

Banner flung his arms around him.

"I just wished Dad could've held us like this," Banner told his inner child.

Hulk sniffled as he embraced him in return. Banner had finally accepted him for who he was. And for the first time in his existence, Hulk loved himself. The mystical cage around them started to glow brighter. Hulk and Banner sensed a change in the very fiber of their being.

"Hulk scared," the former said.

The light became incandescent.

"Me too," Banner admitted. "But we no longer have to be scared of each other."

The pair hugged tightly as the spell consumed them.

* * *

Everyone felt the light from the room as Peter asked, "What is going on?"

And then Bruce walked out, looking very satisfied.

"So, did you two work it out?" Clint asked.

"Banner and Hulk not scared." Bruce said in Hulk's voice, startling everyone before saying in his own voice, "Yeah we did."

"So you both are in control now?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah. No more fighting. We are one now." Bruce said, "Like we should have been."

"Well, Bruce." Steve said as he got up and held out his hand, "I am happy for you. Both of you."

Bruce nodded with a grateful smile as he shook Cap's hand.

"Hulk like Captain." He said in Hulk's voice and Steve's smile grew brighter at that as he knew that these two were on the same page.

"So it's done then." Odinson said as he got up, "Now it is time for you to go back."

Tony and Pepper looked at Morgan who had a smile as well as tears.

"I know we haven't had you yet." Tony said as the two walked to her, "But when we do, you will have both of us till the end. I promise."

"I know." She said as she hugged the two.

"We'll take care of you, honey." Pepper assured.

Tony said in her, "I love you 3000."

"I know." She said, "I know."

"Well, you're so big right now." Scott said to Cassie who chuckled, "And when I go back, you'll be small again."

"But you will get to see me go from small to big." Cassie said and he nodded, "And maybe giant and tiny too."

The two laughed at that and shared a loving embrace.

"Dad, whatever happens, promise me one thing." Lila asked and Clint nodded, "Please, don't lose your path."

As she said this, she seemed to be in a lot of pain.

"Something happened?" Clint asked.

"The man you killed in Japan, few years later, his son tracked you down and killed you." Lila revealed and Clint was shocked on hearing that.

"Don't worry." He then assured her as they hugged, "I won't let that happen. I will not lose my way. For you and my family."

"I know you won't." She said.

"Well, Benjamin. It was good to meet you." Steve said as he held out his hand, "Hope you continue to lead them."

"And I hope you do too." Benjamin said as he shook it.

"I'm going to miss you brother." Odinson said to Loki as he embraced him.

"I know." Loki said.

As they parted, Odinson said to his younger self and Loki, "So promise me, you'll look after each other."

"I will." Thor said without hesitation.

Loki looked to Thor and with a nod said, "I'm not leaving again. I will do so too."

Odinson nodded with a smile.

"And we will do everything you asked as well." Thor assured and he gave another nod, knowing they would.

"Thank you, for your advice." Wanda said to her older self, "I will do what you said when we get back."

"I know." Scarlet Witch said, "Good luck."

"Good luck to you too." Wanda said as the two hugged.

"Well Cap." Logan held out his hand, "When you're done with the bald moron, maybe give me a visit."

"Will do." Steve said as the two shook hands too.

"I know we won't lose you this time, Auntie Nat." Lila said to Natasha as she hugged the younger woman for comfort.

"I'm not leaving you or anyone this time." Natasha assured and she nodded, knowing Natasha was being honest.

"Peter, whatever happens, do not lose yourself." Benjamin told his younger self, "It's who you are underneath that your enemies want to destroy. And take this."

He held out a drive as Benjamin said, "Whenever Norman first becomes Green Goblin, you go hand this to whichever authority you can. He will be taken down before he can cause much damage."

"I will." Peter said determinedly.

"I'm so proud of what you have become." May said to Benjamin as she touched his face and he kissed her hand lovingly before the two embraced each other lovingly. She had been his mother ever since he had lost his real one. And she was all he wanted.

As they parted Benjamin said to Peter, "And don't forget, with great power-"

"Comes great responsibility." They finished together.

"Well then." Logan said as he looked around, "The goodbyes are done. It's time to send you lot back."

"In the machine then." Bruce said and the future people nodded as they all went into the huge machine which looked like the Quantum machine from the last recording.

"Good luck!" The future people said simultaneously.

"Good luck!" The past people said at the same time.

And then Logan pushed a button as a light flashed. When it was gone, so were the past people.

"I'm guessing that's the end of our role." Logan said.

"Yeah." Benjamin said as he wrapped an arm around Morgan who appreciated it, "Now we can only trust them to not repeat our mistakes. Now let's do something useful ourselves too."

"Yeah right." Scarlet Witch agreed.

"Here's to hoping." Morgan shrugged and the others smiled at her, assuring her it would all be all right.

And then, they went off to their monitoring room to see if any new threats had popped up or not. After all, that's what heroes did in any timeline.

* * *

**And finally, done at last! **

**How Steve returned the Stones was inspired by a story called 'Homebound' by Loquatorious on AO3. I highly recommend it to you all. **

**And of course, the Bruce/Hulk resolution was taken from Dr. Matthattan's 'Avengers: Dagor Arnediad' so thank you to him again. Though I tweaked it a bit from what he had done. So now both have full control in any form. **

**And with that, we have reached the end of this gigantic story. Back when I began at June's end, I never thought I could finish it up before the year's end. I always imagined I would finish it sometime by 2020, maybe before the Black Widow movie came out.**

**But my update speed was just too fast. **

**Anyway, it's been a wild ride for sure. Not everyone agreed with everything I did or some opinions I had. I had to roast a bunch of trolls on the way here too. One such roast in Chapter 103 itself on FF, so close to the ending. **

**But all of that was to be expected. **

**So thank you to every single person who favorited, followed or reviewed this fic or just supported me in any way while I wrote this, or liked it and read through in spite of any huge disagreements (which I'm sure happened a lot). **

**And at long last, we've finished this story and it's taken its toll.**

**I probably won't be updating my other story for a few days now to recover myself from writing this monster of a story. And it will be pretty long before the fix-it sequel comes out. But it will. And when it does, I will inform you all.**

**So this is where we say goodbye at last. It's sad I know that this is over. But to quote Tony Stark- "Part of the journey is the end." **

**I'm grateful to you all for your support and really happy I got to know some of you pleasant people through this story. And there are many pleasant people I already knew before this one who supported me through this. **

**I love you all 3000.**

**Until next time.**

**Aragorn II Elessar.**


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